Once upon a time, every house had a smokehouse. Households would make their own smokehouses from hardwood and brick, and then they would use it to prepare all kinds of meats. Preserved in cool, dry places, the smoked products would last up to one year. Even though very few people nowadays still use traditional smokehouses, those that care about eating healthy, delicious meat should know that building a smokehouse in your own backyard is easier than it may look.
There are different types of smokehouses that you can build, although the easiest and safest model is made of hardwood. Commonly referred to as a "slow cooking oven," the temperature in a smokehouse should not exceed 200f.
First, you have to define the area where you want to build the smokehouse. After the area has been properly outlined, the next step is to dig the groove. The conventional shape looks almost like a square-shaped dumbbell. The fire pit must be built downhill to allow the smoke to go upward.
The square-shaped hole for the fire pit has a diameter of 16" in length, 20" in width, and 8" in depth. The depth of the smokehouse varies since it has to be built upward to allow the smoke to circulate properly. Next, you have to dig a tunnel from the fire pit all the way to the foundation of your smokehouse. The tunnel should be 7.5 feet in length.
As for the foundation of the smokehouse, the diameter should be 16" in length, 16" in width, and 23" in depth. Between the fire pit and the foundation, a delivery pipe is placed to help direct the smoke to the meat.
The fire pit is made up of firebricks, and you can use concrete for the foundation. Use the same concrete to isolate the delivery pipe, and in the front of the fire box, install an iron door so that you can place the wood that needs to burn to generate the smoke. The pipe installed to connect the fire box to the smokehouse should have an upward pitch. It will curve to reach the smokehouse right in the middle of the cement floor.
Now that the firebox and has been completed and the delivery pipe has been properly installed and fitted, it is time to move on to building the smokehouse. Pour a concrete foundation, and let it dry. If the depth of the foundation is 23", the foundation should be about 17". Move on to building the walls of the smokehouse from bricks. About five layers of bricks should be enough (This means that your foundation will be about 10" in height.).
For the wooden foundation of the smokehouse, the best type of hardwood is cherry, apple, pear, or apricot. You can use pallets because they are durable and conveniently priced. The base of your smokehouse should be square-shaped and should mold perfectly after the brick foundation. Since this is a small-sized smokehouse, try not to exceed 3 feet in height. Considering the brick foundation is 16" x 16", the base of the wooden smokehouse should also be 16" x 16". In height, 3 feet for the walls and 1 foot for the roof should be enough.
Stick to a conventional triangular shape for the roof, and at the end, drill a hole on one of the sides for the chimney. Do not drill the roof onto the walls of the smokehouse. It should be detachable so that you can check the meat whenever you want and even remove the product with ease if you do not want to use the door.
Inside the smokehouse, you should place wooden racks. (Do not forget to sculpt several V-notches at a distance of 0.5 inches from one another.) This will help you place the steel hooks you will use to hang the meat on.
After the smokehouse has been completed and installed on top of the brick foundation, cover the pipe with dirt, and place wooden pallets on top. You will use these as steps to get to the smokehouse and get the smoked products.
Curing (or smoking) meat in smokers is no longer a necessity. The process, however, is still one of the most delicious and healthiest way to consume and prepare meat, fish, and even cheese. Basically, curing means "flavoring" meat products (pork, beef, chicken, turkey, duck, etc.) with smoke. Curing differs from barbecuing and grilling. Smoked meat is prepared at temperatures between 52f and 140f, and the process can last from several hours to two weeks. Cured meat is thoroughly cooked inside and out. You may choose to smoke your meat for just an hour or two to give is a nice smoked color on the outside and keep it moist on the inside and then cook it once again in the oven or in the frying pan before consuming it.
The longer you keep the products in the smokehouse, the saltier they will be. This happens because when cured, the meat loses moisture. Heavily cured meat products have an extended shelf life and can be consumed for months on end.
https://animalscience.uconn.edu/extension/publications/build_smokehouse.pdf
https://morningchores.com/how-to-build-a-smokehouse/
https://www.meatsandsausages.com/smokehouse-plans
