DIY Smokehouse: A Guide to Smoking Meats at Home

Smoking meats at home can be a rewarding experience, imparting unique flavors and preserving your favorite cuts. This guide will walk you through building and using your own smokehouse, from simple barrel setups to more permanent brick structures.

Understanding Smokehouses

A smokehouse exposes meats to creosote and empyreumatic vapors from the incomplete combustion of wood. Creosote not only gives smoked meat its distinctive taste but also aids in preservation. The type of wood you burn will also influence the flavor; hickory is a popular choice. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

Simple Smoke Barrel

If you're not ready to commit to a permanent structure, a large cask or barrel can serve as an effective smokehouse.

Materials

• Large cask or barrel
• Flat stone or brick
• Cross-sticks
• Sack
• Coals
• Damp corncobs or fine brush

Instructions

1. Dig a small pit and place a flat stone or brick across it to rest the edge of the cask. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

2. Remove the head and bottom of the barrel (or cut a hole in the bottom slightly larger than the portion of the pit beneath it), ensuring half the pit is beneath the barrel and half is outside. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

3. Remove the top of the barrel and hang the meat on cross-sticks resting on crossbars inserted into holes bored near the top of the barrel. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

4. Cover the barrel with a lid and a sack to confine the smoke. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

5. Place coals in the pit outside the cask and feed the fire with damp corncobs or a fine brush. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

6. Cover the pit with a flat stone to regulate the fire, removing it to add fuel. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

Building a Standard Smokehouse

For a more permanent setup, consider a brick smokehouse. This design diffuses the rising smoke, preventing direct heat from affecting the meat.

Materials

• Bricks
• Mortar
• Stone slab
• Wood for valve
• Chimney with 8-inch flue
• Wood chips

Construction

1. Build an 8-foot square structure using bricks, or wood plastered completely on the inside. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

2. Construct a fireplace outside, below floor level, with a flue leading under the chimney to the middle of the floor, opening under a stone table. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

3. Include a chimney with an 8-inch flue. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

4. Install valves in the chimney openings to control smoke flow. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

5. Ensure the door shuts tightly and seal any cracks in the brick or mortar to prevent smoke from escaping. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

Alternative Brick Smokehouse

Another brick smokehouse design, sized at 7x9 feet, can be sufficient for private use.

Key Features

• Brick arch at the bottom with sporadic gaps for smoke extraction. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)
• Two series of iron rods with hooks and grooved wheels for hanging meat. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)
• Open archway for housing the fire, with a door and steps leading up to it. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)
• Ventilating holes above the lower bar and below the upper bar, which can be closed with bricks to confine smoke. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

Smoking Process

1. To kindle the fire in the standard smokehouse, draw the valve to draft directly up through the chimney. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

2. Throw wood chips onto the fire and then place the valve to direct smoke into the smokehouse. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

3. Regulate the smoke by adjusting the valves in the chimney openings. (Source: Document: 1740366455897-w9wujm-homestead.txt)

Conclusion

Building a smokehouse, whether a simple barrel setup or a more elaborate brick structure, allows you to create delicious smoked meats at home. Experiment with different woods to discover your favorite flavors, and enjoy the process of preserving and enhancing your food.