Hot smoking is a kind of barbecue, i.e. involves baking a product that is simultaneously exposed to smoke. This cooking method is perfect for a picnic or family dinner. But there is one thing, but: all the goodies obtained as a result of hot smoking must be eaten immediately, otherwise they will deteriorate.
Cold smoking is a good alternative, allowing you to permanently save ready-made supplies without a refrigerator. This is exactly what you need for the procurement of products for future use. Of course, it will require a special smoking installation, which, by the way, should be stationary. But even if you do not have a private house or your own land plot, do not be upset: there is such a useful unit as a smoke generator.
Moreover, it is quite possible to make it with your own hands! Importantly, it does not require fitting or welding work.
So, the first thing you need is a half-inch tee, the same fitting on the tube with a diameter of 8 mm, a couple of shafts (one is more authentic, the other is shorter) and 2 nuts and washers of the same diameter. All this can be bought at the plumbing store. And it is not necessary to purchase expensive components.
Locate the thin-walled tube (it should fit right inside the fitting) and pick up a rubber tube with a diameter of 8 mm.
You will also need a source of compressed air (here you can use an aquarium compressor).
In this smoke generator, a laptop cooler was used, since the compressor was not available. A cardboard funnel with a nozzle for the rubber tube must be attached to the bell of the compressor.
A furnace can be made from a can with a lid, for example, from a can of paint (burn out the remaining paint) or a small can. When assembling it, there is no need to tighten the threaded connections with the keys - they are sufficiently tightened by hand. Additional sealing is not required.
Near the bottom of the can, cut a gap for air flow, which would have a length of 1.5 cm and a width of 2-3 mm.Simply cut in a direction parallel to the bottom. Through this gap will be ignition of sawdust.
To set fire, you will need a lighter - matches can not do here! After turning on the blow, bring a lighter to the blower and watch how the flame is drawn into the can. Keep it like this until the sawdust begins to smolder inside and the smoke comes out of the open tube. Next, carefully blow into the slot, increasing smoldering, introduce an open tube into the box with the products placed in it. Do not forget to make small openings in the box so that excess smoke can freely exit.
Jars with sawdust will last for approximately 2 hours of burning - it all depends on the air consumption from the compressor. If during the specified time the products do not have time to soot, remove the lid, carefully refill the sawdust, fan the flame and continue smoking. Please note that tar runs down the pipe in the drawer, so do not put food near the pipe. During smoking, the can filled with sawdust is heated to about 80 ° C. In this temperature regime, it will not deteriorate soon, so your home-made device will serve faithfully for some time.
It is important that the smoke is almost invisible during operation, so you should not worry that it is taught by neighbors! It is important that you adhere to fire safety rules: the fact is that hot sparks can sometimes fly out of the blower, so it is better to put the generator in some kind of safety container.
Such a homemade smoke generator will allow you to smoke not only fish and meat products, but even vegetables, fruits or cheese. Successful cooking!