home · Measurements · Cold smoking: how to make a smoke generator with your own hands. The principle of operation and manufacture of a smoke generator for smoking with your own hands The role of smoking substances

Cold smoking: how to make a smoke generator with your own hands. The principle of operation and manufacture of a smoke generator for smoking with your own hands The role of smoking substances

In Figure 2.2. cleaning installation shown flue gases, working on the basis of inertial and absorption methods.

Flue gas cleaning in a Venturi scrubber is carried out as follows: the installation tank is filled with drinking water, then the fan is turned on and the flue gases enter the Venturi pipe, where their speed increases to the maximum value. At the same time, water is supplied into the Venturi tube through a nozzle. By atomizing water in the nozzle and pulsating the high-speed smoke flow, the water is finely atomized. The contact surface of water and smoke particles increases, therefore, the sorption process intensifies. Then the smoke-water flow passes through the diffuser, where its speed of movement decreases, as a result of which the duration of contact between water and smoke increases.

In a centrifugal swirler, water droplets are separated from the smoke flow, since they have greater inertia and do not keep up with changes in the flow movement.

Droplets are caught on the surface of the water. The smoke flow from the swirler is fed tangentially into the cyclone, water droplets are thrown to the walls of the cyclone and washed away by a film of water from the ring water supply, and the purified smoke emissions enter the atmosphere.

As the recirculating water becomes saturated with smoking components, it is drained into a container, cleaned of resinous compounds and can be used as a smoking preparation.

Figure 2.2 – Installation for producing the smoking preparation “VNIRO”:

1 – recirculation pump; 2 – solenoid valve; 3,9,15,17,23,25 – valves; 4 – flow meter total flow water; 5 – water tank; 6 – recirculation water flow meter; 7 – centrifugal swirler; 8 – cyclone; 10 – ring water supply; 11 – diffuser; 12 – Venturi pipe; 13 – neck; 14 – confuser; 16 – nozzle; 18 – gate; 19 – measuring tube; 20 – high water level indicator; 21 – low water level indicator; 22 – high pressure fan; 24 – recirculation water filter.

In the N10-IDG smoke generator, flue gases are purified using a water-inertial method (Fig. 2.3).

Figure 2.3. Water-inertial device of the N10-IDG smoke generator:

1- cover; 2-exhaust pipe; 3-tray for draining water; 4-knee; 5- partition; 6-boundary wall; 7-smoke pipe; 8-body; 9-water pipe.

Smoke comes out of pipe 7 at high speed, hits the surface of the water, heavy particles settle into the water, and the smoke, due to collisions with the restrictive wall, turns 90 degrees and through elbow 6 is again directed to the surface of the water, which partially captures the heavy fractions. Purified smoke enters the smoking chamber through pipe 2. Periodically, water saturated with resinous substances, soot and other contaminants is replaced.

Figure 2.4 shows a scrubber installation for cleaning smoke emissions from smoking chambers. The installation works as follows. The smoke enters precipitation room 2, in which heavy resins and ash are separated from the smoke. The separation occurs in an inertial way. Then the smoke enters scrubber 3.

In scrubber 3, through nozzle 4 from Raschig rings, water moves towards the smoke and falls through nozzles 5.

Fig. 2.4. Device for obtaining an aqueous solution of smoke: 1-collector; 2-sediment chamber; 3-scrubber; 4-nozzle; 5- nozzles; 6-fan; 7-smoke solution; 8-reservoir; 9-filter; 10-pump; 11-cooler; 12-collector.

The water in the installation circulates according to the following scheme: tank 12, pump 10, nozzle 4, tank 12. The water temperature is maintained within 50 C 0. After saturation with smoking components, the aqueous solution is filtered through cellulose pulp. The purified aqueous solution can be used as a smoking preparation.

The All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (VNIRO) has developed a number of installations that can be used both to purify harmful emissions and to obtain a smoking preparation (Fig. 2.5-2.7).

Fig. 2.5. Device for obtaining a smoking preparation.

1,3,6 - dampers; 2-smoke generator; 4-filter; 5-sorber; 7-fan.

Fig.2.6. Installation for cleaning the smoke-air mixture. 1-adapter; 2-cover; 3-chimneys; 4.8 fans; 5- prefilter; 6,7- sorbers; 9-tank for preparing the solution; 10-pump.

Distinctive feature installations is the presence of a movable nozzle made of rubber balls, made of acid-resistant rubber, with a diameter of 15-20 mm and a density of 1 g/cm 3 (Fig. 2.5-2.6). In the E01-3090 installation, the balls are made of polyethylene. VNIRO recommends a speed of the smoke-air mixture of 7.5±0.1 m/s with a ratio of the volumes of the moving nozzle and the water layer of 0.5: 0.1.

The installation for purifying the smoke-air mixture (Fig. 2.6) uses two sorbers with ball nozzles. Water is used as absorbents in the first sorber, and a solution of a chemically active substance is used in the second.

Fig. 2.7. Installation E01-3090 for cleaning smoke emissions

1- nozzle; 2-lattice; 3-absorber; 4-irrigator; 5-tee with valve; 6,7-drop catchers; 8-pipe for releasing purified smoke into the atmosphere; 9-flap; 10-fan; 11- drain pipe; 12-pipe for draining condensate into the sewer.

Installation capacity 6000 m 3 /h, installed power 27.5 kW, maximum hydraulic resistance 8.2 kPa (820 mm water column), purified smoke temperature 90 0 C. Water capacity 1.2 m 3, one-time soda consumption 6 kg, potassium premanganate up to 20 kg, bleach – 12 kg. dimensions 6000×5600×2600 mm, occupied area 36.6 m2.

The E01-3090 installation (Fig. 2.7) consists of two autonomous drum-type sorbers. In sorbers there is a layer of polyethylene balls on perforated grids. The layer of balls is filled with water to a height of 350-400 mm. When passing through a layer of water and nozzle, a so-called “fluidized layer” is formed, as a result of which mass transfer between smoke and water increases.

The installation capacity is 10800-15000 m 3 /h, water consumption is 5 m 3 /h, steam consumption at a pressure of 200 kPa (2 kgf/cm 2) is 80 kg/h, electricity consumption is 28 kW∙h, weight is 4500 kg.

If water is constantly drained, then the degree of purification of smoke emissions for resinous substances increases to 50.5%, for benzopyrene - to 64.5%.

A high degree of purification is achieved if the absorbent is continuously drained into the sewer. In this case, it must be neutralized, that is, additional chemical cleaning. When recycling the absorbate for 5 hours, the degree of purification for benzopyrene decreases to 22%, and for resinous substances to 18.6%, i.e. cleaning is not carried out effectively if the smoking preparation is obtained using the E01-3090 installation.

At the Moscow fish complex, a Flakt (Denmark) installation is used to purify smoke emissions using the chemical absorption method. The installation consists of three stages. At the first stage, large smoke particles are captured from the smoke stream by flushing liquid (NaOH). The flushing liquid is sprayed into the showering devices, saturated with solid particles, filtered and sent back to the showering devices.

At the second stage, the washing liquid also circulates; as a result, sodium hydroxide hydrolyzes esters, converts phenols and organic acids into readily soluble phenolates and sodium salts. After a certain operating cycle, the flushing liquid is neutralized with 98% sulfuric acid to the required pH value, after which it is discharged into the sewer network.

Installation capacity 80,000 m 3 /h, water consumption 2-4 m 3 /, 20% NaOH 20-30 l/h, 98% H 2 SO 4 1-2 l/h, smoke temperature - up to 60 0 C. Overall dimensions 14000×3000×3700 mm.

In Fig. Figure 2.8 shows a schematic diagram of cleaning based on a three-stage tower scrubber from Flakt.

At the first stage, flue gases are exposed to hydrochloric acid, in this case, nitrogen compounds (ammonia, amines) are absorbed from the smoke. At the second stage, sulfur compounds (hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans), aldehydes, ketones, and fatty acids are absorbed and oxidized from the smoke by sodium hypochloride.

Rice. 2.8. Technological diagram of a three-stage installation

for emissions purification from Flakt

At the third stage, caustic soda (NaOH) removes excess chlorine and residual acid compounds from the smoke.

In Fig. 2.9 introduces the Geiloote scrubber. The scrubber consists of 4 reaction chambers containing layers of irrigated packing. After each reaction chamber there are layers of rain-fed packing that act as drop catchers, thereby achieving a more complete use of the washing liquid in each chamber and eliminating the carryover of the washing liquid with the flue gases.

The first chamber is designed to remove solid particles.

In the second chamber, ionization of smoke particles occurs, so purification here occurs with absorption and electrostatic deposition. After passing the zone high voltage charged smoke particles are deposited on the surface of the nozzle or droplet separator as a result of the attraction of charged particles to a neutral surface under the influence of electromotive force self-induction or self-impact with a liquid or solid surface.

In the third chamber, acid washing with sulfuric acid occurs. In this case, alkaline components (amines) are removed from the smoke.

In the fourth chamber, the smoke is exposed to caustic soda, as a result of which acidic components are removed from it.

Installation capacity 40,000 m 3 /h, consumption of 20% NaOCl (in terms of active chlorine with a mass concentration of 150 g/l) 1.4 kg/h, electrostatic field voltage 20 - 30 kW, installed power 10 kW.

In Fig. Figure 2.10 shows the design of a smoke purification installation, the operating principle of which is based on absorption followed by post-combustion. Such installations are produced by Stork-Duke.

Rice. 2.9 Geiloote cross-flow scrubber:

1 – first stage of cleaning; 2 – ionization stage; 3 – third stage of purification; 4 – fourth stage of cleaning; 5, 6, 7 – viewing windows; 8, 9, 10 – absorbent recirculation systems; 11 – fan.

The installation consists of a scrubber with washing liquid and a furnace that runs on gas or fuel oil. The furnace can be cleaned using a recuperator.

After-combustion plants are also used by industry. Thermal catalytic devices are mainly used. In these devices, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide are oxidized to carbon dioxide on a catalytic film. Aluminum-platinum, iron-chromium, and copper-chromium are used as catalysts.

It should be noted that the catalytic activity of various organic compounds not the same. Therefore, the degree of purification of these compounds varies. In thermocatalytic installations, 75–97% of organic substances are usually oxidized.

In Fig. Figure 2.11 shows a schematic diagram of the installation for catalytic afterburning. If during thermal after-combustion the neutralization of organic substances occurs at a temperature of 700 - 800 0 C, then during catalytic after-combustion neutralization occurs at more low temperatures(up to 550 0 C).

The installation for catalytic combustion was tested at the Yalta fish processing plant (Fig. 2.12).

Catalyst basket 6 of the installation was made with various catalysts: AP-56 aluminum-platinum contacts (0.56% platinum on aluminum oxide); ShPK-2 (0.2% platinum on a ball carrier ShK-2); M-2 (chromium-nickel spiral with an active film containing thousandths of platinum).

The activity of contacts AP-56 and ShPK-2 at temperatures of 350 - 450 0 C and volumetric velocities of the smoke-air mixture of 5000 - 10000 m 3 / h is reduced due to deposits of carbon compounds on the surface.

Complete purification of flue gases is achieved using M-2 catalysts if the catalysis temperature is 500 0 C and the smoke-air mixture moves at a volumetric velocity of 15,000 m 3 /h.

Rice. 2.10. Combined treatment plant from Stork-Duke:

1 – drainage of washing liquid; 2 – air supply; 3 – gas supply; 4 – scrubber; 5 – supply of washing liquid; 6 – drop catcher; 7 – fan; 8 – air supply to the furnace; 9 – recuperator; 10 – chimney; 11 – air supply to the recuperator; 12 – combustion furnace; 13 – burner.

Figure 2.11 - Schematic diagram installations for catalytic combustion: 1 – fuel oil or gas burner; 2 – thermal insulation; 3 – catalyst cellular type; 4 – temperature sensor behind the catalyst; 5 – temperature sensor in front of the catalyst; 6 – fireproof pipe.

Figure 2.12 - Installation of catalytic after-combustion of smoke emissions:

1 – smoke supply fan; 2 – air supply fan; 3 – burners; 4 – reactor; 5 – air manifold; 6 – catalyst basket; 7 – chimney; 8 – smoke exhauster; 9 – waste heat boiler.

For deodorization of flue gases, NIIOGAZ specialists recommend NIIOGAZ-17D catalysts. The catalysis temperature should be 350-380 0 C, and the gas flow rate should be 15,000 - 20,000 m 3 /h.

The industry also uses so-called ionizing scrubbers, in which flue gases are purified using a high-voltage electrostatic field (Fig. 2.13).

In the zone of electrostatic charging of particles 1, ionization of smoke particles occurs. For ionization, irrigated electrode plates with a width of 200–300 mm are usually used. Small charged particles fall into layers of contact fillers (for example, Tellerette type). In contact fillers, small particles due to self-induction of reverse charge are attracted and deposited by the washing liquid. Harmful gases and gases from specific odors are absorbed by the washing liquid, react with it and turn into neutral compounds.

Figure 2.13 – Schematic diagram of an ionizing scrubber:

1 – zone of electrostatic charging of particles; 2 – spray nozzle; 3 – Tellerette type fillers; 4 – pump; 5 – tray for collecting washing liquid.

Scientists of the Moscow Institute National economy them. G.V. Plekhanov developed a device for producing smoking liquid from flue gases (Fig. 2.14.)

In the ionization chamber 1, soot is separated and relatively large resins are deposited; smoke particles acquire electric charges. Finely dispersed water is introduced into the settling chamber 2 using a nozzle 3 connected to the negative pole of the voltage source. The aqueous solution circulates until it is saturated with smoking components according to the following scheme: receiver 5, pump 4, nozzle 3, sorption chamber 2, receiver 5.

Figure 2.14 – Device for producing smoking liquid using an electrostatic field:

1 – ionization chamber; 2 – sorption chamber; 3 – nozzle; 4 – pump; 5 – receiver.

The device can be used to obtain a smoking preparation and purify flue gases.

Scrubber performance various types are given in table 2.4.

Table 2.4

As can be seen from table. 2.4, the degree of flue gas purification using ionizing scrubbers (IWS) is quite high.

Smoking as a method of food preservation has been known for a very long time. Today it has not lost its relevance, not so much because of its long shelf life, but because taste qualities, which the product acquires. In this article we will talk about how to make a smoke generator for cold smoking with your own hands.

Traditional cold smoke smokehouse setup

Regardless of the type of smoking, the source of smoke is the fire. When cold smoking, the main thing is that the smoke is cold or warm, but not hot. The maximum temperature is about +40°C. To do this, the fire is lit several meters from the smoking cabinet, and a chimney pipe is laid between them. Passing along this path, the smoke cools to acceptable temperatures.

Installing a chimney is a long process. The smoke path must ensure normal heat removal and must be sealed. To create a chimney, you can use a standard metal chimney (but not galvanized steel), but in order for the smoke to cool better, it is advisable to bury the pipe in the ground. All in all, not an easy task. This is why they prefer to make a hot smoked smokehouse - less problems- set a barrel over the fire and smoke...

But there is a simple smoke generator for cold smoking, which will cost literally several thousand. But to work you will also need the ability to handle it. Everything else can be bought at the market or at a hardware store. If you have all the components, you can assemble a smoke generator for smoking with your own hands in an hour or two.

A simple smoke generator for cold smoking with your own hands

If you do not need production volumes, you can make a small and simple smoke generator from a metal pipe. A body is made from the pipe, into which sawdust or shavings are stuffed. The shavings are ignited from below, the smoke rises upward, where it is discharged using a welded pipe into the smoking chamber. To enhance traction, a low-power compressor is connected to the upper part of the housing - with a capacity of 1.5-2 liters/min. That is, you can use an aquarium compressor or a unit from an old refrigerator. If you have a choice, then an aquarium one is preferable, since it can be used to regulate the intensity of the smoke output.

The smoke coming out of this smoke generator is slightly warm. The source of fire is very small, the fire spreads slowly, and the resulting smoke slowly rises through the sawdust. It cools down and the sawdust dries out. In general, everything works perfectly.

Materials

For the smoke generator body you can use:

  • round pipe with a diameter of 80-90 mm;
  • profiled pipe with a side of 80 mm or more.

The larger the cross-section, the more sawdust can be placed inside, the longer the smoke generator for cold smoking will work on one stack.

The length of the pipe is 60 cm or more. Optimally - about 1 meter. Again, the larger the pipe, the greater the amount of fuel that can be placed. On the other hand, a smoke generator that is too large is inconvenient to refill and clean, as it turns out to be heavy and bulky.

Cold smoked smoke generator - one of the options

You will also need a 3/4 inch pipe - a piece of 30 centimeters or more. 1/4 inch or so tubing. Its length is selected ready-made, but 20 cm should be enough.

You also need a mesh. This can be any metal mesh with a mesh size of 2-3 mm or a plate with frequent holes. For the legs, find small pieces of rod/rebar/metal strip. Some designs can do without them, but with them the design is more stable.

You also need a compressor with a capacity of 1.5-2 liters/min, preferably with the ability to adjust the performance. Aquarium compressors meet these requirements. And you need a fitting so that you can connect the pipes from the compressor through it.

Assembly

We will describe a smoke generator for cold smoking based on a profile pipe with a cross section of 100*100 mm. WITH round pipe the process is almost no different, but welding tubes is more difficult; if you have little experience in welding, it is better to use a profiled (square) pipe.

  • At a distance of 2 cm from the bottom edge, use a grinder to make cuts on two opposite sides.
  • We cut out a square from the mesh, slightly larger than the cross-section of the pipe. We insert it, securing it in opposite cuts.

  • On the other side we weld a piece of 3/4 inch pipe.

  • Strictly opposite, you need to weld a fitting to connect the compressor. It must be positioned so that its center coincides with the center of the already welded three-quarter pipe.
  • Now take a thin tube. It must be inserted into the fitting, it must pass through the body and enter the opposite tube by 1 cm. No more, but no less. Air from the compressor enters through this tube. By creating draft, it stimulates combustion. By adjusting the power of the compressor, the intensity of the smoke output is regulated.

  • Making a lid. We cut out a square from a piece of metal, slightly larger in size than the cross-section of the body pipe. We make a hole in the center and install a handle. Preferably wooden. Although the smoke is not hot, the body is heated by the “fire” that burns in the lower part. This cover is not very convenient, as it falls off. Having outlined the outline of the pipe, we step back a couple of millimeters from the resulting line and weld a strip of metal 1 cm wide or so. This lid doesn't come off anymore.

  • From below, where the mesh is fixed, we weld four pieces of rod/reinforcement. These are the legs.

That's all. Homemade smoke generator for cold smoking. Ready. It can be experienced. For ease of use, you can also weld the legs. And remember that coals and ashes will spill out through the mesh, so you should install the smoke generator for cold smoking on a non-flammable area.

How does it work

Dry shavings are placed in the pipe. You can use sawdust, but then a spring is put on a thin tube located in the upper part, which reaches the length of the mesh itself. The condition and quality of the spring are not important. Its diameter is important - about 2 cm. Why is it needed? To activate combustion and normal smoke output.

When the body is filled with sawdust, they lie tightly, making it very difficult for the smoke to escape, the air intake is very weak, everything burns barely. The spring is needed to activate combustion. Smoke comes out through it, creating draft (from the mesh - through the spring - to the outlet pipe.

Set fire to the bookmark from below - through the mesh

After filling the body with sawdust, they are set on fire from below. This can be done using gas burner, tilting the smoke generator for smoking on its side. When the chips start to burn, put on the lid and turn on the compressor. If the shavings/sawdust are dry, smoke begins to actively enter the stasis. That's all. You have made a smoke generator for cold smoking with your own hands.

Modernization

The design described above is fully functional. But it has many disadvantages and is not very convenient. Based on the results of its use, modifications and improvements were made.

Adjustable traction

One of the main disadvantages of the described design is poor regulation of combustion intensity. It can be slightly changed by adjusting the compressor performance. An adjustable blower can be added to the design. It can be made according to the gate principle:


That's it, the adjustable damper is ready. Turn it, adjust the intensity of air flow, adjusting the intensity of combustion.

Ash pan

Another drawback is that ash spills through the mesh. You can place the smoke generator on a metal plate, but you can make an ash pan. By the way, the gate can be made in an ash pit. This will be more correct, since the air leak can be almost blocked, which cannot be achieved with a damper in the housing - the air enters through the mesh.

Ash pan - small capacity slightly larger than the body

The ash pan is made from a piece of pipe with a slightly larger cross-section than the pipe on the body. If you don't have one, you'll have to cook it. The bottom is welded to a piece of pipe, and a thin strip of metal is welded to the body around the perimeter. The body is inserted into the ash pan (the legs are also welded to it).

Condensate collection

When a smoke generator for cold smoking operates, condensation occurs. This makes life difficult, especially if the temperature outside is low. You can solve the problem by making a condensate collector. For this:


With this device, a significant part of the condensate ends up in the container. The problem is not so acute.

The simplest smoke generator from an electric stove

If you need smoked meats “right now,” you can use a very simple method: you need an electric stove, a barrel without a bottom or a piece of large-diameter pipe, a wire mesh with a cell of at least 10*10 cm, a sheet of plywood or iron. Also - sawdust and “object of smoking”.

Such a cold smoked smokehouse is usually placed outside, on backyard. We need to clear the patch of vegetation and install an electric stove. Place a metal container on it (which you don’t mind throwing away). Sawdust is poured into the container.

In the upper part of the barrel/pipe, moving 10-5 cm from the top edge, drill four holes. They are located diametrically or opposite each other. We thread pins through them. You can use metal rods, or you can use sticks. The choice depends on the weight of the products being stacked or what is available. The rods themselves can be arranged crosswise or as two parallels, located approximately 1/3 of the diameter of the smokehouse body. We lay a mesh on top of this support, with products attached below. Cover the smokehouse with plywood or a sheet of metal.

Turn on the tile. After some time, the sawdust begins to smoke. The “working” time on one tab depends on the amount of sawdust poured, but on average it is 3-5 hours. Then you have to put the body aside, add sawdust, and put everything in place. It’s hard, inconvenient and fraught with “accidents”. But the design is very simple, this is a “camping” option that does not involve any amenities.

Another disadvantage is that you can adjust the smoke intensity using a mono tile regulator, but doing this in this form is inconvenient - again, you have to move the body. You can get rid of these shortcomings by making a door at the bottom. With its help, it will be possible to regulate the air flow and change sawdust.

Smoke generator stove for cold smoking

If you need to install higher productivity, cook a simple stove. It can be made from the same large-diameter pipe or a rectangular body can be welded from metal. Weld the door and make a chimney fixed at an angle. That's all the difficulties. It is also necessary to divide the internal space horizontally fixed metal sheet into two parts. The lower part is larger, the upper part is smaller. A fire is lit below and sawdust is poured onto the sheet. The rest of the process is known.

A pipe is laid from the stove chimney to the smoking cabinet. It should have an upward slope, albeit a small one. In this case, the entrance to the cabinet should be located in the lower part so that the smoke envelops all the products. Therefore, the cabinet is installed on a platform, legs, or pedestal. To save space, you can install a smoke generator stove under a cabinet by welding a structure from a metal corner.

Smoke generator - free-standing stove

But with this design, the smoke can be too hot. Additional measures are needed to cool it. An alternative is to find a larger diameter pipe and put it on the main chimney. Install the cooler so that the air flow is directed into the gap between the pipes.

Another option is to make something like a water jacket, receiving hot water while smoking. But where to put it is the question. Although, warm water is always useful in the household.

A smoke generator for cold smoking of this type requires more costs - metal or a thick-walled pipe, plus a chimney. Moreover, it is better not to make a chimney from galvanized steel - zinc is not a metal that is good for health. Asbestos should not be used either. Firstly, it does not remove heat well, and secondly, it is even more harmful than zinc. Therefore, the choice in this regard is small - order pipes made of black steel or buy stainless steel. Here everyone decides for himself.

Video on the topic

For more effective cleaning The N10-IDG-1 smoke generator uses a water-inertial method. Its essence is as follows (Fig. 49). The flow of smoke generated in the smoke generation chamber is directed through the central pipe and, by inertia, hits the surface of the water, displacing part of it from under the end of the pipe. Next, the smoke enters the knee and hits the surface of the water again. In areas where smoke comes into contact with water, it swirls and a water-smoke mixture is formed. Thanks to inertia and effective contact with water, heavy smoke particles (soot, ash, tar) are captured by it. Running water carries away particles of soot and ash, and the resin settles to the bottom of the device and is periodically removed through a hatch into a special container.

Reduce PAH content in smoke and accordingly in processed products it is possible using other solutions. For example, the smoke generator N20-IHA.03 provides water curtain. There are also known methods for removing PAHs from smoke by lowering the temperature, passing it through metal shavings, sawdust and a layer of water, or by producing smoke condensate, which is transferred to a state close to the original smoke before being sent to the smoking chamber. When converting condensates into a vapor state, heating temperature plays a significant role in reducing the PAH content. Thus, at a temperature in the range of 294-316 °C, the content of benzo(a)pyrene in the newly formed smoking medium decreases by 14-17 times compared to the original smoke, and at a temperature of 371-427 °C - by more than 100 times.
All the methods considered have a common drawback - they do not solve the main problem of completely eliminating the possibility of contamination of smoked products with PAHs. It should be noted that research is currently being conducted to prevent the formation of PAHs in smoke by pre-treatment sawdust chemical reagents, reducing the temperature of thermal decomposition of wood.

Cooking meat and fish with cold smoke is becoming increasingly popular among smoked meat lovers. The process of cold smoking can be relatively easily organized with your own hands, even on the balcony of your apartment. The procedure for fumigating food with cold smoke does not require special technical knowledge or kitchen wisdom; you only need to make a smoke generator for smoking yourself. The rest of the equipment for cold smoking is a regular wooden box or cabinet, in which products hung on a hook or laid on a grid are simply smoked with cold or warm smoke.

How does the cold smoking process work?

Most people perceive cold smoking as an improved version of the classic processing of products with heat and steam. In fact, cold fumigation is a chemical processing method, so this scheme is closer to deep drying of meat and fish protein.

The basis of such processing is a special device, a smoke generator for cold smoking, which produces a vapor-gas mixture with special characteristics:

  • The flow of smoke and gas is saturated with vapors of chemically active substances, aldehydes, acids, alcohols, carbon monoxide and moisture. Also present are the decomposition products of lignin and cellulose in the form of tar water and resins;
  • The temperature of the steam-gas flow is relatively low, no more than 40 o C, therefore there is no thermal “cooking”, like hot smoking, in the smokehouse.

There is only one way to obtain a stable gas flow with similar characteristics - to make a smoke generator for cold smoking with your own hands. Smoke entering the smoking chamber saturates the surface layers of meat or lard with chemically active substances, and that’s it, the product can be removed and sent to “rest”, under a canopy or in a cool place where there are no flies, dust, drafts and sunlight. For about another day, the process of absorption of the settled products of sawdust decomposition into the tissue of meat products continues.

For your information! Only after a day can you begin tasting and assessing how successfully the cold smoking process went. Before the end of ripening, the product may disappoint true connoisseurs of smoked sausages and fish.

To get an excellent bouquet of smell and appearance of smoked products, you need to not just choose successful design smokehouse, it is better to make a smoke generator with your own hands. As practice shows, for a real cook, the process of improving a smokehouse with your own hands, in an amicable way, is never completed; amendments, modifications and improvements are constantly made to the design, so it is important to know the structure of the smoke generator and be able to adjust its basic parameters.

The effect of cold smoking can be achieved with the help of chemical additives, but the taste of meat treated with chemicals is fundamentally different from the product that has passed through a stream of smoke, so it is easier to make a smoke generator for a cold smokehouse with your own hands than to risk your health and the health of your family.

Typical design and principle of operation of a smoke generator

There are two main smoke generator designs - pyrolysis and designs with external heat supply. A smoke generator with an external heat supply will require a heater of at least 1000 W, a thick-walled cast iron or steel body and a special smoke cooling system from a copper pipe. As a result, the design turns out to be heavier and bulkier, but the quality of cold smoking using such a smoke generator is many times better than in a pyrolysis scheme.

For the effective operation of such a smoke generator, it will be necessary to install a cooling system, circulation and a heating control circuit, for example, a rheostat or a thyristor load regulator, which complicates the work, but allows you to obtain very stable parameters of the smoke flow. Essentially, this is high-tech in the field of cold smoking.

Optimal installation device for cold smoking

This is how a real cold smoking system works.

The products are kept in a cold smoking chamber. The smoke flow is cooled in a special heat exchanger to 30-35 o C, the most important thing is that it is freed from water vapor and the heaviest components of the vapor-gas mixture, and a dried mixture saturated with volatile substances enters the chamber. Moreover, the mixture regularly circulates through a closed cold smoking circuit, releasing excess water and being saturated with new substances. What does this give?

Firstly, thanks to the presence of a cooler, the most smelly and harmful part of the smoke is removed - tar water and phenols.

Secondly, the flow of gases moves around the fish or meat at a fairly high speed, which means it is possible to avoid two possible problems- cold hardening and characteristic bitterness of smoking. Cold hardening occurs in cases where the product, due to a temperature difference outside or insufficiently well-cleaned smoke from moisture, becomes covered in the process of cold smoking. thin layer water, protecting the surface of the meat from deep penetration valuable smoke components. As a result, it turns out that the outer part will become oversaturated with cold smoked products, while the inside of the product remains raw.

Home version of a smoke generator for a cold smoking chamber

You can do both at home, but most lazy lovers of cold smoked products prefer the pyrolysis type of smoke generator for quite objective reasons:

  • Simplicity of design; even tin cans and plumbing fittings can be used to assemble the most primitive generators;
  • The pyrolysis smoke generation system does not require powerful heaters to operate; 5-10 W is enough to power an electric fan or compressor;
  • The flue gas stream contains significantly more active substances, the temperature is lower and the smoke flow is more stable.

Regardless of what diagrams and drawings of a smoke generator for cold smoking you use with your own hands, the smoke parameters will be approximately the same. The difference will concern the degree of smoke purification and the ease of maintenance of the device after its intended use.

The operation of the installation can be explained in the smoke generator diagram below.

Structurally, the gas generator consists of three main parts:

  • Containers made of heat-resistant material, most often the body is made of stainless steel or clad with aluminum cast iron pipe chimney;
  • Selection unit for hot gases formed due to the decomposition of sawdust at high temperatures;
  • A compressor for supplying air to the smoke generator and pressurizing the sawdust decomposition products inside the cabinet for cold smoking of products.

Small beech or cherry chips are poured into the bottom of the smoke generator housing. Apricot, cherry, and apple are ideal for cold smoking. Worse are alder and beech; it is strictly forbidden to use coniferous wood, birch, aspen, poplar and a tree grown on the shore of a reservoir with stagnant water.

This is the most suitable raw material for producing high-quality cold smoke. There is a hole at the bottom of the case for air suction. After ignition, the compressor turns on, which pumps air into two tubes. In this case, one tube is inserted coaxially inside another tube. This device is called an injection pump. As the air flow moves, smoke is sucked in and a vacuum occurs inside the smoke generator. Some of the air penetrates through the blower into the smoke generator housing and feeds the process of thermal decomposition of sawdust.

Theoretically, the process is completely autonomous and does not require human participation in the cold smoking procedure. In fact, in some cases, the sawdust is “cemented” by the smoke and resinous vapors released, and it is often necessary to tap on the body in order to collapse the burnt-out arch of fuel in the smoke generator and continue the cold smoking process.

The most popular cold smoke generator designs

With rare exceptions, in most cases, your own homemade smoke generator makes it possible to smoke products at an acceptable level of quality. Therefore, there are absolutely no problems in how to make a smoke generator. You can take any smoke generator design for cold smoking you like, proven in practice, and build it in accordance with the developer’s recommendations.

As an example of classic smoke generators, we can cite two options - with upper smoke extraction and with gas intake directly from the combustion zone in the lower part of the housing.

Advice! For the body of the cold smoke generator, use only heat-resistant materials; a stainless steel chimney flame pipe with a diameter of 125 mm or 150 mm is best suited.

You can find out how suitable a cold smoke generator is from such a material from the video:

Upper version of the smoke generator

The cold smoke generator with upper selection of decomposition products is a cylindrical stainless steel body, Bottom part which is closed with a lid on thumbscrews, in the upper cold part there is an injection unit connected to an air compressor. The main thing is not so much to adhere to the dimensions exactly and design features smoke generator, how much to make it controllable or customizable to specific cold smoking conditions. In this case, it is extremely important to accurately reproduce the injector at the top of the device. The chimney tube can be made of copper or aluminum, or any metal with high thermal conductivity.

To install the injector, a coupling with internal thread. A bushing with an external thread is pressed onto the injector tube, which allows you to adjust the operation of the injection unit by rotation.

A mesh for ash is installed in the lower part of the smoke generator body, a hole is drilled for ignition and air intake into the combustion zone. To make the generator more efficient, an intermediate unit must be added to the design between the chimney and the cold smoking chamber, shown in the diagram.

This solution will allow you to control not only the consumption of smoke, but also its temperature; accordingly, the quality of cold-smoked meat or fish will be much higher, and the amount of phenols entering the chamber with smoke will be reduced by half or three.

Diagram of a smoke generator with bottom flue gas extraction

Additional smoke purification can be achieved using a copper pipe built into the generator housing, called a vapor-gas mixture elevator. In this case, the design of the smoke generator looks like this.

The body is made by welding from sheet metal, in the lower part of the structure the bottom is welded hermetically, leaving only a threaded hole for igniting sawdust, which is closed with a bolt after starting the smoke generator. Sawdust is filled to a level of ¾ of the height of the generator housing. Air is supplied from the compressor through a vertical copper tube, and combustion products are discharged through a side fitting in the upper part of the housing. The smoke generator can also operate in reverse order, if air is supplied through the chimney, then combustion products and smoke will rise through the copper elevator, cool and be freed from phenolic water. In addition, the sawdust in the smoke generator will be dried and loosened by smoke.

Compressor for smoke generator

In addition to the injector and cooler, the third adjustable component of the smoke generator is the compressor. Most often, converted low-power computer coolers or even aquarium compressors are used for these purposes. The most successful solution is a do-it-yourself compressor for a smoke generator based on a 12-volt beach device for inflating mattresses and inflatable sofas, as in the video:

Advice! You just need to add a speed controller to the standard device, and you get an ideal compressor for a smoke generator. All other options are either too low-power or cumbersome.

Conclusion

The smoke generator body must not be made from any painted or tin-plated containers, such as cans or other containers. Tin, lead, solder, paint - everything that comes into contact with the flow of smoke and heated vapors of acids and alcohols sooner or later turns into a volatile form and ends up inside the cold smoking chamber. In addition, if the design of the smokehouse plans to use an electrostatic field, it will be necessary to very carefully clean the smoke from tar and water.

What are the benefits of smoked meats? Well, of course, because they are delicious. And yet - they are stored for quite a long time. During the process of processing with smoke generated during the combustion of specially selected firewood, preservative substances accumulate in the meat, it hardens slightly, takes on an appetizing appearance,
wonderful taste, pleasant - with a smoke! - smell. Not to say that this is such a difficult matter, but it will require skill and effort. Have you ever seen how experienced smokers “perform sacred acts” near the hearth? They vigilantly monitor the process, never leaving the smokehouse; from time to time they throw sprigs of juniper, rosemary, almond or nut shells into the fire,
aromatic herbs... Accuracy, patience, thoroughness and an excellent smokehouse will ensure success for you too.

Previously, in villages people managed to smoke meat and poultry directly in the chimney using stove smoke. Even now, sometimes in the attic of a house they install a special outlet from the chimney, where they hang food and, by manipulating the dampers, release and regulate the smoke.

Smokehouse in the attic

Pieces of bacon, rolls, loins and some other small products can be smoked by hanging them in chimneys above the attic floor. To do this, one or two bricks are removed from the brick chimney and the product is placed into the chimney, suspended on a stick or on a thick metal hook. The bricks are returned to their place. IN rural houses in the attic near the chimney it is not difficult to build a special smokehouse made of brick or adobe with dimensions of 1x1x1.5 m. The smokehouse has a door through which food is placed into it. To prevent fire, the inside of the door should be coated with clay and lined with iron. Sheet iron is laid on wet clay so that between the door wood and the iron there is a layer of clay 5-10 mm thick. At the bottom and at the top, through holes the size of 1-2 bricks, the smokehouse communicates with the pipe. The pipe is equipped with a slide valve, which regulates the amount of smoke entering the smokehouse. Of course, if you have such a smokehouse in the attic, you must strictly follow fire safety rules. It is clear that during smoking the stove is not heated very strongly and only with firewood of the types recommended above.

Smokehouse in the cellar

They also smoke in a cellar, which is not very close to the house and outbuildings. Hangers are made under the ceiling of the cellar, and wood with sawdust is lit on the floor, on the side opposite to the exit. Opening the door regulates combustion, amount of smoke and temperature.

Home smokehouse

Above the firebox there is a grill - a frying grate.
The smokehouse is installed in a pit, the walls of which are lined with brick. The pit is connected using a channel made of brickwork with a firebox. The top of the pit is covered with a stainless steel mesh, which traps smoked meats if they fall off the hook. Inside the smokehouse, lined with wooden planks, there is a retractable rod for hanging smoked meats.

The firebox has a door and a control valve located in the ash pan. The grate can also be placed in the upper part of the firebox with brick-lined walls, which is closed with a removable lid (when roasting on a spit). The spit consists of two height-adjustable stands, in
at the base of which an axis is fixed with holders having a point and a handle. All external parts are coated with clear varnish. The spit stand is made of tetrahedral reinforcing steel with a diameter of 6 mm. The rod is also made from the same material. The stand should cover the hoop, it is curved so that the spit is above the edge of the firebox and so that while frying the meat it can be lowered lower or raised higher. When cooking a roast on a spit
It is recommended to use charcoal, it is better hardwood.

Smokehouse in the yard

The easiest way to make a smokehouse is from metal barrel with a cut out bottom. First you need to mark the place for the hearth, the chimney trench and the recess over which the barrel will stand. Then they dig a hole approximately 400 mm deep and, at the same depth, a trench 1.5-2 m long. It is better to line the fireplace on the sides with bricks. The barrel is also placed on bricks. When you start smoking, the hearth and chimney should be covered iron sheets. Metal rods are placed across the barrel, on which food is hung, and the top is tied with burlap. This is for cold smoking. If you are planning to do hot smoking, you need to slightly re-equip the “apparatus” - arrange a fireplace directly under the barrel and cover it with a lid with holes for the passage of smoke. Cold smoking is carried out at a relatively low temperature, but for quite a long time, and hot smoking is carried out at higher heat and faster.

A smokehouse can be easily built from two or three barrels or tubs without a bottom, placed one on top of the other. A filter is pulled between them - a wet serpyanka or thin burlap to clean the smoke from soot. In the lower barrel (tub) a firebox is made, where wood with sawdust is burned on a steel sheet. On the top
the barrel is stacked with hangers meat products. The entire structure is covered with burlap, which is used to regulate the amount of smoke and its temperature. Firewood and sawdust in the stove should continuously smolder in the absence of air. Burning wood is not allowed. For quick smoking of hams not intended for long-term storage, the temperature is raised to 50-60 °C. In this case
The smoking time is reduced to 12-24 hours. Loins, briskets, rolls and other small parts of the carcass are also smoked by hanging them on twine. The duration of their smoking is approximately 1/3 or 1/2 the time of smoking hams. But no matter how much time is needed, you need to monitor the process very carefully: maintain the set temperature, uniform flow of smoke, and prevent unburnt solid particles, ash, and soot from getting on the meat. Get rid of them
You can use wet filters made of fabric. The air humidity in the smoking chamber should be approximately 40-50%. Not all kinds of firewood and sawdust are suitable for smoking, but only hardwood - oak, beech, ash, birch, fruit trees(when apple trees, plums, and cherries are being sawed at the dacha, you can lay down some newspaper and be provided with sawdust for the winter). You cannot use coniferous firewood and sawdust; they will not smoke the products, but will become tarred and bitter.
Sawdust consumption is a hundred gram glass per bookmark.

Finely chopped firewood is covered with sawdust and set on fire, making sure that the sawdust does not burn, but smolders intensely. In general, when smoking, the most difficult thing is to ensure the correct thermal processing mode, when the smoke flows evenly, in sufficient quantity and in the required concentration. The smokehouse can be built in an extension, a dressing room, under a canopy or in an open place. The advantage of locating the smokehouse under a canopy is that it can be used all year round, regardless of weather conditions. And one more thing: it is impossible to install a smoke generator chamber directly under the smokehouse chamber, since temperature control will become impossible and the products will scorch or even burn. Believe me - such a smokehouse can be
built by a person who does not have much construction experience, and will be of great benefit to you, your friends and neighbors. Stationary brick or log smokehouses are also built, usually several neighboring yards take on this task.

Brick smokehouse

The smokehouse is built of brick or made of metal, and can be combined. The main condition is that the smoke generator chamber must be sealed and closed on top with a door or an overhead metal sheet. If the lid does not fit tightly, it is necessary to coat it with a clay solution around the perimeter.

Rice. 14.

In Fig. Figure 14 shows a brick smokehouse of simple design. To obtain the desired smoke, use firewood from birch (carefully clearing it of bark), alder or sawdust from deciduous trees. Short logs are laid across the smoke generator chamber, filling it completely. Then the chamber is hermetically sealed and under its bottom (if the chamber is metal)
or under a metal sheet in a brick chamber, an electric heater with a power of 1.5-2.0 kW is turned on (usually an electric stove or electric oven is used). After some time, the duration of which depends on the power of the electric heater, the firewood or sawdust located in the smoke generator chamber becomes charred and begins to smolder, forming smoke, which enters through the chimney into the
smokehouse chamber. When using dry firewood or sawdust (and they should be quite dry), there is no need to constantly keep the electric heater on, since well-charred firewood continues to smolder to the end without heating. This smoke generator is also good because there is no open fire, smoldering occurs slowly, no constant human presence is required and a small amount of flammable material is consumed.

With a smoke generator size of 600x500x400 mm, one stack of dry alder firewood is enough for 4-5 hours. Practically, this stack is enough for a full cycle of smoking lard (the duration of hot smoking is 5-6 hours at the maximum temperature at the end of smoking (50-55 ° C)) . For cold smoking, the smoke generator must be removed from the smoking chamber by
2-2.5 m.


Rice. 15. :
1 - burlap, 2 - turf, 3 - fire

To set up a camp smokehouse, a hole about 1 m long is dug in a steep bank. At the end of it, a pipe made of pieces of turf is brought out - 40 cm wide and 60 cm high. When this simple device is ready, washed, gutted small fish - white bream, silver bream, roach, perches
- add some salt and string them on pieces of wire so that the fish do not touch each other. The wire with the fish is inserted into the pipe. The top of the pipe for regulating draft is covered with a piece of plywood, and if plywood is not found, with burlap. A small but smoky fire is lit in the hole (Fig. 15). The most suitable fuel for such a fire is alder rotten wood: the smoke from them gives the fish a golden hue, and it will not taste bitter. In about forty minutes our fisherman will be able to enjoy smoked fish with appetite.

Device for cold smoking of fish

Unfortunately, these days gifts of lake and river fauna are disappearing from store shelves: roach, sabrefish, asp, etc. Sometimes they also appear live fish: bream, rudd, silver carp and carp, but no smoked lake and river fish. But freshwater fish, processed with smoke, exudes a unique aroma and is incredibly tasty. In addition, smoking has a purely practical significance. It is an excellent way to preserve food for future use, since smoked meats do not spoil for months and even years. Smoked fish disappeared, but the love for her remained. There is only one way out: learn to smoke yourself. In fact, the smoking process is quite complex and labor-intensive, especially at home.
conditions. In addition, the cold smoking process is very long. Thus, at fish factories, cold smoking of fish lasts 1.5 days or more. It is also a difficult task to obtain smoky smoke at home with a temperature of no more than 30 °C. However, the smokehouse we offer for cold smoking fish will help you solve this problem.

Wood for smoking

Only dry wood is used for smoking; Any wood is suitable, except resinous wood (the smoke of resinous wood gives the fish a bitter taste, and it forms a layer of soot on the walls of the smokehouse). Birch, when burned, produces thick, aromatic smoke with a subtle, pleasant tar flavor.
Aspen smoke gives the fish a delicate and delicate taste. Beech and oak are good from all sides.
If aspen crackles in the stove, suddenly flares up, and more often when it is not necessary, these respectable smokers (beech and oak) behave sedately in the stove: they smolder evenly, for a long time, the manes of smoke are solid and heavy, its aroma is pleasant and persistent. In total, 0.5-2.5 kg of wood is required to process one stock of fish.

Manufacturing of the installation

Making a smoking installation at home will not be difficult, of course, if you have the appropriate tools and materials (drill, soldering iron, vice, metal scissors, tin from cans, sheet plexiglass, duralumin, plastic, cardboard, rubber tubes).
The necessary materials can be easily purchased at DIY stores, pharmacies, and hardware stores. The installation consists of a table, a chamber, a pipe, a damper, a cooler, and a stove.

Camera

Any ready-made container is suitable for the installation chamber suitable sizes. The camera can be made of sheet metal (duralumin, iron, etc.) or even entirely of plexiglass. The chamber has any shape (cylindrical, rectangular). To connect camera parts, soldering, welding, riveting, and glue are used. You can make a chamber with a lid from duralumin sheets and corners with rivets, and one wall of the chamber is transparent, made of plexiglass. The chamber should be provided with slats with holes into which crossbars are inserted, on which the fish is suspended. It is in the chamber that the fish is smoked with cold smoke coming from the stove through the cooler.

Bake

Any metal can of paint, canned food, or coffee is suitable for the stove. When designing a stove, one must take into account that its bottom burns out the fastest. Therefore, the bottom of the stove should be thicker. It is better to use stainless steel, it does not burn through.

For the stove lid, for example, ceramic tiles are suitable. The lid is necessary to regulate the air supply to the stove, ensuring only smoldering of the wood. This adjustment must be made by changing the gaps between the edge of the lid and the wall of the stove. The gap is different for different woods. He
determined experimentally during the smoking process. The lid must be flat and fit tightly to the upper edge of the stove so that if there is no gap, the smoldering process will die out. If the lid is uneven and if the chocks catch fire, it is not possible to extinguish the flame with the lid, keep a damp rag at hand and cover the stove with it. The combustion of lumps while the cooler is running will not harm smoking, since the cooler will reduce the temperature of the hot smoke, but fire should not be allowed to occur.

Cooler

One of the most important elements of the installation is the smoke cooling device. It consists of an inner box, water inlet and outlet pipes, an outer box, and a jumper for rigidity.

The smoke generated in the stove generally has a low temperature, provided that no water gets into the stove and the logs do not ignite. If the stove is located at a significant distance from the chamber (more than 1 m), there is no need to cool the smoke. But such a long section of chimney is often difficult to position in
conditions small kitchen. It is possible to make a curved chimney, but it is not necessary, since the nooks and crannies in such a chimney are difficult to clean.

To cool the chimney when a fire breaks out in the stove, you can wrap it with a rag, which should be periodically watered with water. But still make sure that the wood does not catch fire. However, being tied to a stove and a rag for 4-10 hours is quite tiring, so it’s better
build water cooling chimney.

Water-cooled chimney

The cooler must have double walls, between which water circulates. It is advisable to make the cooler from brass or stainless steel. Joints and seams should be carefully soldered to prevent
water entering the oven, since in the oven the water instantly turns into superheated steam, which quickly cooks the fish in the chamber. The cooler can be easily manufactured, for example, from two suitable pipes.

Smoke out smoking chamber is directed into the ventilation hole through a pipe and a manifold, forming a detachable structure (for ease of storage). There is a damper on the pipe, with the help of which the draft in the smokehouse is regulated. In order for the air supply from below to be more effective than the supply from above, 5 holes with a diameter of 2 mm must be drilled randomly in the new oven bottom, thickened to 1 mm. As the ash becomes clogged, you can tap the stove or poke the coals with a piece of wire to clear the holes.

Smoking duration

The duration of smoking in the installation is 4-10 hours. It depends on the size of the fish, its condition (overdried, wet), as well as on the type of smoke-producing wood. The end time of smoking is set visually, through the transparent wall of the chamber. The maximum one-time loading of the chamber is 25-30 pieces. fish up to 400 mm in size and weighing up to 0.5 kg each.

Cold smoking installation operation

The cold smoking installation can be located in the summer kitchen. The smoke is produced by the smoldering of wood logs in an oven heated by a gas stove burner. (If the housewife needs a burner, the smoking process can be interrupted.) The smoke, cooled by the cooler, enters the chamber where
fish suspended. To prevent the fish from drying out too much during the smoking period, dishes with water are placed in the chamber to humidify the atmosphere. A deep plate or a low jar is suitable for this (two glasses of water are poured into the dish).

Before work, the chamber, of course, is closed with a lid and connected to the kitchen ventilation hole using a pipe with a manifold. Air draft creates a reduced pressure in the chamber, as a result of which air is sucked into the chamber through the gaps between the lid and the chamber, at the joints
chamber walls, etc. All these small air currents actively mix the smoke entering the chamber. Mixing the smoke also helps with a bowl of water, against which the stream of smoke from the stove breaks. All this contributes to better envelopment of fish by smoke and a more uniform “tan” of smoked fish. The movement of smoke and the quality of the “tanning” are clearly visible through the transparent wall of the chamber. If the chamber turns out to be sealed and air leaks through the cracks (due to their absence) do not occur, i.e. there is no draft mixing the smoke in the chamber, it can be created artificially by drilling several holes with a diameter of 1.5-2 mm in the walls of the chamber at different heights.

As already mentioned, dry wood chocks are prepared for smoking. First, they cut wood no longer than 50 mm. Then they are cut into logs with a cross-section of no more than 10x10 mm. The stove is loaded with lumps to 2/3 of the stove height and closed with a lid. The cooler is connected by a rubber tube to the water tap. The pressure should be such that a stream of water comes out of the outlet tube without pressure. After water comes out of the outlet tube, the gas burner is lit.

When there is a steady wind outside or in calm weather, the smoking process proceeds smoothly, without smoke emissions. summer kitchen. When loading the chocks into the oven, the lid does not need to be completely removed to prevent smoke from entering the kitchen. To push the block into the oven, a small gap is enough. As they burn, the logs are added to the oven, compacted and turned with a poker (a piece of wire) so that the smoldering occurs more intensely. After about an hour of smoking, coal accumulates in the stove and no longer produces smoke. Then the burner is turned off, a wet rag is thrown onto the stove, the stove is disconnected from the cooler and the coal is thrown out of it. The oven is cleaned from burning and washed
hot water, dried over the burner, reconnected to the cooler, loaded with lumps, and the process resumes.

Finally the fish took on the color of a toasted bread crust. We extinguish the burner flame and let the chamber ventilate. The fish is taken out and piled up like firewood in a fire. It gives off an unpleasant, pungent burning smell. Overnight, this smell disappears and the hill begins to smell fragrant with that desired unique aroma for which all this is done. After smoking is completed, all elements of the installation must be washed and wiped before storing. The chamber is washed with a solution of soda and washing powder. A transparent wall made of plexiglass (or ordinary window glass) After washing, it is also wiped with acetone.

Portable smokehouse

The portable smokehouse is designed for hot smoking meat and fish products at home or on vacation. To heat the smokehouse, household stoves (gas, electric, wood) or a small fire can be used. The suitability of the smokehouse for use is confirmed by a sanitary and epidemiological certificate.

Technical specifications

Dimensions (external), mm - 295x285x535. Weight no more, kg - 8.5. Weight of loaded products, kg - 3. Weight of sawdust and wood chips used, kg - 0.10-0.15. The smokehouse kit includes: smokehouse (with tray and lid), pcs. - 1; smoke exhaust hose (2 m), pcs. - 1; plug screw, pcs. - 1; hook for hanging, pcs. - 6; manual.

Smokehouse device

The smokehouse is a welded metal case with a lid made of 08KP steel, approved for contact with food. At the bottom of the body there is a removable tray designed to collect liquid and fat draining from the product during the smoking process. At the top of the body with outside a groove is welded, which serves to create a water seal between the body and the lid. The lid has a fitting (tube) for connecting the smoke exhaust hose. Loops are welded on the inner surface of the lid, into which hooks with suspended products are hooked. The outside of the smokehouse is painted with gray or silver paint, which may darken slightly during use (in the lower part).

Principle of operation

Cooking of products occurs due to intensive heat treatment in an environment of passing smoke. Smoke from sawdust and heat from the heater transform raw food into hot-smoked delicacies.

Preparing for smoking

And now, having learned in general terms how and in what to smoke meat products, let’s get down to business and see what we can learn from this.

Preparing meat for smoking

Before smoking, the meat must be salted. The salting of pork legs and shoulders, i.e. the front and hind legs of the carcass, can be started only after the meat has been slaughtered and cut up for 2-3
kept in a cold place for days. For 5 kg of pork you will need 250-300 g of salt, a teaspoon of sugar; for brine - 2.5 liters of water, 125 g of salt, approximately 10 g of saltpeter, a tablespoon of sugar.

It is preferable to salt hams and shoulders in a wooden container - a small barrel or tub. If you smoke every year, then it is better to have a special container for pickling, because wood easily absorbs odors, so it is not recommended to keep meat in a container where, say, salted mushrooms were previously located. The cleaned hams and shoulders are rubbed with the curing mixture and it is thoroughly stuffed into the cut made from the inside along the bone. Place the meat in a container, press the pieces tightly together, sprinkle salt on top and, closing wooden circle with oppression, taken out into the cold. After 5-6 days, the hams and shoulder blades are transferred (top ones down, bottom ones up) and filled with boiled and cooled brine. The meat is kept like this for about a month, changing places in the dishes several times and adding brine as needed.

Preparing fish for smoking

Available fish for smoking are bream, rudd, silver carp, asp, sabrefish, autumn period - best time for smoking fish - the easiest way to get silver carp is if you are not fishermen yourself. Autumn fish is fattier than spring and summer fish, easier to prepare, and better preserved.

So, buy 10 kg of live silver carp weighing 0.4-0.8 kg and measuring 300-400 mm each. It is desirable that the batch be dominated by one weight, one size, and one type of fish. The fish should be dead, so first of all, lightly hit the head of the silver carp with a hammer. After this, rinse the fish, wash its gills and add a teaspoon of salt into the subgill covers on both sides. If the temperature outside is above 10 °C, then the fish will have to be salted in a container that can easily be placed in the refrigerator. Enameled and plastic containers. A layer of salt 0.5 cm thick is poured onto the bottom of the dish. The fish is covered with a layer of salt and placed tightly on the bottom. Usually, voids (hollows) form near the heads. They are filled with salt. So, row by row, alternate layers of fish and salt to a level 2-3 cm below the edge of the dish. Then wooden or plastic bowls and circles are placed on the fish so that they do not rest on the walls of the dish. The dishes are placed in the refrigerator, and pressure is placed on the bowl (bottles with mineral water or milk, a can of milk, stones, bricks, weights, etc.).
As soon as the resulting brine covers the bowl, the pressure is removed. This happens on the 2nd or 3rd day, depending on the temperature, which in the refrigerator should not be higher than +10 °C. The fish sits in the salt solution for months. Note that over-salting fish is not a problem. The saltiness of fish can be reduced by soaking it in fresh water, the so-called soaking. If we say that the fish is over-salted, it means that it has not been soaked. By the way, soaking is one of the main operations when preparing smoked fish.

However, let's get back to salting. Fish with a live weight of up to 0.8 kg must be kept in a saline solution for at least 8 days at a temperature of no more than 4-5 °C. If you are salting a 0.6 kg fish, cut it from the backbone or remove its entrails. For 10 kg of fish you will need 6-8 packs of salt. After salting the fish
becomes hard and elastic. If the fish is soft and crackles inside when slightly stretched, this means that you got stale fish or it spoiled before it had time to salt. Such fish are thrown away.

After salting, the soaking process begins. The fish is thoroughly washed under the tap to remove salt, its gills are washed, the fish is placed in the same or larger container and poured cold water. The water is changed several times with obligatory washing of the gills. Soaking lasts 28-36 hours. Here is a description of one of the soaks lasting 30 hours (fish - silver carp 250-300 mm long, salting duration - 1 month).

The washed salted fish is filled with water at 9 am and until 9 pm the water is changed every 4 hours, and the fish is washed again each time. Then the fish is soaked overnight (12 hours) in the same water. At 9 am
Another water change follows, which is repeated at 13:00. At 15:00 the soaking ends. Result: the salt is weak, pleasant, the taste is excellent! Whatever salinity the last soaking water has, the same salinity the fish will have. In case of re-soaking, it is necessary to add salt to the water, bringing it to the required salinity, which is determined by taste.

The soaked fish is hung on a rope over a bath of water using a hook passed through both eyes. The solution and fat flowing out through the anus of the fish fall into the water and do not pollute the bath.
Drying lasts 2-3 days, depending on the weather and the size of the fish. Don't let the fish dry out. If this happens, place the fish in plastic bag, pour 2-3 tablespoons of water into it, put it in the refrigerator, sealing the bag, and after 5-6 hours the fish will gain the necessary moisture.

Since after soaking the fish will become slightly salted, green flies will readily lay eggs on it. Beware of them! Because of these flies, it is better to dry in the bathroom, since the drying process goes more smoothly here, and in late autumn and winter there is no other place at all.

If the fish is a little dry before starting smoking, just dip it in water for 1-2 minutes and let the water absorb. The fish should be soft, almost like a barrel herring. To shorten the smoking cycle several times compared to the factory method, fish before loading into the chamber
thoroughly coat with a brush or swab with fish oil or any vegetable oil. Smoke settles faster on the oily surface of the fish, which speeds up the smoking process, making it acceptable at home. Bon appetit everyone!

Smoking recipes

Smoked hams and shoulders

The meat kept in brine is removed and soaked in water for about 3 hours. After this, the semi-finished product is hung to dry in a draft, and then placed on a metal rod inside the smokehouse. The smoking method depends on what products you want to obtain. If you intend to subsequently cook the ham, then it must be smoked hot, that is, with smoke, temperature
which is 50-60 °C for 12 hours. If the ham is to be stored for a long time, it is smoked in cold smoke (22-25 °C) for about 4 days. And then they leave it for another month and a half to dry. Such raw smoked hams and shoulders can be stored in the cellar for up to six months without spoiling or losing their taste. But you need to cut them off carefully so as not to damage the pork skin, which also protects the meat from spoilage.

Smoked-boiled ham

First, the ham is hot smoked for 10-12 hours until the surface turns brown, then boiled in a deep vat, suspended on a rod so that the water reaches its shank. This happens for about 1.5 hours with the water boiling completely, and then the ham must be removed from the rod and placed entirely in the water. Why? If you cook the whole ham at once, then the thigh and shank, on which the layer of meat is thinner, will be overcooked. The total cooking time is about 3 hours. In any case, after this time you can check the readiness of the ham by piercing its middle with a needle or awl. If the needle enters the meat with difficulty, it should be cooked further. Cooked ham, hung in a cool place, does not last long -
a little over a month.

Smoked-boiled roll

Having rubbed the shoulder blade, separated from the front leg and humerus, with the usual curing mixture (salt, saltpeter, sugar), the meat is kept for two weeks. After salting, they are soaked, washed and, bending two opposite ends towards the middle, give the piece the shape of a spindle. Then it is bandaged
twine every couple of centimeters. The roll is smoked hot in thick smoke for about 6 hours. Then it is cooked for another 1.5-2 hours with water boiling low. The roll is stored for 15 days.

Cold smoked fillet

First, the sirloin part is deboned (freed from bones), stripped of fat, leaving only the muscle, and salted with dry salting, that is, placed in an enamel pan and sprinkled with the salting mixture. The meat is kept in this form for a day or two, and then placed in brine for about a week. Before final processing, the fillets are washed, dried and cold smoked.
two or three days. In a cool, well-ventilated cellar, smoked fillets can be stored for 4 to 5 months.

Smoked pork feet, ears, tails

These parts of the pork carcass are thoroughly cleaned, washed and placed in brine for a week. Then they scrape it again, wash it, and then cold smoke it for up to a day. And yet, even when smoked, they don’t seem to inspire much confidence. But if you boil them, make soup, cold jelly, or stew them with pink beans, the prejudice towards these “details” of the pork carcass will disappear once and for all. In Russian villages, jelly is usually prepared from raw pork legs.

Smoked lard

When choosing lard for smoking, they usually opt for the most tender one without skin or with thin skin. They salt it in exactly the same way as we have already described. Then the salt is scraped off, the lard is washed in lukewarm water, dried for a day and smoked cold for the same amount until it turns lemon-yellow. By then it will acquire excellent taste. In a dry and cool place - in a cellar, pantry - this product can be stored for up to six months.

Smoked goose, turkey, chicken, rabbit

The processed, clean carcass is cut in half along the spine, rubbed with bran and left for a day under pressure in the following marinade: for 3 kg of meat - 1 glass of water, a tablespoon of vinegar, 25 g of ground black pepper, 7-8 cloves of chopped garlic. After this, the semi-finished product is cold smoked for 5-6 hours at a smoke temperature of 15-25 °C. Shelf life in the cold is a maximum of a week. Yes, perhaps, no more is needed: you are unlikely to withstand so much time, knowing that you have such delicious food in your refrigerator or cellar.

For any smoking, it is necessary to keep the smoked meats in a cold room for the diffusion of the smoking components into the pieces. If the hams, loins, and rolls were not sewn into gauze (fabric), then after smoking their surface should be lightly washed with cold water using a brush. Try it
Smoke your own food, you won’t regret it!