Do-it-yourself smokehouse from an old refrigerator: how to make it, step-by-step instructions

Old household appliances can be used in the household in the most unconventional way. For example, a refrigerator that has served its age is an excellent springboard for a home craftsman. One of the “rebranding” ideas is to turn it into a home smokehouse and pamper your family with delicacies with a pleasant smoky smell.

Step-by-step instructions, drawings and photos for independently arranging smokehouses for cold and hot smoking of fish and meat, as well as making a smokehouse from an electric stove and a refrigerator are further in this material.

It is better to make the structure from a Soviet-made unit, because in those days the parts were made of metal, not plastic.

Before starting work, determine for which smoking method the smokehouse from the refrigerator will be intended, because the devices for cold and hot smoking are different. But there is one general rule - freon is drained before starting work.

Refrigerator smokehouse for cold smoked products

If the house already has an old refrigerator, choose a place for the smokehouse, keeping in mind that this will be a permanent place. It should be with a slight slope, a smoking unit should be installed on a hill, and a firebox should be installed in the lowlands.

Follow the step-by-step instructions and prepare the necessary materials:

a pipe for a smokehouse, at least 3-4 m long, 10-12 cm in diameter;
8-10 fire bricks;
a lid for closing the firebox.

Important! The length of the chimney affects the smoking temperature - the shorter it is, the hotter the smoke.

Necessary components

Old refrigerator

There is an option when a homemade hot smoked smokehouse from a refrigerator can be installed in a city apartment. This option, although not complicated, can cause a lot of inconvenience for both you and your neighbors. Therefore, we will not consider it. But installing such a unit on a summer cottage would be the optimal solution. To do this you will need:

The refrigerator itself.
Pipe with a diameter of 100 mm and a length of 2-4 meters.
Electric stove.
Brick for laying out the hearth.
Shovel.
Scotch tape or tape.
Stainless steel grids and hooks.

Of all the above, the only thing that is difficult to get is a refrigerator if you don’t have one, and not the first one you come across. In order to make a smokehouse from a refrigerator, you need to find an old Soviet unit, which has a steel body and a minimum of plastic and rubber parts.

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.

Preparing the body

Only the plastic lining is removed from the inside of the refrigerator body; the layer of mineral wool or polystyrene foam does not need to be removed - it will help maintain the desired temperature in the chamber during the cold smoking method. For hot smoking, remove all insulation and seal excess holes in the body with several layers of tape.

To install a smokehouse, drill inside the cabinet:

additional holes for grates on which smoked products are placed;
Stainless metal hooks are attached to the ceiling for hanging suspended smoking of products;
a ventilation hole is drilled in the ceiling, which is needed at the beginning of the kindling;
in the bottom of the housing there is a hole that matches the size of the hole in the chimney pipe.

Rust, old stains on the walls, and other stains are cleaned with sandpaper, a wire brush and cleaning agents.

Equip the smokehouse:

old gratings are burned with a torch to remove paint and cleaned with an iron brush;
grooves are inserted into the additionally drilled holes, onto which skewers or iron meshes are attached in order to place products for smoking on them;
the pipe is welded to the inlet hole in the bottom of the body;
install a fan under the ventilation hole;
A tray is placed at the bottom of the unit to prevent dripping grease from spreading across the floor.

To preserve heat from the outside, the refrigerator is lined with thermal insulation. To observe the process without opening the door, one of the walls is equipped with fireproof glass.

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.

Connection of the smokehouse with the firebox

Having installed the smoking unit, they dig a groove to the future firebox. The combustion container is buried in the ground, and a pipe is laid along the groove to it, which is connected to the smokehouse. There should be a 15-20 cm layer of earth above the chimney to naturally cool the smoke.

Reference! Cold smoked products are safer for the body. Nutritionists do not prohibit their use, since the white smoke that is formed at a low temperature does not emit carcinogens.

Let's move on to the insides

By and large, the cold smoked smokehouse is ready. All that remains is to equip it from the inside. Depending on what types of products you are going to smoke, you should make grates to place pieces of meat or lard, and hooks to hang fish or sausages.

It would also be a good idea to make a removable tray where excess fat will drain. It will be much more convenient and easier to wash it.

If all this is done, the products are prepared, the fire starts in the firebox, and shavings or sticks from fruit trees are ready, then the cold smoked smokehouse is ready for use. All that remains is to wait for the coals to appear, add specially prepared shavings or branches to them and close them so that they smolder.

Wood burning

This smokehouse is generally constructed in the same way as the one previously described. The only difference is that a hole is cut in the bottom of the refrigerator for the pipe to enter. The latter is laid at an angle in a ditch dug in the ground to create normal traction. The soil will allow you to thoroughly cool the smoke coming out of the firebox, which is completely hidden in the pit. Its walls are constructed from refractory bricks or the previously mentioned metal containers. The distance between the hearth and the smoking chamber should be at least 2 meters.

The smoking process looks like this:

light a fire in the firebox;
wait for coals to form;
a steel sheet with sawdust is placed on them;
the firebox is closed with a lid;
The refrigerator is filled with prepared foods.

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.

Connection of the smokehouse with the firebox

Reference! Cold smoked products are safer for the body. Nutritionists do not prohibit their use, since the white smoke that is formed at a low temperature does not emit carcinogens.

Hot smoking device

There are two ways to enjoy homemade smokehouse food from the refrigerator, one of which can even be used indoors.

Smoking outdoors will require you, in addition to a refrigerator, to have a smoke generator, which can also be made from improvised materials. We recommend using an old thick-walled frying pan with a lid for this. It is necessary to make several holes in the bottom of the frying pan, and insert an armored hose from half a meter to a meter long into the lid, which, through a flange, cuts into the refrigerator chamber in the place where the compressor was previously located.

We recommend: Instructions for building a cellar on a summer cottage

At the bottom of the refrigerator, processed in exactly the same way as for preparing cold-type smoked meats, electric heaters with a power of 1000 to 1200 W (can be from an unnecessary heater) are installed, capable of maintaining a temperature of about 60-80 degrees inside a closed refrigerator.

Instead of a heating element, you can take a burner from an electric stove.

Making delicacies using the hot method is simple and quick: place the products on old shelves or hang them inside the refrigerator, pour fruit sawdust into an improvised smoke generator and place it on a constant heat source (fire, gas or electric stove), turn on the heating elements. After a few hours (depending on the product being prepared), the hot smoked delicacies are ready.

Those who often make smoked fish with their own hands recommend drying it first. For this purpose, a hole is made in the upper part of the refrigerator, onto which an old kitchen hood is installed, and a fan is placed in the chamber itself. It is recommended to dry the fish until the crust dries. If you do not plan to smoke the fish or do not consider it necessary to pre-dry it, you can skip this step.

Hot smoking

Heating devices or devices (for example, an electric oven with various types of heating elements).
A special container with a thick bottom and a lid for heating wood.
Lattices and hooks for laying out and hanging edible ingredients.
Pipe for chimney.
Fasteners that will fix the door in the closed position.
Tray for collecting fat.

In both cases, you cannot do without a working tool. Here we will provide a small list, based on which you can prepare for the upcoming processing. So, to successfully complete the task, you may need: screwdrivers, an angle grinder, a pry bar, a drill, metal scissors, self-tapping screws, bolts, nuts, and, of course, garbage bags.

Cold smoking

To ensure the technology of preparing dishes using this method requires:

refrigerator (preference is given to Soviet models without plastic filling inside);
refractory bricks for fireboxes;
pipe 4 - 5 meters long, 100 -150 mm in diameter;
iron firebox cover;
grates and hooks for laying out or hanging processed products;
corner pipe element for comfortable connection of a structure located at a slope to the surface;
tray for collecting fat;
exhaust fan.

To make a smokehouse from a refrigerator yourself for use in the yard, you need to decide on the installation location. The design feature depends on this. If the terrain allows, the structure is installed on a slope without additional manipulations. It is important that the refrigerator converted into a smokehouse is installed above the smoke generator (furnace). If the place is flat, then a hole is dug under the firebox, or the smoking cabinet is installed on a stand.

Contents of the refrigerator compartment

The refrigerator compartment should have racks and hanging hooks used for arranging and hanging food.
There should be a tray at the bottom into which the fat will drain. In this case, you need to make sure that it does not interfere with the flow of smoke into the chamber.

Let's consider all the components:

Firebox. The fire pit should be in a depression. Thanks to this, the pipe will be cooled naturally by the earth, which will protect it from excessive heating and will quickly cool the smoke moving through the pipe.

Please note: the firebox does not require pouring a foundation. It will be enough to lay bricks or a sheet of steel on the bottom.

For hot smoking, the firebox must be placed as close to the chamber as possible.

Good to know: during hot smoking, sawdust is placed on the bottom of the chamber, preferably fruit sawdust, which provides a pleasant aroma of the product.

Chimney pipe. The pipe is removed from the pit and must be connected to the chamber. The connection point is where the compressor used to be, the location of which depends on the model of the refrigerator. The chimney can be secured with fittings or cut into the lower part of the refrigerator body. The second case is more effective, since the smoke comes from below and saturates all the products as much as possible.

Location. It is recommended to install a smokehouse from a refrigerator, regardless of the type of smoking, at a difference of 0.5 m, i.e. the chamber should be higher and the firebox slightly lower. This will ensure that smoke quickly rises and enters the chamber from the fireplace.

Some tips for use

If you need to smoke a small amount of food, it is better to place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. In this case, a reflector (any piece of tin) is attached to the top, speeding up the cooking process, which can significantly save wood chips.

To give the smokehouse an aesthetic appearance, you can remove the back wall of the refrigerator and replace it with heat-resistant glass. Through it you can observe the process. You can also run a wire with a thermocouple into the rear compartment, covered with a shield, which will allow you to regulate the temperature during smoking.

Our step-by-step instructions, drawings and recommendations will help you make a smokehouse with a smoke generator. This cabinet made from a walk-in refrigerator looks very stylish and original.

To summarize, it is obvious that making a captilla for personal use is very simple. It is not necessary to spend large sums of money on a ready-made device - just apply a little imagination to the old units at hand.

Homemade products are always the most delicious. And preparing smoked delicacies is an excellent reason to get together with a group and get out of town at any time of the year. An undeniable advantage is also that during the assembly of the smokehouse it will be possible to free up space from unnecessary old equipment, giving it a second chance at life.

Smokehouse from a refrigerator with a smoke generator

A smoke generator is a mobile and compact smoking unit. For such a device it is not necessary to equip a firebox with a chimney; the smoke generator is connected directly to the smoking chamber. It promotes the formation of thicker smoke, speeds up the smoking process and improves the taste of smoked products.

You don’t have to buy it; a homemade one also performs its functions well.

Necessary materials:

a metal pipe with a cross-section of 13-15 cm, a length of 0.5 m and a grate, the diameter of which coincides with the diameter of the pipe;
pipe covers – lower and upper;
tube with a cross-section of 6-7 mm, length 7-8 cm;
parts for supports, fitting;
wires for connection;
tee, nuts and fittings;
aquarium compressor.

Build process:

cut a hole in the lid, it should coincide with the diameter of the tee, secure them with a nut;
the squeegee is connected to the tee, the metal tube is connected to the fitting and they are connected together;
attach 3 supports so that the generator stands stably on the surface;
drill windows for igniting sawdust and for traction;
insert the grill and put on the lids;
fill the chips and connect the device to the compressor.

Principle of operation:

wood shavings are set on fire;
connect the compressor pipe;
connect the chimney to the smokehouse and turn on the fan.

A compressor is necessary to deliver oxygen to the source of smoldering chips. The fan or cooler can be retrofitted for this function. Constant combustion is maintained by the air-smoke flow.

Important! For fire safety purposes, the smoke generator is installed on a fireproof base - ceramic tiles or metal sheet.

Smokehouse with electric stove

This version of a smokehouse made from a refrigerator can be installed in any room, as long as it is well ventilated:

An electric stove is installed on the cabinet floor, the heating elements of which must be insulated. If they are open, they are covered with a baking sheet.
Place a container with a thick bottom on a baking sheet and pour shavings into it.
Meat and lard are hung on hooks, and the fish is placed on the grill so that it does not break.

The electrical wire is brought out and connected to the electrical network.

Attention! The refrigerator door must close tightly, otherwise the chips will ignite.

The chamber creates a temperature of up to 150 degrees, at which pathogenic microorganisms die. If everything is done correctly, the risk of smoked meat poisoning is eliminated. In 5-6 hours, your homemade delicacies will be ready.

The benefits of a home smokehouse are obvious - you don’t have to spend money on your favorite delicacies, but smoke any product you like yourself, while controlling the amount of salt and smoke. Having such a device, you can not only supply all your relatives with smoked meats, but also make it a profitable business.

Smoking cabinet from an old refrigerator

Watch this video on YouTube

Cold smoked smokehouse from an old refrigerator.

Watch this video on YouTube

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