Smokehouses from a gas cylinder: pros and cons

Nowadays, it is not difficult to buy a smokehouse for fish and meat - the market offers the widest range of products of various modifications. However, if you plan to spend a lot of money on an unplanned purchase, then you can easily design a smokehouse from a regular gas cylinder. In such a device, you can cook the most delicious dishes - loin, balyk, homemade sausage. In a word, a wide variety of smoked products from meat, fish or poultry.

For self-production of a smokehouse, home craftsmen use a variety of materials. Old ovens, barrels and even washing machines are used. The most popular are units from oxygen, propane and freon gas cylinders. It is not easy to make such an installation, but with the necessary preparation it is quite possible. The cylinders are characterized by suitable geometry and high metal quality.

The use of cylinders for smokehouse equipment is due to the physical and technical parameters of raw materials - cylinders, as a rule, are made of strong material with thick walls, which means that the device does not deform under the influence of high temperatures and does not lose its performance characteristics. Any gardener / fisherman or hunter can make a smokehouse, as well as a craftsman who regularly rests outside the city.

Before understanding the intricacies of the manufacture of structures, let's take a look at the peculiarities of the smoking process itself.

It is important to know them in order to make the installation correctly and to achieve high quality cooking.

• The product prepared for processing must receive heat and smoke in uniform portions, otherwise it will smell like hydrolysis and have a taste that is non-uniform in its structure.
• The smoke must certainly be light, that is, its fractions must settle before they come into contact with the product. In light smoke, pyrolysis gases are not present, therefore it gives a specific taste to homemade smoked meats.

• The design must ensure the flow of working smoke in equal portions - it must fumigate the product from all sides until it completely evaporates, at which point new smoke must replace it.
• It is very important to achieve the fulfillment of all these norms, it is in them that the cornerstone of the science of smoking lies.

Smoking can be cold or hot; design features largely depend on its type. The name itself indicates the principle of the smokehouse.

Hot water is produced in the immediate vicinity of the fire source. Here the temperature is maintained at 40-120 degrees, it will take at least an hour to cook the meat, and the meat will be juicy, tasty and ready to eat right away.

It's a little different with the cold smoked method. - here the smokehouse is removed from the fire source, a pipe is connected from the firebox, through which chilled smoke is sold directly to the smoking compartment and there it impregnates the product. The temperature is kept below 40 degrees, smoking takes quite a long time. The advantage of this method is the ability to store food for several months.

Gas cylinders are most often used to create combined hearths, which is why the smokehouse must be designed with this factor in mind.

Please note that when creating a multifunctional installation, one cylinder is not enough: at least two containers are used in the work, the first as a brazier, and the second goes to the steam generator. Experts recommend taking containers with a volume of 50 m3.

Every master can make a home smokehouse from a gas cylinder, but some skills in working with metal will be required.

"In the field" you can make a structure from a variety of materials at hand. Self-made structures are characterized by small dimensions and low weight, most often they use a stainless steel sheet, which only needs to be welded along the edges with elements of the sides and bottom, but the chimney is often equipped with brick and this can be a big mistake. Its walls absorb odors from various bookmarks and after the first applications the taste of dishes can deteriorate significantly, therefore experts recommend using bricks only as a basis for supporting the overall structure.

Other options are equally popular.

This is the most affordable and easy way to smoke at home, if a gas or electric stove equipped with a hood is installed in the house, then you need to place a cut tin container on a small fire and pour wood chips into it for smoking. Hang pieces of meat or fish into the hood, and put a tray for fat under them. Thus, the smoke will rise, envelop the product and promote smoking. However, this option has significant drawbacks - the smoking procedure will be very long, and besides, you will not accumulate a lot of food in this way.

Do not rush to throw out the old refrigerator - its dimensions make it possible to use the item as a unit for smoking large products. To this end, it is necessary to pull out all the mechanisms from it and remove the lining. A pipe should be inserted into the hole located at the base of the refrigerator, and its opposite end should be placed in a container in which chips are burning.

This option is pretty fast and efficient. However, it can only be used in the country or in a country house.

These are by far the most primitive models. More complex and professional designs include the "steam locomotive" smokehouse - this unit not only smokes meat and fish, but also provides several different smoking modes, and after a small re-equipment can be used as a brazier or barbecue grill.

The smokehouse for the cold method is made in such a way that the smoke on the way between the firebox and the tank for direct smoking is cooled and reaches the workpiece already cold. Such a device consists of a separate chamber where the product is placed, a furnace and a chimney. The principle of operation is as follows: sawdust is placed in the firebox; chips from linden, alder or fruit trees are best suited. It is not recommended to take shavings of coniferous trees, it has a high resinous content, which can impair the taste of the product.

With hot smoking, the smoke is exposed to the product at t from 35 to 150 degrees, the processing is much faster - about 2 hours. Gourmets prefer this method also because it does not leave moisture from the workpiece and the dish comes out juicy and fatty. The structure itself is a completely enclosed space - a tank, divided into compartments by a metal grid.Chips burn and smoke in its lower part, and products intended for processing are attached in its upper part. The smoke covers the raw materials and smoking takes place, and then the smoke goes out through the chimney. That is, the principle of operation of such a smokehouse is similar to the principle of a traditional stove.

Both smokehouses can be both stationary and portable. In the first case, the chimney is dug into the ground, and in the second, its role is played by a pipe that connects the smoke generator and the smokehouse itself.

Those who like to enjoy delicious meat on a hike should think about creating a "marching" unit. This requires: thick film, hooks and a few wooden beams. To organize the work, you need to find a place with a slight slope of 60 degrees, install a frame in its upper part and tightly cover it with plastic wrap, and equip a place for a firelight in the lower part, and then connect the fireplace with the equipped frame using “pipes”. Of course, few people carry them with them on a hike - it does not matter, as a temporary solution to problems, branches, polyethylene and sod are suitable.

Making a hot smoker is even easier - you need a bucket or saucepan, wire rack and lid. A fire is made directly under the container, chips are scattered along the bottom, and food is placed on the grate. All this together is closed with a lid, just do not forget to leave a narrow slot for the removal of excess smoke.

If there are no intentions to tinker with homemade mobile structures, then they can always be bought at any store for gardeners and gardeners. In addition, electric and gas models are widely represented on sale: they are suitable for smoking at home and differ only in that the heating is not due to fire, but due to current or gas.

However, more and more craftsmen prefer to create smokehouses on their own.

The cylinder is good for the device of smokers, and the advantages of this are obvious:

• wall thickness 2.5 mm, the model has a compact size, thereby saving free space on the site;
• the body of the smokehouse is already ready, which will significantly reduce the cost of effort and time for the manufacture of the smokehouse;
• low cost - used cylinders are cheap and available to every consumer.

The disadvantages of the material are due to the fact that, if the safety rules for the operation of such a smokehouse are insufficiently observed, it can lead to a tragedy - if the remaining gas is not removed completely, then an explosion is possible upon contact with fire.

To make a smokehouse from a gas cylinder with your own hands, you need to begin with, draw up a drawing of the planned model, and then adhere to the following scheme:

• take a cylinder with a volume of 50 liters or more;
• remove all gas from there, wash it repeatedly with soapy water and leave for several days, then rinse thoroughly;
• spray the top valve with soapy foam - this will help you make sure that all the remaining gas has completely evaporated;
• draw the markings on the walls of the container;

• fix the hinges, grind all pointed areas;
• attach the handles on the outside of the door with a grinder;
• cut the cover along the marking lines;
• connect the cylinder with the doors;
• install the stand and legs from the available tools.

The main elements of the smokehouse are the firebox and the chimney - in their arrangement lies the main difference between the smokehouse for different smoking methods: cold and hot.

It makes sense to weld the firebox from steel sheets, or take a smaller cylinder. It is connected to the cylinder through the hole on the other side of the valve. The length of the pipes depends on what kind of smoking you prefer - when it is hot, the length of the pipes should be minimal, and when it is cold, it is better to remove the elements from each other by several meters. A car receiver is often used as a chimney.

Finally, a few more tips:

• at the end of the work, you can cover the smokehouse with black enamel - according to reviews, the design will thus acquire a stylish and aesthetic appearance;
• as the installation proceeds, it will get dirty with soot - this does not in any way affect the quality of the food being prepared;
• refuse to use metal brushes for washing the smokehouse - abrasives will simply remove the enamel and cause metal corrosion;
• before the first smoking, carry out a blank furnace: this way you will finally get rid of third-party odors, otherwise fish or meat may acquire an unpleasant aftertaste.

Gas cylinder smokers can be very stylish and original. Here are some interesting ideas.

• Often they are given the appearance of animals.

• And for lovers of romantic adventures - smokehouse in the form of a real pirate chest!

• If you attach wheels to the installation, it will become mobile.

For information on how to make a smokehouse from a gas cylinder with your own hands, see the next video.