The Benefits of a Smokehouse

Over the past couple of decades, Britain’s fallen in love with wood-fired pizzas and discovered the extra flavour a wood-smoked barbecue can impart. The result is that smoking food is no longer something only restaurants and the most dedicated of fishermen do. Instead, it’s something anyone with room to set up a smoker has thought about doing.

And why not?

Smoked Food at Home

A full-scale smokehouse or even a smaller smoking chamber can be home-built. It’s an impressive DIY project, but it’s not out of the question. You’ll want it lined with tin or aluminium sheeting to keep the heat in. Make sure there are small vents (a fire won’t last long without ventilation).

Dig a firepit outside the smokehouse and install a fitting from a metal stovepipe to channel the smoke into your smokehouse. At the other end of this stovepipe, you’ll need a baffle – it stops the dripping from your meat falling into the pipe and gradually clogging it.

A smoking chamber is easier, only needing a large metal or seasoned wooden box, an old refrigerator chassis with all the electronics and piping stripped away, or a modified oil drum.

Smoking Permitted

Once you have these in place you can season your meat exactly to your own preferences, buying direct from the butcher and turning it into something unique with extra layers of delicious flavour.

We recommend you consider the wood you’ll burn carefully; each one imparts a different flavour and by carefully considering your smoke you’ll get the very best results.

As standard, our crates of kiln dried firewood contain specific wood types so we do encourage customers to choose a specific wood if they have one they prefer. This is a great opportunity to try out different options and find what works best for you!