To prepare amazing smoked meats at home, you need to have necessary equipment- smokehouse. It can run on electricity, gas or coal. And it is not at all necessary to purchase such equipment. You can create it yourself. For example, a convenient homemade smokehouse made from a barrel.
First you need knowledge of the structure of this device (smokehouse diagram):
Whatever material is involved in production, the device must have two departments:
- For products.
- For fuel.
They can be combined or separated. The second option requires a pipe to supply the smoke.
The first option is used for preparing delicacies using the hot smoking principle. Here the products are exposed to both smoke and high temperatures. This is a hot smoking unit - AGK.
AGK scheme:
The second option is a cold smoking unit - AHK. In it, the smoke loses its temperature, and high temperature readings decrease.
AHC scheme:
If you intend to make an AHC from a barrel, be sure to install a separate wood-burning stove. It can be brick or metal. In the food compartment, arrange hooks or shelves to place and secure products.
It is better to make the lid out of wood. You can use burlap instead. This will keep smoke and moisture out. The stove and smoking compartment are connected using a pipe. It may be the simplest one.
Wooden cover do not create from softwood. When heated, large volumes of carcinogen are released from it. In practice, it is sufficient to cover the AHC with a moistened cloth. The fabric is periodically replaced. A smokehouse made from a barrel with your own hands is closed only with a metal lid, because significant temperatures are formed there.
Principles of creating a smokehouse
How to make a smokehouse from a barrel? The device is constructed according to the following principle: the fuel is concentrated at the bottom of the food compartment.
Scheme drawing:
An additional baking tray is placed under the product in place of the sawdust (broiler). This is a defense against fat dripping from cooking meat and fish products getting into the coals. Otherwise, a fire will break out and all the smoked meats will simply burn. And in isolated device You won’t be able to extinguish it like in a barbecue.
There should be a gap between the walls and this baking sheet to allow smoke to rise freely. Sawdust is soaked in water before use. This way they will smolder and not burn. In the AHC, the process lasts much longer - up to a week or more. The hot smoking unit lasts for several hours.
Step-by-step instructions
The presence of a barrel smokehouse at the dacha is a guarantee of unhindered and instant cooking smoked delicacies.
Materials and tools
To make it you need to acquire the following materials:
- Metal barrel 200 liters. It is advisable that chemical and petroleum products have not been previously stored in it.
- Fittings. Her minimum diameter– 6 mm.
- Steel wire. A mesh will be made from it.
- Metal corner. The legs will be made from it. Use 4 segments of equal length.
- Chimney pipes. Its diameter is 10 cm. Length is approximately 100 cm.
Required tools:
- Grinder with metal discs.
- Welding equipment with electrodes. The electric arc method will be used.
- Roulette.
If out of 200 liter barrel harmful chemicals were extracted and machine oils, it needs to be washed and steamed blowtorch. If there is no lamp, you can simply burn it. After this procedure, the barrel is filled with water and left alone for several days.
Work algorithm
If the barrel being used is completely sealed, its lid is cut off first. From this lid you can then make a baking tray for fat.
The lower zone is the combustion chamber. You need to cut a hole here rectangular shape. This is the entrance for storing firewood. Approximate door parameters: 20 (height) and 30 (width) cm. Do not throw away this element. It will do for a good door.
First the hinges are welded. Then the handle is mounted. There should be a locking bolt here. On the opposite side, make a hole for the chimney. Its shape is round.
Slots are cut at the bottom for air supply, optimal combustion, and quick removal of ash. Their width should not be set too large, otherwise the fuel will simply fall out before it heats up.
Now you can make a camera. It is located on the line 1/3 from the bottom. An iron sheet is mounted here - this is the bottom of the smoking compartment. Metal density is 4-5 mm. This is a guarantee that it will not burn out and distribute heat evenly.
Then the chimney is installed. It is welded to the previously created hole. In some cases, the pipe is bent slightly because it must fit perfectly in the installation area.
After this, you can install the legs. Their required height- at least 30 cm. This guarantees better clearance for air penetration and obtaining the required draft, that is, optimal smoldering of firewood.
To develop the useful volume of your device, it can be placed on a special plate. You first create it from brick. Chimney position – rear side brick installation.
A separate baking tray is made for fat accumulations. Its parameters: in circumference it is 3-4 cm smaller than the diameter of the barrel. This is the key to high-quality smoke ingress.
To install the tray inside, you should install a pair of metal spacers. The tray itself is not welded, it is removable. This will make loading fuel much easier.
Now you can place gratings or hooks. The number of grates is affected by the height of the barrel. The required distance between each tier is about 15 cm. The more tiers, the more products are prepared in one session.
When making support elements for hooks or racks, make sure that they will not interfere with the removal of the pan.
Advice! Make the grate from very dense steel wire.
Climax. Making the lid. Most suitable material- a deciduous or fruit tree. Small holes are drilled into it. This is the way of evaporation excess moisture.
This is how a barrel-based smoking apparatus is created. The main thing is to follow the proposed drawings and algorithms.
Choosing wood chips
First important factor here is the selection of chips for the formation of smoke. Eliminate coniferous raw materials immediately. It emits harmful resins and spoils the taste of food. It is better to use raw materials from such woods:
- apple,
- cherry,
- apricot,
- plum,
- another fruity,
- alder
To give the dish a special taste, you can combine any of the proposed shavings with a small amount juniper. Its sawdust is located at the bottom of the smoking container. They emit smoke, giving meat or fish products an elegant, specific taste.
At the very bottom there is a bottom zone with sawdust. After which the fat tray is located. Products are placed on the grill and tied with twine or twine.
After this, the barrel is closed with the previously made lid. And in the oven itself you can place coniferous wood. Since the smoke from it is eliminated through the chimney pipe.
The wood is ignited. They are burning. And the bottom of the smoking compartment heats up. As a result, sawdust, laid out evenly, smolders. The cooking time of the products depends on their type:
- Fish – 30 minutes.
- Meat – at least an hour. What is important here is its type and parameters of the pieces.
- Chicken - a little more than 40 minutes.
Delicacies prepared according to these principles have unsurpassed taste. They do not contain various additives and impurities that are often found in smoked factory products.
Other barrel smokehouse options
There are only three of them. They are made easily and in a short period of time. The same methods are used.
For example, you can create the most simple modification. The following actions are performed here:
- Used old pipe from the drain.
- It is dug into the ground at a slight slope. It connects the area where the fire is located with the food compartment.
- To create a fire pit, simply dig a shallow hole and cover it with a metal sheet.
- This sheet is a way to control combustion activity. The more you open it, the more powerful the fire.
The second type is a special dryer. In this modification, as a rule, smoking is not carried out. Fruits and mushrooms are dried here. You can, of course, splurge and buy an electric version. But it’s easier to do it yourself. And you won't need to spend a lot of money.
The essence of the device is this:
- Two barrels are used. They can be replaced concrete blocks.
- One is placed on top of the other. It turns out to be a channel for smoke. The height of the channel is approximately 3 m.
- A sheet of metal or a baking sheet is placed between the barrels.
- Fine crushed stone is poured onto it, and a mesh is placed on which the products for drying will be placed.
You can also smoke in this device. But its main function is drying.
The third type is a wooden barrel. This is also a fairly simple method. But not only a functional unit is created, but also an elegant one. decorative element in your garden. The smoke tunnel and combustion chamber are located in the ground. They need to be hidden under the soil layer. When there is no smoking, the firebox is closed with a lid. There is some layer of turf on it. In some cases, a small flower bed is made in this place.
It turns out to be an original smokehouse. And it looks like an elegant wooden barrel. It can be decorated with stone. So it is converted into a component landscape design.
Installations made using any type will be useful on the farm for decades.
Results
Thus, having a barrel of any material and with a suitable volume in your household, you can build a high-quality smoking unit or barbecue.
In this case, an integral element of the design of a cold smoked smokehouse is a dug trench designed to transmit smoke. At one end there is a hearth, deepened into the ground by about 400 millimeters, the other is occupied by a barrel with a volume of 200 liters, partially buried. The depth of the trench should not be greater than the size of the recess for the fireplace, and its length should not exceed two meters.
In this case, the trench serves as a chimney
The bottom of the barrel should first be cut out with your own hands, and the barrel itself should be buried and lined with bricks to reduce heat loss, smoke and prevent air access. It is very important that the connection between the barrel and the trench is airtight. To ensure the passage of smoke, the trench is lined with bricks, after which it is covered with a sheet of iron or slate and sprinkled.
Cover the firebox with a sheet of iron to prevent wood chips from igniting.
You can also use a pipe instead of a trench. The cold smoked smokehouse from the barrel is located in such a way that there is enough free space around it, and it is best to place it under a canopy to increase the time of its use in the future. Steel rods are placed on top of the barrel for laying out products. The rods must be equipped with special hooks on which meat carcasses or other products are attached, after which the upper part of the barrel is covered with a large piece of burlap when the smoking process begins.
For large pieces of meat, hooks are used, and small pieces can be laid out on the grill
During the smoking process, smoke, coming from the firebox through the chimney into the barrel, envelops the food, while maintaining its constant temperature and not evaporating.
Option No. 2
A more preferable option for the location of the smokehouse, which provides for good upward draft of hot air due to the natural slope. The difference between this method of smoking is that the design assumes the presence of a dug adit-chimney designed to supply smoke from the hearth to a barrel located at some elevation. A self-made cold smoked smokehouse from a barrel consists of the following structural elements:
- a chimney no more than two meters long and about half a meter deep, leading from the hearth located in the recess to the barrel;
- the combustion chamber of the hearth, in which kindling is produced;
- fuel used for kindling and located in the hearth;
- brickwork, which is used to line the walls of the chimney and its bottom;
- a barrel with a cut out bottom located in the upper part of the structure;
- burlap blankets designed to cover the top of the barrel during smoking;
- a metal grate located at the bottom of the barrel, just above the cut out bottom;
- metal grates on which cold smoked products are placed;
- a combustion door covering the hearth and designed to regulate the air flow to the fire, the intensity of the combustion process and control the amount of smoke coming out.
This method is good when the terrain in which the location is located household, provides the possibility of using natural height differences. Then you can actually dig a tunnel with your own hands and, placing a barrel on a hill, lead the chimney to the fireplace. You should also make a grate with your own hands from materials available on the farm, on which the products for cold smoking are laid out. Willow twigs woven into a shape of the required size are suitable for this. The grid cells are secured with strong wire. It can be thin, a lattice is made from it, and the outer rim is made of wire of a thicker diameter. It should be wrapped around the barrel in order to determine the exact size of the grate, lightly pressed and the rim will be secured.
You can use one grid, or you can install several at a certain level from each other. It is recommended to place the gratings at intervals of 150 millimeters. To secure the gratings, make loops and weld them to the walls of the barrel. You can use self-tapping screws by screwing them into the walls.
The firebox door can be made of hardwood. It should not be made too heavy; in addition, it should be solid to avoid smoke leakage.
In cases where it is not possible to use the natural slope of the terrain to ensure good smoke draft, you can create it yourself. To do this, you need to place the barrel on a stand or artificial structure, and the bottom of the barrel should not be cut off. The chimney should be a pipe connecting the smoking chamber and the firebox. The pipe must be hermetically inserted into the barrel.
For better traction, place the barrel on a stand
Option #3
Cold smoked products take longer to cook than hot smoked products due to the lower smoke temperature. To ensure this, in addition to the smoking barrel, you can use another one, which will serve as a filter. The liter volume of the barrels should be the same (200), they should be placed on top of each other and welded together. This must be done in order to increase the volume of the chamber and the distance between the products and the fire source, which will ensure the cooling of the smoke passing through the filter. At the junction of the barrels, a soaked serpyanka should be placed as a filter, but it should not leak. Rare burlap, used to clean soot from smoke, is also suitable. The barrel with products is installed on top. Sawdust is placed at the bottom of the lower barrel and set on fire (you can sprinkle it with fresh grass to lower the temperature). The resulting smoke, passing through the burlap, cools and enters the food. The process should not be interrupted, since it will be extremely difficult to subsequently restore a suitable smoldering regime for the sawdust and it is impossible to accurately determine the amount of time required to properly prepare the products.
A homemade cold smoked smokehouse from a barrel requires maintaining special operating conditions necessary to achieve the desired result. It is necessary to adjust the smoldering force of sawdust in the fireplace, which determines the temperature of the smoke in the barrel, its concentration and uniformity of distribution. A smokehouse prepared with your own hands must be protected from a situation in which the smoldering of sawdust becomes a full-fledged flame, for which it is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of the hearth. You should definitely first consider the location of the thermometer that measures the temperature of the internal environment of the smokehouse during the cold smoking process. Approximately 100 grams of sawdust is required for one bookmark. For example, when smoking hams that are stored for a short time, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of 60 degrees. The duration of the smoking process will be 12 hours. The remaining parts of the carcass should be smoked in a similar mode 2-3 times; less time can be spent. As when frying shish kebab with your own hands, in the smokehouse you can use firewood and sawdust from the following tree species: birch, oak, all fruit tree species, as well as ash. You should not use firewood and sawdust from coniferous trees, since when burned they emit bitter smoke with a strong smell of resin. The result will be a bitter taste of the product, and the smokehouse will subsequently need to be cleaned and put in order. To get smoldering coals in the hearth, and not a flame, you should line its bottom with firewood, sprinkle small sawdust on top and set it on fire.
Is it a matter of smoking? homemade! Would you say that it is expensive to purchase a special chamber for hot smoking? Right. But there is a way out. Smokehouse, assembled with your own hands. And have no doubt, a hot-smoked smokehouse made by yourself is in no way inferior in functionality to an industrial unit. With a minimum of costs, you will get maximum results!
Hot smoked smokehouse from a barrel
A standard industrially manufactured smoking chamber has the following design:
- Smoking cabinet or any other hermetically sealed container;
- Chimney;
- Exhaust pipe;
- Smoke generator;
- Fan for ventilating the room and supplying air to the combustion process (add upon request).
In order to assemble a home smokehouse with your own hands, you will need very few materials:
From the tools:
Smokehouse from a barrel with a cut-off bottom
Making it yourself is quite simple, provided you know how to use tools.
The actual hot smoked smokehouse from the barrel is ready, you can begin the process itself. For smoking, products (meat, lard, fish, etc.) are tied with jute twine and suspended over the smokehouse on skewers laid across.
Products are laid out on a wire rack or hung on rods.
Cover the top with a lavsan bag, an iron lid (which can be made from a cut out bottom) and press down with a brick. The whole process will take 2-2.5 hours at a temperature of 80-90 ºС.
Do-it-yourself universal smokehouse from a barrel
Making such a unit with your own hands is not much more difficult.
You can begin the cooking process. By the way, such a smokehouse, made from a barrel with your own hands, is distinguished by its versatility. If the temperature in the chamber is between 30-60 ºС, then you will get cold smoked dishes, and if above 60 ºС, then hot smoked dishes.
Electric smokehouse
To make it yourself you will need:
Step 1. Screw the wheels to the bottom of the barrel. They are needed for the mobility of the smokehouse;
Step 2. Drill five to eight small holes around the circumference of the barrel (5-10 cm from the bottom) (no more than 10 mm in diameter);
Step 3. Disassemble the electric stove. Of the entire structure, we only need a heating element an electrical appliance with two wires attached to it.
Step 5. Screw the heating element to the bottom of the barrel from the inside and in the center;
Step 6. Connect the thermostat and heating element in series. Using wires with a cross-section of at least 2.5 mm2;
Step 7. Install the thermostat sensor in the upper part of the smokehouse;
Step 8. Place a mechanical thermometer there;
Step 9. Insert inside the barrel metal mesh or a cast iron pan for sawdust;
Step 10. Place a bowl for collecting fat and a container of water at the next level;
Step 11. At the next level we install the grate on which the products will be placed;
Step 12. We make a small hole (50 mm in diameter) in the lid to remove smoke. Instead of an iron lid, you can use burlap. 
It takes about 10-20 minutes to heat up the electric smokehouse.
And don't forget!
1. For hot smoking, it is better to use sawdust from deciduous trees. Pine sawdust can add a bitter taste to finished products;
2. Do not use fuel barrels (and if there are no others, then puncture and clean them properly);
3. To light a fire, it is better to use brushwood, raspberry branches, for example. This will allow you to control the fire and, accordingly, the smoking temperature;
4. Smoking in large containers is only possible for outdoors. For example, at the dacha;
5. Small smokehouses can be used at home, but only with a well-equipped chimney system;
6. Do not forget about safety precautions when making a smokehouse with your own hands (rules for using a grinder, welding machine etc.), and during the smoking process itself.
From our distant ancestors we inherited the tradition of smoking our spoils. In those days, the issue of food preservation was acute. appeared today Newest technologies, which allow you not to resort to radical measures. But, despite this, the number of smoked food fans is not decreasing, primarily due to the unique taste and aroma of such products. Simple smokehouse, made with your own hands from scrap materials, allows you to prepare smoked meats yourself at any convenient time. The simplest example of such a device is a smokehouse made from a wooden or metal barrel.
How to smoke in a barrel?
Using a barrel you can smoke almost any food product. Smoking fish requires 40 to 50 minutes. The meat takes from 50 to 70 minutes. At the end, the smoked meats become juicy and pleasant to taste. appearance and have a fragrant smell. To learn in detail about the process of preparing a smokehouse from a barrel, read on.
Hot smoked fish
Fish prepared from homemade smokehouse, it turns out no worse than what is made in branded smokehouses. You need to defrost the fish if you bought it at the store. Freshly caught fish can be immediately rubbed with salt and left for 2 hours. Before this, all the insides must be cleaned. After the specified time, the fish is washed with water and soaked in cold water 30 min.
Sawdust is placed at the bottom of the barrel. These can be fruit species, for example, apple, apricot, pear. The barrel must be placed on a stand, under which the fire will flare up. Sawdust is poured into the bottom of the barrel, and a metal tray is placed on top. The entire process of smoking fish in a barrel takes about an hour and no more. During this period, the sawdust smolders, creating smoke. It is under its influence that smoking of fish occurs. The fire can be quite strong, but it is still not recommended to light a fire that is too strong, as this will affect the taste of the final product. 
The prepared fish is tied with thread and hung on wooden perches, 5 or 6 pieces on each. Place the perches with fish on the top of the barrel and close the top. It is not necessary to close the barrel tightly; just take a canvas bag and cover the top of the barrel with it. Some of the smoke will escape, and some will act directly on the fish fillet.
Hot smoked meat in a barrel
You will need a metal barrel, rods or a grate on which to place the meat, some bricks and wood. First, they select a place where you can build a fire pit. Its depth should be approximately 35 cm. The pit can be lined with brick, but it is not necessary. Also used brick pipes, which could hold the apparatus over the fire. A mesh is installed approximately in the middle, and the meat is placed on it.
One mesh can be placed closer to the bottom of the barrel. A tray with a layer of sawdust for heating is placed here. The temperature for hot smoking is higher than for cold smoking. It is at least 50 degrees. A fire is lit, after which the barrel is covered with a lid. Now you can wait for the meat to cook. 
There are many options for preparing meat for smoking. You can simply rub it with your favorite spices, but it’s even better to marinate the pieces in a special solution. This dish will look great on festive table and will surprise your guests.
How to smoke lard in a barrel?
A smokehouse made from a barrel is an excellent option for smoking lard. The preparation process is approximately the same as the previous ones, but requires longer processing. Lard needs to be smoked for about five and a half hours. The temperature at which lard is processed ranges from 60 to 80 degrees. Pre-treatment of lard involves salting. It turns out the most tender and delicious smoked lard from loin. In addition to salt, you can use various spices to suit your taste.
To obtain best result, it is advisable to maintain a slow burn. Smoldering combustible material guarantees the thickest smoke. The lard is soaked in brine for 3 days. For 1 liter of water take 100 grams of salt and the same amount of sugar. The raw material for smoking spends about 3 days in brine, after which it is soaked in running water and dried to achieve perfect condition product. 
First, dry firewood is placed in the firebox, after which it will be necessary to add raw wood for smoking. The ideal choice would be to use cherry, plum, or grapevine branches. All this remains after pruning the trees. Fruit tree species give lard an intense taste and aroma. Thanks to it, the product will also have a more intense color. You can take sawdust collected yourself, if possible. Some people prefer to buy ready-made sawdust, but branches collected with their own hands ensure the preparation of a more tasty product.
How to make a hot smoked smokehouse from a barrel?
Regardless of the model you choose, you won't need much time for design, assembly and installation. It is not necessary to have welding skills. Several successive stages can be distinguished:
- Selection of materials.
- Drawing up a design plan and diagram.
- Assembly and installation.
You need to decide on the choice of materials that will be required during the construction of the smokehouse. These include:
- metal barrel;
- stainless keg;
- wooden barrel;
- bricks; cement mortar;
- slate;
- metal rods and gratings;
- metal sheets.
The most popular option among our compatriots is a smokehouse made from a 200 liter barrel. Auxiliary materials are selected depending on the project that you like best. You can get by with a minimal set in the form of burlap or a lid, as well as a filter cloth and rods for hanging food. 
To arrange the site where the barrel will stand, you need the following tools:
- shovel;
- Bulgarian; roulette; level;
- welding machine (only for some types of models that use welded elements).
Drawing up a project for a future product is necessary for a clear understanding of the specifics of the work. The firebox should go into the ground to a depth of about half a meter. The chimney comes out from here, after which it is directed towards the smoking chamber. He can enter it through a special supply.
A filter barrier is required to prevent contamination. When hot smoking, the distance from the firebox to the food should not be less than 30 cm, otherwise the meat and fish will burn and become covered with soot. The fat draining from the meat and fish is transferred to a metal tray. All these structural elements must be cleaned periodically. But the smoking process cannot be interrupted. It would be nice if you could build a thermometer into the chamber to monitor the temperature.
The next stage is installation and assembly. Assembly is carried out on site. First, dig a hole for the firebox. Furnace depth in optimal option is 40 cm. The chimney should be located at a depth of 20 cm.
The chimney trench must be so wide that it can accommodate a channel with a diameter of at least 60 mm. To retain heat, the recess is lined with bricks. You can lay the pipe in an additional order. It will provide direct input directly into the camera. After this, you need to start filling the barrel internally. It is best to make a black grid or use separate ones designed for weighing food on hooks. Be sure to place a tray underneath to drain the grease. As for the filter, it must be easily accessible when smoking products. This will allow you to clean it in a timely manner.
You can arrange a viewing window separately. It is necessary to provide a small draft to maintain the required level of humidity according to the technology. The structure is installed in a pre-prepared pit. The barrel is lowered into the recess, placed on bricks and the hole cut under the chimney is brought out towards the trench. You can use a cloth winding to seal the joint.
The structure is fixed brickwork protruding above the ground level. The firebox is equipped in the form of a fire pit, lined with bricks or a separate chamber. You can make it from a cut of a smaller barrel or weld a box from steel sheets. An air supply to ensure smoldering of wood chips is mandatory. WITH reverse side An air outlet should be arranged so that the smoke is drawn into the smoking chamber. If the smoking temperature should not be too high, you can not cover the smokehouse with a lid, but simply cover it with burlap. 
How is the smokehouse put into operation? This can be done immediately after installation and drying of the solution. Firewood or coal is placed in the firebox, after which a fire is built. Next they pour wood chips on top of coals, preferably from fruit rocks. It is necessary to achieve smoldering and abundant smoke production.
Products are placed in the chamber, after which they are blocked damp cloth to trap soot. A lid is placed on top of the barrel or covered with burlap.
A barrel smokehouse is an excellent option for a summer cottage. This is a budget product that will allow you to cook delicious foods using hot or cold smoke.
Hot smoking in a barrel video
Smokehouse in the country - useful device. It is especially invaluable for hunters and fishermen. Is it possible to compare semi-finished products from a store with smoked meat, fish or game prepared with your own hands? You can buy a smokehouse in a store or build one from old barrel. Suitable for this simplest scheme or more complex options arrangement of the smokehouse, depending on your needs.
How to smoke in a cold smoked barrel?
What is the fundamental difference between a hot and cold smoker? There are many differences. If a hot smoked smokehouse is installed above a source of fire or smoke, has miniature dimensions and is easy to manufacture, then a cold smoked smokehouse is a more serious device. It has impressive dimensions. Mandatory integral part the barrel is a chimney. Cold smoking takes longer. The process may take several weeks, since the cooking temperature will only be about 40 degrees.
Advice! Having 2 smokehouses on one site is an unreasonable waste of space. It is much easier to make one multifunctional barrel. If there is no connection between the firebox and the barrel, then you can move it to various sources of smoke.
How to smoke fish in a barrel?
Cold smoking is a special method of preparing fish, meat, and lard. During cooking, food acquires a characteristic piquant taste. At the same time, its taste is preserved for an extremely long time. Sometimes these products remain suitable for consumption from several months to several years. Smoking technology is simple and involves prolonged exposure of meat or fish to cold smoke at temperatures from 18 to 25 degrees. They are saturated with smoking substances that have antiseptic properties. 
Before you start smoking fish with your own hands, it is salted. Salting at home is done according to various recipes. There is no fundamental difference for smoking. You can take the simplest pickling recipe. Take the fish, cover the fillet pieces with coarse salt and leave for 4 days. If the fish has been thawed, it requires a longer period. The fish is salted at room temperature.
After this, the products are soaked for 10 hours. During soaking, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the fillet pieces in tap water. Has excess salt been removed? Now you need to wipe the product with a clean cloth and hang it in a cool room to dry. IN summer season You will also need to take care of protection from insects. Once the meat is dry, you can start smoking it.
The smoking process itself occurs as follows. Placed on the bottom of the firebox a metal sheet. Here a fire is built from prepared wood. Rotten firewood is placed on the formed coals. At the same time, under the barrel, at the bottom of the pit, they lay out the hay that had been soaked the day before. Semi-finished products are hung on hooks. To ensure that the smoke has the maximum effect on the fish, the smoldering pieces of wood are covered with sawdust.
Resinous coniferous trees not recommended for use as firewood branches. Best fit fruit trees, heather, vine. There are especially many of them formed after tree pruning. Juniper is especially good in this regard. Each owner usually has his own cooking recipe, so variations are possible. Important has both combustion and the resulting smoke. That is why they give preference to branches that have not had time to rot or dry out excessively. Adding wet hay is also a mandatory procedure. It takes on the role of a filter. Hay cools the smoke and also gives a unique aroma to smoked fish. Dried hay or green grass no good. Hay can catch fire, and grass can add extra bitterness to foods. 
The intensity of smoke, as well as the temperature, must remain constant throughout the entire smoking process. Of course, it is inconvenient to monitor this around the clock. This is why it is recommended to have help when you smoke fish at home in a barrel.
Try to keep the smoke light. This is achieved due to incomplete combustion of wood with free access of oxygen. Do not light a strong fire. The optimal smoke concentration can be determined by the distinct contours of the product. If you can see it, then everything is correct. To give the finished product a special aroma, aromatic herbs are placed on the walls of the smoking chamber. You can use thyme or thyme if you smoke lard and brisket, prunes and Bay leaf suitable for poultry. For meat, it is better to use red and black pepper. There are many recipes for smoked meats, but they are all different from fish and meat prepared at home.
How to smoke lard in a barrel?
Before preparing lard for smoking, it must be salted. The room where you carry out all work should be clean, cool and dark. The average temperature should be at 6 degrees. A warmer room is not suitable, as the product will turn sour. Colder conditions will cause the lard to not cure properly. Utensils for salting: tubs, wooden troughs, enamel pans, barrels. They must be cleaned and scalded well, then rinsed with cold tap water and dried. To salt lard, it is better to use the dry salting method. Lard is salted for 10 days. Don't be afraid of oversalting, because it will take exactly as much salt as required.
Cold smoking of lard is a smoking method that involves the use of thin smoke at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. The process takes several days. On the other hand, you can smoke it only during the day, the main thing is that the total smoking time is equal to several days. During cold smoking, the fireplace for the formation of smoke must be arranged so that there is no noticeable fire in it, and the wood is used exclusively for the formation of smoke.
It is better to take sawdust from fruit trees or sawdust in combination with several firewood. If the sawdust is too dry, it is better to put it on the bottom of the smokehouse and set it on fire on one side using a small fire of wood chips. Alternatively, place several hot coals in the middle. Slightly damp sawdust is laid in a thick layer. Moisture will be evenly removed from them during cold smoking. Accordingly, smoke will gradually penetrate into the structure of the product. Cold smoked lard thanks this method can be stored for quite a long time - from 2 to 3 months.
Cold smoking is good for fatty foods, because fat is not lost during smoking. But this must also be taken into account when cooking low-fat foods in cold smoke, since this technique makes them very tough.
It is best to use lard with a layer of meat for smoking. But you can also use lard from the back of the carcass. The pork skin must be properly cleaned of carbon deposits. After this, the lard is cut into pieces 10 to 12 cm wide and 25 to 30 cm long. Then the lard is rubbed on all sides with salt. Place it in a pan with salt poured on the bottom. It should be laid in dense rows so that the skin is on the bottom. Each row is sprinkled with a layer of salt. The dishes should be covered with paper and left to heat. Periodically turn the lard over and pour over the released juice to ensure even salting. After 10 days, the pieces of lard are pulled out and the salt is removed from them. 
The pieces are washed in cold water and hung for 24 hours so that they dry and all the water drains away. Following this, the smoking process begins. The lard must be hung so that the pieces do not touch each other or the walls of the smokehouse. When cold smoking, the temperature inside the smokehouse should not exceed 35 degrees. The product can be considered ready as soon as its surface turns reddish-brown. The lard itself acquires a characteristic smoked aroma. Before smoking, you can rub the salted lard with garlic.
How to smoke meat in a barrel?
Smoked brisket, ham, sausage, poultry carcasses and other products impart a special smell and taste, and ultimately protect them from spoilage. Before sending meat to a smokehouse made from a barrel, it must be salted. This required condition necessary to avoid damage. Deciduous tree species are especially good for smoking; other species are also suitable. The exception is resinous trees such as spruce, pine, etc.
When cold smoking meat, the products are exposed to smoke at a low temperature, which is at the level of 20 degrees. The process takes a long time, as a result of which the smoked meats are well saturated with smoke and preserved for a long time. Smoked sausages, cold smoked fish, etc. turn out delicious if the cooking rules are followed.
It all depends on the type of meat product. For example, salted hams are soaked for 2 to 3 hours. fresh water. After this, a hole is made in the leg through which a loop of thick twine is passed and the ham is hung for listening in a cool room. They are best suited for this in a drafty room. Once the ham is slightly dry, it is moved to the smokehouse. It also happens that the ham needs to be pre-cooked. In this case, it is no longer smoked cold, but hot. 
How to make a cold smoked smokehouse from a barrel?
For a home smokehouse you need:
- barrel (you can even use it) with a volume of 200 liters;
- fittings;
- hard wire;
- fireproof metal that will be used for the bottom of the smokehouse (at least 0.4 cm thick);
- a metal corner for the legs of a future design;
- loops;
- pipe part or fitting;
- Bulgarian;
- bolts and nuts;
- Sander;
- gun and rivets;
- handle for fastening on the lid.
The surface of the barrel is cleaned, after which markings are made on the side. A fragment of metal is reflected using a grinder. This place will act as a hatch.
Metal strips are attached to the sides. They will secure the lid and prevent it from falling inside.
After this, you should work on the supports. They are bent into the shape of a barrel and pressed with special clamps. Following this, holes are drilled for the rivets.
The procedure is performed twice, on both sides of the structure.
The hinges for the hatch are secured using the same technology as for the hatch supports. The hinges are attached using rivets.
Attach the handle to the hatch. You can take those removed from an old refrigerator or cabinet door handles. You need to drill a hole and secure the handle with screws.
They are making a chimney. Use fittings or any pipes. 
Finally, the smokehouse parts are installed inside. It is necessary to install supports and guides for the grille. The optimal position for fastening is determined and holes are drilled on the side. Insert supports.
Treat the barrel by lighting a fire inside and allowing the color to burn off. After this, brush over the surface and remove any remaining burning residue. Degrease the surface and paint.
Collected from metal corners frame holder. Secure with bolts.
Cold smoking in a barrel video
