A smoker is not one of the indispensable devices in the household. However, if you decide to purchase this device, you should study this issue in more detail in order to choose the most suitable smoker.
In this article, we will talk about the types of smokehouses, their features, as well as give some practical recommendations on how to choose them and what features to consider.
Who needs a smokehouse?
It is very likely that if you have opened this article, you have already answered this question and can skip a few paragraphs below. If not, read carefully.
In general, you can easily find all kinds of smoked meats on store shelves. However, there are some BUTs about the quality and taste of the smoked meat you buy:
- Store-bought smoked meats may contain E additives and carcinogens. They are usually used to increase shelf life or improve taste. These additives can be very harmful to the body.
- Often, smoked meats are prepared using harmful "liquid smoke," a flavoring agent that is a concentrated (dry or liquid) mixture of processed combustion products.
- Meat sold in stores often uses recycled materials. Grocery chains are not interested in losing profits.
- It's more expensive! The margin can be 200 and even 300%!
A regular home smoker will help you avoid all these problems. There are so many brands and types of smokers that you need to find out what your need is before buying.
Classification of smokehouses
There are really many types of smoking devices, but they can be divided into 2 categories:
- Hot smoking smokehouse.
- Cold smoking smokehouse.
Let's talk about each type in more detail.
Hot smoking smokehouse
The main characteristics of the products prepared in this way are a bright juicy taste, a golden crust, a pleasant aroma of smoke and a short shelf life. Hot smoking usually takes place at a temperature of 70-100°C for 40-80 minutes.
A smoker is usually a cylindrical or rectangular container with a grid or baking tray for placing food and a fat collector. There is a tray for wood shavings, and sometimes they are simply placed on the bottom of the unit. The container can be sealed with a smoke outlet or leaky.
The smoking of the product in the smokehouse takes place with the heating of smoldering smoke and high temperature. First of all, it is thanks to the smoke that the product inside acquires the wonderful taste and aromatic properties of the smoke.
Cold smoking smokehouse
A cold smoking smokehouse is a more complex device that produces products by cold smoking: the product is treated at a temperature of ≈30 °C from 8 hours to 1 day or more.
What cools the smoke? In order for the heated smoke to cool down, the container with wood chips and the smoker itself are connected by a tube or hose. The smoke passing through the hose is cooled to the required temperature and only then enters the smoking cabinet where the product to be smoked is placed.
The cold smoking method is considered "softer" for the product. Due to the fact that smoked meat is not subjected to high temperature overloads, all the nutrients remain in it.
There is a formula by which you can calculate the approximate smoking time of the product. At an average cold smoking temperature (≈30°C), the product is smoked at a rate of approximately 1 mm per hour (0.5 mm on each side). Accordingly, if the thickness of the product is 3 cm (= 30 mm), the smoking time is 30 hours.
What to pay attention to when choosing a smoker
When buying a hot smoking device, it is important to consider:
- What material is it made of? Quality smokehouses for home use are made of durable, corrosion-resistant stainless steel (preferably AISI 304).
- What is the thickness of the steel walls and bottom. It should be at least 1.5 mm, because the body is exposed to strong heat. A thin-walled device can quickly deform and fall apart;
- How deep is the vessel into which the fat flows. If the pan is too small, the fat will spill out and get on the chips. Smoked products will have an unpleasant smell and bitter taste;
- It is necessary to find out whether the unit is sealed, whether it has a chimney device, as well as a water seal.
When choosing a smoker for cold smoking, pay attention to the following factors:
- Dimensions of the chip stacking compartment. The larger the volume of the fuel tank, the greater the smoke generation. If the capacity is low, it is necessary to replenish the fuel reserves during long smoking. In this case, the tightness of the system is violated, smoke and soot come out.
- Body material and wall thickness. It must meet the same requirements as a smokehouse for hot smoking. In order to ensure resistance to corrosion and temperature, such smokehouses are made of stainless steel, their wall thickness is 1.5 mm.
- Smoke cleaning system from soot and resins. Smokehouses are equipped with a special set of plates on which harmful smoke components settle.
- The possibility of disassembling the device to clean the inner walls from dirt and soot accumulated during the smoking process.
- Dimensions of the smoking chamber. Its volume must be sufficient to install grill shelves, hooks, as well as a grease tray.
If the smoking space is too large, the smoke density will be insufficient, which can slow down the smoking process and reduce the quality of the products.
Any type of smoker must have a thermometer (mechanical or electronic). It is located at the top of the device, in the maximum temperature zone. Smokehouses with an automatic thermostat are especially convenient.
In conclusion
To understand how to use a smoker in a house or apartment, you need to familiarize yourself with the principle of operation and design features of such devices.
When choosing them, the method of preparation of smoked meat, the volume of food processing, and the location of the intended installation are taken into account. For smoking directly in the kitchen, special sealed, portable smokers are purchased. For devices installed outdoors, tightness is irrelevant. I also suggest reading my article on how to smoke fish at home. You can find it by clicking here.
In order for smoked products to be tasty and healthy, it is necessary to control the temperature of the smoke, use smoking chambers of the right volume and trays of sufficient depth. Independent production of smoked meat allows you to get the best quality natural meat products.
