Hot and cold smoked electrostatic smokehouse
An electrostatic smokehouse is a convenient tool for those who want to get tasty and aromatic smoked products in a short time. This equipment allows you to make smoked meat, fish, seafood in just half an hour, and at the same time, the treat is simply amazing. But in other smokehouses, this may take not hours, but 2-3 days or more. For this reason, it is worth considering the features of self-made electrostatic smoking equipment.
On this topic:do it yourself cold smoked smokehouse!
The principle of operation of the device
But still, before starting the manufacture of the device, it is worth paying attention to the important features of the principle of the workflow:
- during operation of the device, smoke comes out through the mesh;
- the grid is exposed to high DC voltage. This is achieved by connecting the positive pole to it;
- not a large indicator of current strength comes from the grid;
- the working process of the smokehouse contributes to the ionization of smoke that enters the chamber with food.
How to make a smokehouse
There are several varieties of electrostatic control devices that can be made at home:
- using an old transformer from a TV;
- using an old two-stroke engine or ignition coil.
Any electrostatic smokehouse for cold and hot smoking has an electrical circuit that can be easily made at home.
Electrostatic smokehouse - diagram and drawings
To make your own equipment for smoking products, you should figure out how its device looks like. A special diagram of an electrostatic smokehouse and its drawings allows you to fully understand what the device consists of, what important elements it has.
The general diagram of an electrostatic device shows all the main components of the equipment, namely the oven, its body can be made of a metal, wood or plastic base. A voltage generator is necessarily fixed near it.
An electrostatic smokehouse with your own hands must necessarily have in the device Heating element or a gas burner, these elements are required to heat the chips, from which smoke is formed with the required density and aroma.
In the device of the electrostatic smoking device, a fan is provided to blow a certain amount of air, which will prevent the ignition of the sawdust. Saturated smoke must be cooled with water, then it enters the oven through the fitting.
Necessary materials
In an electrostatic smokehouse device, a voltage of 20-30 kW on average should be observed. For these purposes, a high-voltage generator is used. This element can be purchased ready-made or made yourself.
A high voltage generator can be made from the following elements:
- Application of the ignition coil and machine switch.The high voltage block, which is made of these elements, is a simple circuit with a power supply and a switch. The generator, which is designed to set pulses, must have a frequency of 1-2 kHz, the voltage indicator of the entire network must be 12 V. This will require about 1-2 A.
- Manufacturing from a line transformer. The pulses that come from the generator drive the transistor. This allows you to get about 20-25 kW of constant voltage. For manufacturing, an ideal option would be a generator from a TV scan, it produces a good acceleration of smoke particles, so the smoking process ends much earlier.
Then you can start building a steam generator. It is recommended to use a body made of a cast iron brazier or a pan with a stainless base, which has thick walls and a bottom. Granite or limestone must be poured onto the bottom surface, the layer must be 2-3 cm thick. A heating element is installed on it.
A spiral from a fireplace or iron can be used as a heating element; it must have insulating rings with a ceramic base. A sheet with holes must be installed on top, in appearance it should look like a sieve. A layer of chips with a height of up to 5 cm is poured onto it.
In order to spread the smoke evenly, it is recommended to install a diffuser above the chimney outlet. A perforated plate is used as it.
In addition to the grids, needle-type electrodes are fixed. Their placement should be uniform. An anode must be connected to the area of the hooks on which meat, fish and other smoking products are suspended.
Assembling the high voltage unit
A cold-smoked electrostatic smokehouse must have a high-voltage unit, due to which positive charges are created in the emitted smoke. But the products themselves, which are hung on hooks, are saturated with a negative charge. This allows you to significantly speed up the process of smoking and saturation with meat aromas, fish.
The high voltage unit is the most complex assembly part in an electrostatic device. It is in the area of the smoking chamber. This element can be done by hand, for this you should do the following:
- the first step is to cut the mesh;
- racks are made;
- frames are made;
- at the end the spacers are cut out and the handle is created.
The assembly of the device must be in strict sequence. Installation should only be done on a flat surface.
The manufacture of an electrostatic smoking device does not take long, the main thing is to follow all important rules and recommendations. For manufacturing, you can use improvised elements that almost everyone has at home. But still, you should first carefully study the main features of the process, so that in the future there are no difficulties and problems.