Smokehouse from the refrigerator: do-it-yourself step-by-step instructions on how to make a cold smoked smokehouse

Despite the fact that recently a huge number of different devices for smoking factory-made products have appeared on sale, many home craftsmen are in no hurry to purchase them, preferring to make a smokehouse with their own hands. Some of them weld the body of the smokehouse from sheet iron, obtaining a metal box in which the smoking process subsequently takes place. And someone, in a creative search, goes even further, adapting, sometimes, quite unexpected objects for this purpose. One of these non-standard solutions is a DIY refrigerator smokehouse.

Smokehouse from the refrigerator - nothing could be easier

On the technical side, a DIY smokehouse made from an old refrigerator is a fairly simple device.
To implement this idea, you will need a few tools that every home craftsman has. Most of the manufacturing process takes place in the creative phase, where you will need to decide how many grates and hooks will be installed, where to install the smokehouse, and the like. How to make a smokehouse from a refrigerator, and what are its main features?

Design Features

In order not to make mistakes in the process of making a smokehouse with your own hands from a refrigerator, you need to decide what technology you plan to use to smoke products with its help: cold or hot smoking, since the difference in technology makes some differences in the design of the device.

Also, when making a smokehouse from a refrigerator with your own hands, you need to decide: it will be used indoors or outdoors, which also makes certain differences in the design.

Hot smoking

When hot smoking products, the source of smoke (wood chips) is located inside the smokehouse body. In the process of heating it, slowly smoldering begins without the formation of a flame, during which the temperature of the smoke in the smoking box can be 80-120 ° C, and may differ slightly depending on the product being smoked. Using a home-made refrigerator smokehouse for this type of smoking, you get a large capacity container, which will allow you to easily set the required temperature for the process.

To create smoke in a hot smoked smokehouse, the easiest way is to use an electric stove with open or closed heating elements. In the first case, it is necessary to place a frying pan on it, into which wood chips are poured; in the second case, the wood chips can be placed directly on the heating surface of the tile.

Due to the high temperatures of heat treatment, dishes are cooked much faster than with cold smoking, often the process lasts less than one hour. However, while winning in one thing, we lose in another: a hot-smoked product has a shorter shelf life than a similar, but cold-processed one.

Another feature of hot smoking is that under the influence of high temperatures, the product you are preparing becomes soft and is saturated with the smell and taste of smoke, so beloved by gourmets.

Cold smoking

With cold smoking, the smoke source is located outside the smokehouse, so you will need to figure out how to connect them together.
You can come up with your own unique design or use a ready-made version from the Internet, where you will find many inventions of your fellow “Kulibins”. For cold smoking, it is very important to maintain the process temperature within a narrower range than for hot smoking. Recommended value is 27-30°C. Since cold smoking lasts much longer (the process takes several hours), at a higher temperature the smoked product will “burn”, and if it is insufficient, it will go rotten.

While losing in the complexity of the technological process, this type of smoking benefits in that the product obtained with its help has a long shelf life, during which its taste is not lost.

How can you adapt outdated but still working refrigeration equipment?

Before loading the refrigerator onto the car and taking it to the dacha, you need to think about what it might be useful for. The first thing that comes to mind, if the device is working properly, is to clean it and use it for its intended purpose, and if it is not in working condition, then send it to a landfill. But we are not used to doing things simply and obviously; let’s see how this unit can be used in the most unexpected ways.

We make a smokehouse for cold smoking

How to make a cold smoked smokehouse from a refrigerator with your own hands? What tool will be needed, distinctive features and possible nuances.

Required tools and materials

To make a smokehouse from a refrigerator with your own hands, you will need the following tool:

Drill with drills. With their help, holes are drilled for self-tapping screws, and a contour is outlined for cutting holes in the walls of the refrigerator.

Metal scissors. Necessary for giving the refrigerator parts the required dimensions.
A hacksaw with a blade for metal or a side grinder (popularly “grinder”) with a disc for metal. With their help, you can saw a metal pipe to obtain a chimney of the required size.
Screwdriver and self-tapping screws for attaching elements to the smokehouse body.

The materials you need to make a smokehouse are:

Old refrigerator. Any model will do, the main thing is that its body is not rotten and there is no rust.

Refractory brick for arranging the combustion chamber. For this purpose, you can also use ordinary bricks, if it is impossible to purchase refractory bricks, but in this case you need to be prepared for the fact that the firebox will last much less.
Metal lid for the firebox. Necessary for loading a smoke source into the combustion chamber, as well as for regulating the process of smoldering and smoke production.
A set of pipes and angles for creating a chimney. It is recommended to use a metal pipe with an internal diameter of 100-150mm.
Hook for creating a refrigerator door lock.
Several grates and hooks on which the product will be laid or hung.
Exhaust fan to create a stream of cold smoke.
Container for collecting drained fat.

Furnace device

There are several options for setting up a fire:

Old iron container. It is buried in the ground so that it is below the level of the smokehouse. With this arrangement, the smoke will rise up the pipe rather than dissipate to the sides.
Fire bricks. They are placed on the sides of the pit, leaving room for a fire.
Galvanized iron sheet. Place it at the bottom of the pit and light a fire on it.

Whatever option is chosen, the firebox must be tightly closed with a lid, and the chimney must be buried underground. In this case, the smoke will enter the smokehouse not hot, but cooled by the dampness of the earth. For the cold smoking process, it is precisely cooled, cold smoke that is needed.

Advice! Only sawdust from fruit trees is used for smoking.

Smoke generator assembly

Diagram of a smokehouse firebox from an old refrigerator.
A firebox is installed at a distance of approximately 2-3 m from the refrigerator. To ensure a free flow of smoke in the desired direction (from the firebox to the smoking chamber), the firebox must be positioned lower in level than the chamber. If you have a flat area or its natural slope is not enough, a hole is dug in the ground for the firebox and a trench for the chimney.

The firebox will act as a smoke generator; the best option for its manufacture is masonry made of refractory bricks. If you don’t have a brick, but have an unnecessary metal box, then it can also be used as a firebox. If you don’t have any of the above, then you can even get by with a piece of sheet metal laid at the bottom of the firebox pit. The main condition is that the firebox with a smoke generator must have a lid for loading the material, cleaning it from used raw materials, and also adjusting the flow and temperature of the smoke.

Preparing the body

The lining and all plastic elements are removed from the inside of the refrigerator. The magnetic strip on the refrigerator doors does not need to be removed. The cracks that appear during dismantling will serve as exhaust openings in the future smokehouse.
Holes of the required diameter are drilled in the required places and gratings and hooks are installed using self-tapping screws.
A hole is made in the lower part of the refrigerator body for the chimney pipe. To do this, a circle is marked on the bottom with a diameter corresponding to the pipe used. Next, using a drill, marking holes are drilled along the contour, after which a hole is cut out using metal scissors.
A similar procedure must be performed in the upper part of the refrigerator body to install the exhaust fan. The size of this hole is selected according to the diameter of your fan.
A locking device (hook) is installed on the door, ensuring its tight fit to the refrigerator body when closed.

Considering that when creating a cold smoked smokehouse from a refrigerator with your own hands, the design has a relatively long chimney between the combustion and smoking chambers, and they are also located at different heights, then the need for an exhaust fan may disappear.

You can initially skip step 4 and try to operate the smokehouse without an exhaust fan; if the smoke flow is sufficient, you can leave the structure as is. If the flow is weak, you can always add an additional hood.

Chimney installation

After the firebox and the refrigerator body are installed in the places where they will stand in the future, they are connected using a metal pipe (chimney). If it is necessary to bend the pipe, use corners with the required angle. The connections must be made airtight so that the cold smoke required for smoking does not escape outside the smoking chamber, reducing the efficiency of the device.

Manufacturing of gratings

When making a smokehouse from a refrigerator with your own hands, you will definitely need grates on which the product being processed will be placed.
Of course, the best option is to use stainless steel grates. However, if it is difficult to obtain such a grill, then you can use a ferrous metal grill. For smoking small pieces, a wire grid with a diameter of 2 mm is sufficient; for heavier pieces, the thickness of the wire should be greater. One of the main requirements for the grill when making a smokehouse from a refrigerator with your own hands is the absence of paint on its surface. Therefore, you can use the grill that comes with the refrigerator itself. To get rid of paint, you can beat it off with a hammer or burn it over an open fire.

Making a pallet

Any unpainted metal container can be used as a tray for collecting fat. Its dimensions must be selected in such a way that the fat dripping from above does not fall past the pan.

Frame production and vapor barrier

The lathing is needed to fix the siding and create a ventilation gap that prevents condensation. For its construction, a wooden beam or metal profile is used.

A vapor barrier is first stretched onto the base; this is especially true for wooden and frame (panel) houses. The material is laid as follows:

The canvas is fixed to the surface in increments of 30–40 cm

A little sagging is allowed. Adjacent strips are laid overlapping and taped with adhesive tape. All connections and fasteners are sealed. Particular attention is paid to the corners: they are covered in solid pieces, without joints at the convergence of the walls.. Laying vapor barrier

The vapor barrier film must be laid with the rough side facing the surface of the facade, otherwise the desired effect will not be obtained.

Wooden frame

The design goes like this:

The base is marked in increments of 50–60 cm (40–50 cm for base panels). The lines should be perpendicular to the siding being installed.
Timber with a cross section of 50**50 is treated with protective and fire-resistant compounds. Holes for fasteners are drilled on its surface.
The rail is aligned according to the markings, and the fixation points are transferred to the wall. Holes are drilled and dowels are driven in (not necessary for wooden bases).
All fastening areas are prepared. The beam is placed at a given place according to the level. Substrates are used to ensure accurate and reliable alignment.
Self-tapping screws are screwed in.

It is necessary to obtain a rigid structure with a single plane between the racks.

Metal sheathing

Installation is carried out using U-shaped profiles and hangers. The technology is as follows:

Marking in progress.
The locations of the hangers are marked on the line in increments of 40–50 cm.
The holes are drilled and the rack fasteners are installed. To do this, dowels are driven in and screws are screwed in.
The hanger is bent in the shape of a P.
The racks are leveled and screwed.

To increase rigidity after insulating the house, you can install jumpers.

Rules for using the smokehouse

When smoking food in a smokehouse from the refrigerator, you should use the following simple rules:

It is necessary to prepare in advance a supply of wood chips or sawdust in quantities sufficient to ensure continuity of the process throughout the entire smoking period.
Light a fire in the firebox and warm up the smokehouse.
Place the product on a grid or hang it on hooks. Try to avoid contact between pieces of product to ensure maximum quality smoke treatment on all sides.
Close the smokehouse and wait for the smoking time according to the recipe. Please note that it is not recommended to open the chamber at the time of smoking, this violates the temperature regime.
During the process, it is necessary to ensure that the wood chips do not ignite; it is necessary to maintain only its smoldering. Add wood chips if necessary.
It is also necessary to maintain the fire to ensure smoldering of the wood chips. When working with open flame, follow fire safety requirements.

Preparation

For proper functioning, you need to do the following manipulations:

remove all plastic components from the refrigerator so that only the metal base remains, as well as the relay and compressor;
seal the holes with electrical tape or adhesive tape;
if possible, a fan is also installed at the top of the refrigerator in order to draw smoke upward;
cut a hole for the pipe in the upper part;
Holes are made in the side walls for further fastening of the gratings for products.

Small tricks

Use old Soviet-made refrigerators, they contain very little plastic.
You can cut a rectangular hole in the refrigerator door and stick heat-resistant glass on it, in this case you can observe the smoking process without opening the door.
Use well-dried wood chips or sawdust, otherwise excess moisture in them may lead to condensation on the product.
Do not use softwood wood chips or sawdust as this will cause a bitter taste in your product.
To save on fuel for the fire, install the smokehouse in an area where there are no drafts.

Recipe for “Buckwheat with chicken, stewed in the oven”:

Pour boiling water over the buckwheat in a saucepan, put on the fire, bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, add a little salt to the buckwheat, stir and set aside for now. Cut the chicken or leg into medium pieces. Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan, fry the chicken a little on both sides, then also add a little salt and pepper.

Grate the carrots. Finely chop the onion, pepper and garlic, cut the tomatoes into half rings, fry the vegetables in the same frying pan as the chicken, add the garlic and herbs at the end, add a little salt and pepper to the vegetables.

Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the buckwheat along with the liquid in a heat-resistant form, chicken pieces on top, vegetables and butter on top.

Cover the pan well with foil in 2 layers and place in the oven for 50-60 minutes. You can remove the foil 5 minutes before it’s ready.

Making a mini-cellar

Temperature fluctuations in the fall make it difficult to preserve food. If the temperature level drops to minus three or below, this leads to the death of vegetables and their hypothermia. Of course, this won’t scare the carrots, but the potatoes and onions will have a hard time.

The solution is quite simple. It is enough to install an old refrigerator on the veranda. Not even install it, but put it on the floor, like a chest. Vegetables are placed in it and covered with a lid. This way you can save them. The heat insulator in the refrigeration unit body will prevent food from freezing, even at very low temperatures.