How to make a smokehouse from a washing machine

Those who do not like smoked fish, chicken, pork tenderloin, ribs, probably there are few such people. But buying such products in a store is, firstly, risky, it is not known what quality they are, and secondly, it is simply expensive. Many people think about preparing such delicacies at home, but for this you need a rather expensive smokehouse, which not everyone can purchase. There is a way out - to make a smokehouse with your own hands from the old washing machine.

What do we need?

It is quite difficult to determine the complete list of tools and materials, since practice shows that in such a case nothing ever turns out smoothly. In each case, you have to make some changes to the design, but in general, here are the tools we need:

• electric welding;
• hammer;
• a set of large and small, flat and Phillips screwdrivers;
• pliers;
• Bulgarian;
• drill;
• Roulette, punch.

As the main materials, we will fundamentally use recycled materials, in this case, old Soviet washing machines with vertical loading and old automatic washing machines with horizontal loading. From Soviet washing machines such as "Oka" we need only a tank and a lid, from automatic machines with horizontal loading we take a drum. For the electric version of the smokehouse, you will also need to buy a heating element - an electric spiral of at least 1 kW. You will also have to find a round bar somewhere, a round barbecue grill will work well.

Note! Less powerful heating elements will not make the sawdust smolder, which means that the smokehouse will not fulfill its function.

Redoing a vertical loading machine

It is easiest to make a wood-burning version of the smokehouse with your own hands, since you do not need to buy and install an electric heating element. We take a tank from the Oka activator washing machine with vertical loading. Its tank is made of high-quality stainless steel, so the smokehouse will turn out reliable and durable. We make the following manipulations with it.

1. Turn the machine upside down.
2. With our own hands we remove the engine and other elements, we will not need them.
3. We take out all plastic and rubber parts from the pallet, they will melt from the fire, smoke and spoil the smoked product.
4. We take electric welding and make all the holes in the bottom of the tank with our own hands.

Note! To close the hole for the activator, cut a round patch of stainless steel sheet to size and weld it, thus closing the hole.

5. Next, cut a semicircular or rectangular hole in the tank wall below the bottom - this is an improvised firebox through which it will be convenient to throw firewood.
6. Now look inside the tank. About 40 cm above the bottom, you will need to weld the fasteners on which we will put the metal grill. The smoked product will be located on this grate. The smokehouse will be much more functional if you weld still fastenings for the second lattice, a couple of tens of cm above the first. The smokehouse is ready.

Then we do the following. Directly on the ground somewhere in the yard with our own hands we make a small fire. At the bottom of our smokehouse, pour dry sawdust. It is better to take sawdust of non-resinous wood. Next, the smokehouse needs grids - we install them on pre-prepared fasteners. We put the raw product on the grates, which must be smoked, first we close the smokehouse with a clean cotton rag, and then with the standard metal cover from the Oka washing machine. Now the final touch is to carefully raise the smokehouse and place it with its bottom directly on the bonfire beginning to burn.

The disadvantage of the design is that you need to constantly monitor so that the fire under the smokehouse does not go out. At the same time, you need to make sure that the fire does not flare up too much, otherwise the product inside will be spoiled. The heat under the sawdust should be strong enough, and at the same time not excessive.

Important! Use such a smokehouse, observing all the rules for handling open fire.

Not everyone agrees to operate a smokehouse, which cannot be left longer than 5 minutes during the preparation of the product. But you can make some changes to the design that will make the smokehouse become much more convenient to use. What should be done?

• We take a large electric spiral with a capacity of at least 1 kW.
• We attach it on the reverse side of the bottom of the tank of the Oka washing machine modified, as described above. Only in this case, you do not need to cut the firebox, because the smokehouse will be electric.
• We connect and bring out the network cable with the plug.

To start the electric smokehouse, it is necessary, as in the wood version, put on sawdust bottom, install on the grill mounts, put the product, cover with a cloth and a lid. Next, we plug the power cord into the outlet, wait for the spiral to red hot, heat up the bottom of the smokehouse and sawdust begin to smolder, starting the process of smoking the product. Experienced homeworkers advise wrapping the body of an electric smokehouse with a non-combustible heat-insulating material, thereby reducing heat loss and accelerating the process of heating it.

We remake the machine with horizontal loading

One of our specialists offers an original idea for remaking a do-it-yourself drum of a horizontal automatic loading washing machine for a highly functional and compact electric smokehouse. How will we act?

1. We take the drum from the washing machine, free it from unnecessary parts (we only need the drum body).
2. We find an old metal pan, the diameter corresponding to the diameter of the drum.
3. Using a grinder, saw off the bottom of the pan and remove it to the side.

Note! It is best to cut the front of the drum with a grinder to maximize its hatch.

4. We put the drum from the washer vertically, with the hatch up. Our task is to brew its bottom and openings of the side walls. You can not weld the side holes, but simply then wrap the drum with a non-combustible heat-insulating material.
5. We put the drum upside down in our pan and tightly weld it.
6. From the inside to the bottom of the drum with our own hands we install an electric spiral with a capacity of at least 1 kW.
7. We weld fasteners inside the drum with our own hands to install the grilles for products.
8. We install lattices, and from above we close our smokehouse lid.

Such a smokehouse works just like an electric smokehouse made from the tank of the Soviet Oka washing machine. Pour the sawdust onto the bottom of the drum. We put round lattices for products, lay products. Next, cover the drum from above with a clean cotton rag and cover, then turn on the smokehouse in the network and wait for the sawdust to work and the process of smoking of the product will begin.

From a washing machine you can make not only a smokehouse, but many more interesting and useful things, for example, grain mill.

To summarize, we note that there are many different options for making a smokehouse from an old washing machine. We “threw ideas” in the article, but the choice of design, as they say, is yours. Good luck