How to build a brick smokehouse?

A brick smokehouse is a reliable, durable construction that can delight its owners with meat and fish delicacies for a long time. Such smoked meats are strikingly different from store products and have a unique taste. It is not surprising that many dream of building this structure at their dacha with their own hands. This is real if you adhere to the instructions and the basic rules of construction.

The smokehouse runs on wood fuel, so any products that are smoked (lard, meat, hams and others) are soaked in the smoke of burning wood. Hence the unique smell and taste of the resulting dishes. Of course, you can limit yourself to the construction of the simplest smoking chamber, and the smoke will enter it from the chimney of the stove. But it is better to make a reliable device in accordance with fire safety standards, and place it on a site where it will not only delight you with delicious dishes, but also become an original design element if you approach the process creatively.

Homemade brick structures can have the following differences:

• main purpose and functions;
• the size and volume of the chamber;
• internal organization.

Large smokehouses are best built as separate buildings. They can be played in a certain style using the original design. When cooking with a cold method, the smoke-generating equipment must be connected to the smokehouse, while in the hot-cooking device the firebox is located under the smoking compartment.

When planning to build a smokehouse, you have to decide what kind of structure is needed - stationary or to be moved.

It is necessary to clearly understand what parts it consists of:

• the combustion chamber;
• chimney;
• smoking compartment;
• lattice;
• grate;
• doors;
• roof;
• blew;
• stand for dripping fat.

The principle of the smokehouse is quite simple. Firewood is placed in the firebox, forming smoke during combustion, which enters the smoking compartment through the chimney. The ash is under the firebox. The food is hung or laid out on a grid, and the fat is collected in a tray under the grid. An important point is the choice of a place for the smokehouse. It must be located away from housing and the utility block so that smoke cannot enter the living quarters. You also need to think about how convenient it is to deliver food and dishes to it.

For those who do not have experience in construction in this area, you will need a well-defined work scheme. Drawings, as a rule, include a list of the necessary tools - a shovel, spatulas, mortars for the construction of the foundation. For the smokehouse - doors, grates, lid. The method of laying bricks is also important.

Installation begins with laying the foundation. The selected site is cleared of debris, foreign objects and foliage.

The work involves the following stages:

• a place for a smokehouse is marked with wooden stakes and a rope;
• for a medium-sized structure, a hole is dug 35–40 cm deep, 50 cm wide, 30 cm long;
• to create a concrete cushion, sand and crushed stone are placed and tamped at the bottom of the ditch, the surface should be leveled as much as possible;
• a steel mesh is placed on top;
• concrete mixture is poured on top.

It is important that the solution is completely dry, this may take 1 to 3 days. Then waterproofing is carried out with roofing material or similar material.

After that, brick laying begins.

• A clay solution is applied to a dry foundation with a trowel.
• First, the chimney is laid. A poke is lubricated on the brick to create maximum filling of the vertical joints, since the stone tends to move towards the joint under pressure.
• Excess clay mixture is removed with a trowel. Lightly tap the brick with a hammer so that it lies down correctly. Ordering (laying) requires regular measurements of the angles of the walls being erected - this prevents the appearance of irregularities. Ideally, every new row should be checked.
• It should be borne in mind that in relation to the firebox, the smoke channel should be located at an angle of 8 degrees, and its walls should reach a height of 25 cm. At the end of the installation work, the joints should be thoroughly grouted.

The smoking compartment can be of any shape. The main thing is a well-laid stone. For an average garden stove, the dimensions of a 1x1 meter chamber are quite enough.

On top of the smoking compartment there are pins for hooks, and a grate, at the bottom - a cleaning filter in the form of a natural linen fabric. The chamber must have a cover for adjusting the smoke. Leave ventilation openings when installing the roof. At the end, doors and nets are installed, hooks for placing products.

The firebox is made of thick iron sheets measuring 40x35x35 cm. It should be located on the opposite side of the smoking chamber, at the other end of the chimney. She connects with him from the side and from the back. Its outer part is also lined with fireclay refractory bricks.

The performance check can reveal some shortcomings. If the smoke does not leave the structure quickly enough, it may mean that the seams are poorly sealed. A well-made smokehouse heats up quickly enough, and products placed in it for 20-30 minutes brown and acquire a golden color.

It is necessary to correctly calculate the amount of building materials for the work process, because this will greatly facilitate the work.

To make a quality smokehouse and avoid mistakes, professional masters advise you to adhere to the following rules:

• a new row must always start from the corner of the structure;
• joints between bricks should not exceed 12 mm, later they are fastened with mortar;
• for optimal thermal insulation, the zone 2–3 rows, where the ash chamber is usually located, is covered with pebbles;
• to clean the lower channel of the chimney, it is necessary to make a door at the level of 3 and 4 rows of bricks;
• pay special attention to the narrowing and dissection of the chimney (when laying 6-12 rows);
• the uniformity of heating of the furnace slab depends on the correct laying of bricks of the 8-11th row;
• at the level of 23 rows, it is supposed to hang products, therefore, along with the masonry, two metal rods are installed;
• a hole for a chimney pipe measuring 13x13 cm is made from halves of a brick.

The ordering should be carried out in compliance with the dressing. For the stability of the structure, the seams of the lower rows are covered with bricks. Each row must be checked with a level, it also applies to already erected walls. Experienced craftsmen sometimes even check individual bricks if there is a suspicion of drops.

It is undesirable to make a metal chimney near your own smokehouse, although it will be cheaper. It is better to use refractory bricks, because the smell and taste of the cooked dishes depends on it. All parts of the smokehouse made of wood are also processed not with cement, but with a clay solution.

Such a structure can be successfully used for both hot and cold smoking. It includes a combustion chamber and a chimney, therefore, when fuel is burned, gases escape through the chimney. But first, they must be directed to the hot smoking compartment. In order to use the method of cold processing of products, a metal container with prepared sawdust is placed above the firebox. Wood, smoldering, gives off smoke and, thus, smoking occurs, then it also goes out through the chimney. The fuel is sawdust from cherry and apricot wood.

No less practical is the outdoor brazier oven with the option of a smokehouse. This design is practical and versatile. You can use it to cook any food, smoke and fry meat, dry mushrooms and fruits.

The brick smoker is a durable, environmentally friendly and heat-retaining design. Do-it-yourself installation is quite acceptable if the basic technologies are not violated. Then we can talk about a really high-quality device that is relevant for most owners of summer cottages and private houses.

Step-by-step instructions for building a smokehouse are in the next video.