Smokehouse on a gas stove: principle of operation, pros and cons

A home smokehouse for a gas stove is designed for one or two burners. A smoking device operating inside a living space must be equipped with a water seal - an element that traps smoke and prevents it from leaking outside. You can make a smokehouse on a gas stove yourself or purchase a ready-made structure.

Complete set of gas-powered appliances

The device is a rectangular or cylindrical container made of stainless steel. This material is most often used for the production of smokehouses due to its properties: flexibility, strength, and ease of maintenance. Most of these devices are equipped with a water seal that prevents smoke from entering the living space.

At the bottom of the device there is a chamber into which wood chips are placed. An important element of the device, which is used indoors with a gas stove, is a hose for removing smoke. It is taken out into a powerful hood or window (not the best option).

The design of such a device includes a tray for collecting fat released from meat or fish. Products that are placed in the smokehouse are placed on lattice shelves or hung on hooks.

Devices for cooking smoked meats powered by a gas stove vary in design, size, and functionality.

Kinds

According to their intended purpose, the following smoking devices are distinguished:

Devices for hot smoking. They have small dimensions and are characterized by a high speed of preparation of products, since the latter are processed with smoke at a temperature in the range of 60-140°C degrees.
Equipment for cold smoking. The structures in this case are larger in size. In such smokehouses, products are processed with smoke at low temperatures - no more than 40°C degrees. Meat or fish are located at a considerable distance from the wood smoldering at the bottom.

Devices for gas stoves have different sizes:

small devices - 400x300x250 mm, volume is 30 l;
medium – 500x300x300 mm, volume – 30 l;
large – 600x300x300 mm, volume – 60 l.

Smokehouses in most cases are rectangular, square and cylindrical. The latter are more compact and suitable even for small kitchens.

Features of connection and operation

There is no need to connect the device to a gas stove. The smokehouse is used and installed as follows:

Wood chips are poured into the lower part of the device, where a special container is located. It should be lightly moistened with water beforehand, as wood chips that are too dry will quickly burn out. You should also not put wet wood - because of this, the smoke will be too acrid, and the process of cooking smoked meats will be delayed.
A tray is installed inside the device into which the fat will drain, and covered with foil. It is not necessary to do this, but if you do not use foil, you will subsequently have to wash the baking sheet for a long time to remove the accumulated frozen fat.
Prepared (salted, pickled and, if necessary, cut into pieces) products are placed on the grid or hooks: fish, lard, meat, chicken, sausages, sausages.
A special container is filled with water to create a water seal for the smoke.
Close the smokehouse lid, place the apparatus on the stove, and turn on the gas.
Place the hose on the fitting located on the top cover and lead its end into the hood above the stove.

The smoke produced under the influence of high temperature envelops the products and gradually fills them with a characteristic smoked taste and aroma. As a source of smoke, shavings and branches of trees such as aspen, beech, oak, alder, and ash are used. Wood from fruit trees is also suitable, but it is better to avoid coniferous trees - they impart bitterness to the finished products and contribute to the appearance of black acrid smoke.

When cooking fish in a gas smokehouse, it should be taken into account that its meat has a delicate structure, so during the cooking process it can fall apart and become soft. To avoid this, you need to tie the carcass with twine or wrap it in a special film.

Features of operation

Like any other household item, a smokehouse requires its own care; there are rules for use and tricks for preparing smoked dishes.

Rules for using the smokehouse:

The first and most important thing is that you need to monitor the fire under the smokehouse so that it does not go out or get too hot.
Next, it is important to clean the smokehouse from any remaining fat and smoked meats. So that the new batch does not become saturated with unpleasant odors.
If the smokehouse is on gas, then the wood chips must be packed in foil, in which holes must be made. It is important that the chips do not come from pine or spruce trees. Because when exposed to high temperatures, they will release resin, which will spoil the taste of the food. The best tree species are: cherry, apple, oak and others. Many people use another trick. In a smokehouse with a water seal, various herbs are added to the water: rosemary, basil, and so on.
Next, you need to heat the smokehouse to 200 degrees Celsius, then cool to 100. Then smoke in accordance with the temperature specified in the recipe. The same should be done with the smoking time.
The next important point is to constantly monitor the fuel. The fire should not be very strong and not very weak

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You need to constantly monitor your gas smoker

Cooking tricks:

To cook large pieces of meat, the temperature should be slightly higher than indicated;
Fish is cooked at lower temperatures and in less time;
Every 1.5-2 hours it is worth coating the meat with marinade for a richer taste and aroma;
It is not recommended to open the lid again, this cools the smokehouse and disrupts the smoking process;
It’s worth checking the readiness of the product in an hour and a half. So that it is not spoiled by long smoking.
It is better to smoke food for a couple of hours a day for a week.

Smoking does not tolerate fuss and haste, so it is necessary to approach this matter with all responsibility.

A gas smokehouse is an ideal option for those who live in an apartment, but at the same time love fresh and home-cooked meat, fish, lard or cheese.

Smoked products have always been in high demand - they decorate the festive table, filling the room with aromas that stimulate a serious appetite. Without a special device - a smokehouse - poultry, fish and pork ham cannot be smoked. There are several quite nice options for such products on sale, but you can try to make the unit yourself if you have the skills to work with welding and metal, and most importantly, a place where to do all the work. We will tell you how a home smokehouse on a gas stove works, look at the most successful options for finished products, and learn how to make such a device yourself.

Smoked mackerel recipe

Mackerel is well suited for hot smoking on gas. Before placing fish carcasses in the apparatus, you need to prepare them:

You need to take 2 mackerel with a total weight of about 800 g. Clean the carcass and rinse, rub with salt outside and inside. Leave the fish for 5 hours to salt it.
The salting time can be reduced to 2 hours if you use brine. To prepare it, you need to take 250 g of salt per liter of water, stir everything and place the mackerel in the brine.
After the allotted time for salting is completed, the carcasses must be removed, wiped off any remaining salt, placed on a cloth or wire rack, and left to dry for half an hour.

While the fish is airing, you can prepare the smokehouse:

Soak the alder chips, then blot them with a cloth so that they are slightly damp. Place foil on the bottom of the smoking apparatus and wood on it. It should be evenly distributed, in a layer of 2 cm.
Place a tray on the wood chips to collect grease, which should also be covered with foil.
Place the mackerel on the grill. Close the device with a lid and fill a special container with water.
Place the smokehouse on a gas stove, the heat should be medium.
When smoke comes out of the fitting (this will happen in 5-7 minutes), put a hose on it and take it out into the hood or window so that the smoke does not escape into the room.

The smoking time for mackerel is 25 minutes from the start of smoke formation. After the specified time has passed, turn off the heat, but do not open the smokehouse for another 25 minutes. It is recommended to consume the finished smoked meat after 5 hours, keeping it in the refrigerator.

How to make it yourself

You can make your own gas smoking device. For this you will need the following materials:

stainless steel sheet 1.8-2 mm thick - about 1.5 square meters will be required. m of material;
stainless wire with a thickness of 0.3-0.5 mm and a length of about 10 m;
stainless steel pipe with a wall thickness of 0.25 mm and a length of 40 cm;
U-shaped stainless steel profile, dimensions – 3 by 3 cm, length – 2 m;
stainless steel sheet with a thickness of 1-1.5 mm - approximately 0.2 square meters will be required. m of such material.

The indicated amount of resources is suitable for a structure with dimensions of 600x300x300 mm.

To weld a smokehouse, you will need the following tools:

roulette;
welding machine;
drill;
Bulgarian.

Progress:

First of all, you should weld a rectangular box with a water seal (water container) and side handles for moving.
Stainless steel strips are welded from the inside of the body, which serve as supports for the grilles. The bottom one should be placed 12-15 cm above the bottom, the top one should be 7-10 cm above the first, but so that it is not close to the lid of the device.
The water seal is a groove 2-3 cm wide and of similar depth, which runs along the perimeter of the upper part of the body. It can be made from a U-shaped profile.
A metal tube is installed into the lid of the smokehouse to remove smoke, the diameter of which should be about 1 cm and the length - 4-5 cm. A hose is put on the top of this tube to remove the smoke outside.
The bottom of the apparatus should be equipped with sides of 1-2 cm, curved upward. It must be removable.
Smokehouse grates are made of stainless wire.

Making a smokehouse with your own hands

Are you convinced that the design of home smokehouses is simple? Then you can try to make a similar device yourself and save a decent amount. The easiest way is to weld a smokehouse box with a water seal. For a case measuring 30x30x60 cm you will need the following materials:

1.5 squares of steel sheet 1.8-2 mm and 0.2 m2 “one”;
10 m of stainless steel wire with a diameter of 0.3-0.5 mm;
Pipe s 2.5 mm and d 40 mm (you can find a suitable piece of stainless steel - 10-15 cm is enough);
2 meters of channel 3x3 cm - for a water seal.

The following tools will be needed: an inverter, a drill and a grinder.

You need to make a rectangular body from a thick steel sheet and weld it along the upper contour with a channel to create a continuous groove-water seal. During operation of the smokehouse, it will not allow the smell and smoke to spread throughout the kitchen.

The lid is welded to the dimensions of the channel contour so that its edges fall strictly in the center of the groove. The sides are welded to a height of 20-30 mm and it’s okay if they don’t reach the bottom of the bolt. You will also need to make a hole in the upper part of the lid for the smoke to escape and weld a tube into it, lowering its end inward by 10 mm. It is worth chamfering the cutting itself at an angle - this will make it easier to put the outlet hose on the pipe. And don’t forget to make a couple of handles so that you can easily remove the lid from the smoker.

If you want to do everything thoroughly, prepare another hole in the lid - for a temperature probe.

Assembling the pallet and grate

For a hot smoking device, you will need an additional tray to collect dripping fat - this is an ordinary baking tray slightly smaller than the main chamber. Just adjust the dimensions so that it can be carefully removed from the smokehouse without spilling the contents. You will need to weld 4 legs of the same height (80-100 mm) to the bottom of the tray - be sure to check the finished pan with a level, otherwise if there is a large amount of fat, everything will pour out from the inclined surface.

All that remains is to make a grid out of rigid wire for laying out the products. If desired, it can be combined with a tray to remove the entire structure from the smokehouse. For this you will need:

Drill holes in the sheet and thread the vertical supports of the grille through them.
Secure the rods on the reverse side - by welding, or better yet, with nuts, having first cut the threads at the ends with a die.

If the grille does not have its own support, it can be laid on the corners welded inside the housing. But this is a waste of time and effort, and it’s easy to accidentally burn through a thin sheet by welding. When manufacturing and installing the grille, maintain the following distances:

50 mm – from the fat collection tray;
80 mm – from the edge of the smokehouse;
60-80 mm – between the levels of a multi-tier grid.

Another simple, but slightly barbaric mounting option: drill paired holes on opposite sides of the body and insert through them pins made of the same thick wire. After this, you will only need to prepare several metal hooks and hang them on the resulting crossbars. Then the products can not be laid out, but hung, but this is not for everyone.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of devices that can be used to produce smoked meats using the cold or hot method on gas include the following:

Versatility. In such devices you can smoke fish, meat, and lard.
Optimal heat source. The gas stove provides the structure with uniform heating and allows you to regulate temperature indicators.
Compact and mobile. A smoking device suitable for a gas stove can be used outdoors and taken with you to the countryside or nature.
Durability. High-quality smokehouses are made of stainless steel, which is a fairly durable material that can withstand high temperatures and mechanical stress, and also prevents corrosion.
No smoke. The design includes a special hose that eliminates the possibility of smoke entering the room.
Cooking speed. Fish can be cooked in a smokehouse on a gas stove in 40 minutes. The meat is smoked longer - 2-4 hours, depending on the variety, age and size of the pieces.
Quality. High taste qualities of finished products, control of their production.

There are not too many disadvantages of smokehouses that are installed on a gas stove. These include the heavy weight of some models, which makes them inconvenient to transport, and the impossibility of using them outdoors.

Smokers operating on a gas stove are convenient devices with which you can prepare various smoked meats at home without the use of liquid smoke and other harmful additives. You can purchase devices for cold or hot smoking or make a similar design from stainless steel yourself.

Mini smokehouse oven

In such a product, a dish can be prepared in just one hour - this becomes possible because the products are located much closer to the smoldering wood chips, and the volume of the smokehouse is only 10 liters. The operating principle is similar to any model - products are hung on vertical rods above the pallet, the top cover is screwed to the central pin.