Types Of Smokehouses & Free Plans. This is an excerpt from a great homesteading book on home butchering of every description.
It is called "The Complete Book of Butchering, Smoking, Curing and Sausage Making" by Philip Hasheider, published by Voyageur Press. We have a book review of this book, and it comes highly recommended for those of you homesteading and wanting information on home butchering. Below is an excerpt from the book on smokehouses, building a homemade smoker and the equipment you need for home smoking. A smokehouse is a simple version of a heat processing unit used by today's meat industry. The size may be vastly different, but the principles are the same: it is an enclosed area where the temperature and smoke level may be controlled with acceptable accuracy. The purpose of a smokehouse is to enclose heat and smoke, and reduce, but not entirely eliminate, airflow.
Many types of smokehouses can be used successfully to smoke meats, fowl and fish. The more elaborate structures will cost more to build. Free Smokehouse Plans (PDF) Flower Pot Smoker. DIY 55-gallon Drum Smoker. I came across this today and well… It brought a tear to my eye.
Not really, but this really is the best step-by-step DIY guide to building your own smoker I’ve ever seen. The end result is simple and beautiful -not like most mutated gas tank BBQ abominations I see on the internet – and any one could do this from home with very minimal tools or skill. I couldn’t find his name but I think it’s Joel. So Joel, if that’s your name, the At Home Welder is officially giving you props. NICE WORK! The following is the DIY Smoker post from Joel’s (sorry if that’s not your name) site, Design & Make. 55-Gallon Drum Smoker This past fall I took an evening welding class at a local technical school and got very excited about making things out of metal.
There’s something special about creating useful objects. I looked around at commercial smokers and custom hacks and talked to a few connoisseurs, and decided the Weber Smoky Mountain was a good design to start from. The next step was grinding the paint off. DIY Smoker From A 55-Gallon Drum. Use a 55-gallon food-grade drum with an open head.
(Some drums are treated with epoxy to prevent rust, but meat smoked in such a barrel is toxic.) You can buy a new drum at an industrial-supply store for $150 or less or a used one online for a mere $20. Make sure that the drum and lid are untreated, and buff their insides with a scouring pad or fine sandpaper. Mark an 11½-inch-diameter circle centered on the lid. Using a step bit, drill eight equally spaced ½-inch holes around the circle. Mark the hole locations for the air intakes, grill supports, and thermometer.
Add the air intakes by placing the close nipple into each hole and rotating the assembly. Build Your Own Backyard BBQ Smoker. Barbecue, the traditional American style of cooking, is not to be confused with grilling, although the terms have become almost interchangeable in millions of American backyards.
Steaks, burgers and hot dogs are grilled. True BBQ is a different art form altogether. BBQ-style cooking developed largely in the American Southeast. People who couldn't afford the better cuts of meat were forced to consume tougher, fattier cuts like pork butt and beef brisket. The secret is to cook these cuts very slowly, over a duration of 4 to 6 hours or longer at temperatures near the boiling point of water. Don't confuse this low-temperature smoke cooking, which is the essence of BBQ, with cold smoking. Traditional BBQ smoking is done in a brick pit, but there are all manner of commercial smokers on the market, ranging from very inexpensive sheetmetal water smokers to giant commercial-quality stainless steel contraptions the size of a small car (and costing almost as much). Book, NF: Meat Smoking & Smokehouse Design. The best selling guide on smoking meats and building smokers has been completely revised and edited.
Most books on smoking just give some elementary information and then are filled with recipes; this book is the reverse, scholarly information and theory as it applies to smoking meats and a few recipes that will get one started. While various recipes usually get the spotlight, it is the authors' opinion that the technical know-how behind preparing meats and sausages is far more important. This is a book that will take some careful thought and study. There is a section with some basic recipes, but after reading the book one should be able to create his own recipes without much effort. The book explains differences between grilling, barbecuing and smoking. In Meat Smoking & Smokehouse Design readers are provided with detailed information about how to: Apply cures and make brines. Food Smoker Recipes by Chef Ted Reader.