How to make a camp smokehouse with your own hands

How to choose a smokehouse for a hike

To do this, several criteria must be taken into account:

• you need to decide how much fish you will have to cook on your trip. Based on the fact that it takes from forty minutes to one hour to cook one serving of medium-sized fish in a smokehouse, you can understand what size smokehouse is needed;
• the smokehouse must be made of a material resistant to fire, the best option is stainless steel with a thickness of 0.3-0.5 mm;
• if you are going on a car trip, then the size and weight of the smokehouse will not be as important as on a hiking trip, where every gram is important;
• if the smokehouse is dismountable, it is necessary to evaluate how easy it is to assemble and whether it can be assembled and disassembled if the metal “leads” after heating over a fire.

Duration of cold smoking of fish in field conditions.

If the salted fish has been previously dried, it can be cold smoked for 1–6 days, depending on the size of the fish. When pike is smoked, it must first be kept in brine for 3 days, then cut along the back and the back bone removed. After this, the fish needs to be stretched on sticks, rubbed with salt and a small amount of saltpeter, and smoked. The cold processing process can take 8-12 days depending on the size of the fish. After smoking, the pike should still be left in the air for a short time to dry.

The process of cold smoking fish is quite complex and lengthy, and you can only master it through your own experience. It may not be possible to achieve the desired result and get a first-class smoked product the first time, but you always have to start somewhere. Only through trial and error can mastery be achieved.

Based on materials from the book “Fishing and Hunting Cuisine. A pot, a fire and the night sky." Nesterova A.

DIY camp smokehouse

Commercially available options are not always suitable for the intended purposes. Cheap smokehouses made of thin metal are common on the market, which quickly burns out and the smokehouse becomes unusable. To avoid this, you should take care of making the smokehouse yourself.

Drawings of a camp smokehouse

The camp smokehouse is made of stainless steel or tinplate 0.5 mm thick in the form of a box with a lid.

At a height of 15 and 25 cm, stops are attached inside the box, onto which mesh frames are installed to accommodate the fish. In order for the frames to fit freely into the box, their dimensions should be 1-2 cm smaller than the dimensions of the box. The dimensions of the lid, on the contrary, should be 1 cm larger than the dimensions of the box so that it fits freely on top of it. The resulting smoke will escape through the gaps between the lid and the box, so a tight seal is not required.

Construction of a mobile smokehouse, necessary materials

Cold smoking in field conditions is indeed fraught with considerable difficulties, but for the hot method you can use a fairly simple design. Usually this is a metal container with a volume of 10 to 50 liters, rectangular or round in shape, with a thickened bottom (2-3 or more mm).

Inside, it is necessary to install a removable tray that protects the wood chips from fat and juices released by the cooking products and at the same time simplifies the cleaning of the device after its intended use.

Typically, the body of the device is equipped with metal legs to be able to lay out firewood or coals under the smokehouse. If the legs are removable, then it will be possible to smoke at home by installing the smokehouse on the stove.

The number of grids for placing or hanging products depends on the size of the container. The more there are, the more portions can be prepared in one smoking session.

If possible, you can provide a water seal, which will serve as a reliable barrier to the flow of air into the smoking compartment at the top of the device. However, you can do without it if you ensure a tight fit of the lid to the body, for example, using latches.

Let's consider the options for the necessary materials for making such a compact camp smokehouse with your own hands:

• sheet steel, preferably stainless (option No. 1);
• an iron container of suitable size with a lid;
• medical bix;
• gas cylinder with a capacity of 50 liters or less;
• for the legs - a piece of metal pipe.

It is not advisable to use aluminum cookware - this metal heats up very quickly, which can lead to burning of cooked foods. Since maintaining the desired temperature is the basis for smoking, equip the device with a thermometer, which must be built into the lid or top of the smokehouse. With a thermometer, you can even cold smoke if you keep the temperature in the smoking chamber down to 30°C, although this will not be easy without complicating the design and increasing its size.

The pipe is a necessary element of a compact smokehouse, especially if it is planned to be used in the country: it serves to remove smoke and is made of a pipe with a diameter of 5-15 cm, attached to the lid or upper side of the unit.

The operating principle of the camping version of the smokehouse is no different from the classic design: the source of smoke is wood chips or sawdust placed at the bottom of the device. Heated from below by an open fire, they begin to smolder, and the lack of oxygen in the required quantity prevents them from igniting.

Above the wood chips, at a distance of at least 15 cm, products are placed on the grate or hung on rods or hooks hanging from the same grate.

The heating source for the device can be a barbecue, or at home – a stove.

It is important to keep the heat at a constant level to ensure stability of smoldering, and while this is easy on the stove, you will need to tinker with an open fire or coals. True, hot smoking does not last long; usually, for cooking fish and meat products, 20-30 minutes are enough from the moment the intense smoke begins; for vegetables, more time is needed, although there are different options here too.

When smoking cold, it will take many times longer - from 5 hours to a day. It is clear that with a mobile smokehouse it will be very difficult to provide such conditions.

How to smoke fish on the go

Bucket smokehouse

To smoke fish on the go, you can use a regular metal bucket. To do this, several gratings are made of such a size that, when lowered into a bucket, they are located at different levels, approximately 10 centimeters from each other. The distance should be such that caught fish can be laid out on them, like on shelves. Fragrant twigs or wood chips are placed at the bottom of the bucket, and the bucket is suspended over the fire or placed above it on stands.

Smokehouse from the grill

If you have a grill, you can smoke fish in it. To do this, you will have to heat it from the outside, placing the fish with the smoking material inside. The fish also needs to be placed at a height of 10-15 centimeters above the bottom of the grill on grates or skewers placed inside, and the grill itself must be covered with some dense material so that more smoke remains inside.

Smokehouse in the ground

On a long rest or stop, you can make a smokehouse from local material. To set up a camp smokehouse for cold smoking, you need to dig two holes at a distance of two steps from each other. A fire will burn in the first hole, 30-40 centimeters deep and wide, and fish will be smoked above the second, smaller hole – 15-20 centimeters deep. The pits must be connected with a narrow (10-15 centimeters) groove through which smoke will rise. It is good to choose a place for setting up a camp smokehouse so that the firebox is below the level of the smokehouse. This could be the bank of a river or the slope of a ravine. The side of the combustion pit opposite to the groove for removing smoke must be made flat to allow oxygen to flow in. When digging holes, you should carefully remove the turf and soil and put it aside - they will come in handy later.

The earth in the holes and ditch must be compacted so that it does not crumble. Then cover part of the combustion pit (about 2/3) and the groove with pieces of bark, lay the removed turf on top of the bark and sprinkle with dug up soil to form a chimney that conducts maximum smoke from the combustion pit to the smoking pit. A pipe about 60 centimeters high is placed above the smoking pit made of earth and turf. The rods on which the caught fish are strung are installed in this pipe. The top of the smoking pit is covered with burlap.

A small fire of aromatic twigs is built in the fire pit, which will add flavor to the caught fish. If there are no such in the area, you need to put dry hay at the bottom of the smoking pit. The hay must be dry; wet grass can add bitterness to the fish. Dry hay will give the fish a golden hue and will retain unpleasant aromas from the fire.

Cold smoking on the go

A portable smokehouse for camping can be made from thick plastic film, sold in hardware stores in the form of a “pipe.” In total you will need about 2 meters. It is sewn or sealed at one end to create a bag.

On a flat area, at the corners of a square, two-meter stakes are driven into the ground, meter by meter, and fastened on top with sticks crosswise to form a frame about a meter and seventy centimeters high.

Salted fish on twine or wire are hung diagonally in the smokehouse so that they do not touch each other. Having stretched the film halfway over the frame from above, you need to scatter pre-lit coals below and cover them with grass. The film is lowered to the end and pressed tightly to the ground so that no gaps form.

The smoke completely fills the smokehouse and after 5-10 minutes you need to check whether the fire has broken through the grass. If this happens, you need to extinguish it and add herbs. After 1.5-2 hours, the bag will be removed, and the fish will be ventilated and dried. After some time, the procedure should be repeated.

Such a smokehouse can also be installed instead of an earthen pipe above the smoking pit from the previous method.

Types and design of homemade camp smokers

There are many types of portable smoking devices for camping. All of them are small in size and light in weight.

Sealed and non-sealed camp smokers

Camping smokers are divided into two categories:

• Leaky. This portable smoker does not close tightly, so the temperature inside is lower, which is suitable for cooking fish. Such a smokehouse is made from a saucepan with your own hands or other available materials - a bucket, cauldron and even plastic film.
• Sealed. These designs are made in advance, at home. The smoking chamber closes tightly, which allows you to achieve a higher temperature and smoke density.

Portable smokehouse for an apartment

The collapsible smokehouse can be used not only in the forest or fishing, but also in a city apartment. Any suitable container can be used as a smokehouse - a cauldron, a cauldron or a bucket. The disadvantage of these devices is that they emit smoke into the kitchen.

A specially made mini smokehouse for the home with a chimney, preferably equipped with a water seal, is free from this drawback.

Scheme of a portable smokehouse for an apartment

Stainless steel camp smokehouse

This camp smoker is a box made of stainless steel sheet with a thickness of 0.8-1.5mm. A grease tray and grates for food are installed inside it. The top of the box is closed with a lid. Instead of a box, you can make a smokehouse from medical bix with your own hands.

The operating principle is similar to other hot smoking devices:

1. sawdust and wood chips are poured onto the bottom;
2. a tray is installed on the stand;
3. a grate with food is placed inside;
4. The box is covered with a lid and placed on the coals of a burnt-out fire.

Dimensions of a stainless steel camp smokehouse

Portable two-tier smokehouse

For a large company, the performance of a single-tier smokehouse is not enough. In this case, a two-tier PC is required. It is distinguished by a greater height of the smoking chamber and the stand, on which not one, but two tiers for products are installed.

Portable two-tier smokehouse

Collapsible smokehouse

Convenient for use on a hike is a smokehouse that can be disassembled into its component parts:

• bottom;
• folding or screw-in legs 20-25cm high - 4 pieces;
• fat tray;
• grates for food - 1-2 pieces;
• racks with fastenings for grates and a tray - 2 pieces;
• side walls - 2 pieces;
• end walls - 2 pieces;
• lid with handle.

The optimal size is 30x30x50/30x40x60 cm. When disassembled, the device is a stack of parts 7-9 cm thick. This stack can be placed in a plastic container for food, a suitcase from a puncher, or a special case made of thick fabric can be sewn together.

For assembly you need:

1. fold back the legs or connect them to the bottom;
2. insert the grooves of the side walls into the grooves of the end walls and connect them;
3. install the grates and tray on the racks;
4. pour sawdust and hardwood chips onto the bottom;
5. place food on the racks;
6. install a rack with grilles inside the housing;
7. close the container with a lid;
8. Place the smokehouse over the smoldering coals.

Disassembling the device is carried out in the reverse order. The drawing shows the components of this product.

Exploded view of the smokehouse

Folding smokehouse in a container

A development of the idea of ​​a collapsible smokehouse is a folding smokehouse. The bottom of this device has higher sides than that of a collapsible device and looks like a flat box. The side walls are attached to it on hinges, and all the accessories are placed inside the box itself when folded:

• front and back walls;
• fat tray;
• racks with bars;
• legs or folded stand.

The lid has U-shaped bends at the edges, and L-shaped bent sides on the bottom and side walls. During assembly, the lid slides onto the side walls. When folded, it slides to the bottom and turns the smokehouse into a box that can be easily carried in a backpack and hidden in the pantry. For ease of storage and carrying, it is advisable to sew a case made of thick fabric.

To bring the device into working condition, you must follow step-by-step instructions consisting of several points:

1. remove the device from the case;
2. move the cover from the bottom;
3. install the side walls vertically;
4. remove all accessories from the box;
5. insert the front and back covers into the grooves;
6. fasten the legs and assemble the rack with grates and tray.

The smoking process is similar to the operation of a collapsible smokehouse.

Scheme of a folding smokehouse in a container

Camping smokehouse for fish

Devices for smoking fish are similar to devices for meat, but the pieces are smaller than meat, and the required temperature is lower.

Therefore, the dimensions of such an installation are smaller - 25x45x18 cm, and the height from the fire is at least 30 cm. The following figure shows a diagram of this smokehouse.

Scheme of a camp smokehouse for fish

Camping hot smoked smokehouse

You can make such an installation from a pot or make your own smokehouse from a bucket:

1. pour sawdust onto the bottom;
2. cut two branches and place them above the sawdust at a height of 5 cm;
3. place a bowl on the branches to collect the fat;
4. knit a lattice from branches of such a size as to install it at a distance of 10 cm from the bowl;
5. place food on the grill;
6. Cover the pot with a lid and hang it over the fire.

Camping hot smoked smokehouse

It is possible to cook smoked meats not only in a cauldron, but also in a disposable smokehouse made from ordinary aluminum trays for baking in the oven.

Camping cold smoked smokehouse

In field conditions, not only hot but also cold smoking is possible. The full process of cold processing takes up to 2 days and it is difficult to maintain the regime in field conditions, but it is quite possible to impart a unique taste to salted fish or lard. To do this, you need a sleeve of plastic film with a thickness of at least 0.4 mm, a length of 2.5 meters and a piece of rope:

1. chop off or find 4 thick straight sticks 1.5 meters long and stick them into the ground with a square of 0.9 meters;
2. at a height of 0.5, 0.8 and 1.2 meters, attach 4 thin sticks 1 meter long at each level so that a structure of 1x1x1.5 meters is obtained;
3. tie branches onto cross sticks to form grates for food;
4. place meat or fish on the branches;
5. tie one end of the plastic sleeve to make a bag;
6. put the bag on the smokehouse and lift its edges;
7. build a fire next to the smokehouse to produce coals;
8. put the coals on the ground inside the smokehouse and cover with sawdust and chips of hardwood, except birch;
9. to prevent fire, the wood chips are covered with fresh grass or leaves;
10. the edges of the sleeve fall to the ground and are pressed against the stones.

The lack of sufficient air supply and draft will not allow the fire to flare up, but periodically it is necessary to lift the edge of the film and add coals, wood chips or grass. The temperature inside the plastic bag should not exceed 30°C, otherwise the polyethylene will begin to melt.

Camping cold smoked smokehouse

Important! If the herb has a bitter taste or strong odor, it will transfer to the finished products. Therefore, it is necessary to take plants without taste and smell, for example, grains or nettles.