Kitchen Essential

The mechanical smoker

While on the subject of smoking equipment, perhaps a further word will not be out of place regarding the mechanical smoker referred to earlier, should any home smoker feel inclined to invest in one of these rather elaborate pieces of equipment.

I imagine that all large commercial fish or bacon smoking concerns in Britain will by now have ceased to use traditional equipment and will employ mechanical equipment exclusively. The modern smoker which I am acquainted with is the Torry Kiln, which is marketed by Afos Limited, Anlaby, Hull, North Humberside. Some of these commercial kilns are very large, costing several thousands of pounds, but the only model with which the home smoker might need to concern himself is the Torry Mini Kiln. This kiln is based on the same principles as the large commercial smoking units, and has a maximum capacity of 56 lb (approx. 25 kilos).

The main advantage the mechanical kiln has over the traditional models is that precise control of temperature, humidity and smoke density can be obtained. Instead of the smoke rising haphazardly upwards, propelled by natural air currents, it is produced in special hearths situated outside the kiln, is circulated horizontally by means of fans or blowers, and isallowed to pass over the products which are either laid out flat on wire racks stacked one above the other on trolleys, or are suspended on rods. The Mini Kiln has four hearths, and the number of fires in use at any one time depends on the type of cure required. Smoke enters the kiln from the hearths via ducts and is first mixed with air. Temperature is maintained by thermostatically controlled electric heaters, and the humidity of the air can be controlled by altering the amount of air intake. The warm air and smoke are then blown by a fan at an even speed over the products arranged on the trolleys in the smoking tunnel. Baffles ensure that the smoke and air are blown evenly across the tunnel. After passing over the product a proportion of the smoke is led up the chimney, but most of the smoke is recirculated and mixed with fresh smoke and air. Halfway through the smoking process the trolleys are wheeled out and rearranged, as the material nearest to the incoming smoke stream dries out more quickly than the rest.

As the whole smoking process is subjected to rigid control, the Torry Kiln gives a more uniform product than can be obtained by traditional methods. It takes far less time to complete the cure and is not usually so dependent upon prevailing weather conditions.

The Torry Kiln is fitted with instruments to control and measure air speed, humidity and temperature, and a smoke density integrator which controls smoke density, one of the variables of mechanical smoking, according to the product undergoing processing.

The disadvantage of the Torry Kiln, when compared with the traditional kiln, is that it requires more care to maintain it in good working order. Like any other machine, it needs regular cleaning and servicing and tar and dust may be removed at fairly regular intervals.

Improvised smokers

Various other improvised smokers can be made. A 40 - 50 gallon oil drum is particularly well adapted to this purpose. First of all, one end should be cut from the barrel with either a cold chisel or an oxyacetylene torch. The cut-out section should be reduced in size by further trimmage so that it finishes up about 3 in. less in diameter. This circular plate should have about 20 holes drilled or punched through it, so that it can later be used as a smoke disperser or baffle. The holes allow some of the heat and smoke through, and the rest of the smoke finds its way around the edge of the smoke spreader.

However, before any further conversion is embarked upon, the oil drum must be burned out, so that no taint of oil remains inside. This is best done by pouring a generous quantity of methylated spirits into a wide flat vessel such as a roasting tin, and placing a large piece of rag in the meths to act as a wick. The oil drum should be placed over the meths, and tilted slightly so there is a 4-in. gap between the grou_nd and the bottom rim of the drum. The meths should be ignited through this gap and allowed to burn out. A similar technique should be employed for the removal of paint from any other metal article which you intend to convert into a smoker, as paint also would taint the product.

To support the smoke spreader, four holes should be drilled in the wall of the drum about 18 in. from the closed end. You can either put long bolts through these holes, securing them by nuts so that about 4 in. of the bolts protrude into the chamber, allowing the smoke spreader to rest upon them, or you can simply position the holes so that two long metal rods can be used as supports instead of the fixed bolts. A series of corresponding holes should be drilled in the wall of the drum so other metal rods can be inserted, their function being to support the smoking racks. Here there are no hard and fast rules. It is up to the individual to decide how many racks there will be and how far apart they will lie, according to the type of food you wish to smoke. I think it is a good idea to make provision for four racks about 5 in. apart. You are then in a position to leave one or more racks out when smoking more bulky objects.

The cutting torch or chisel should then be used to cut a fire hole near the base of the drum. This should measure 12 x 12 in., for easy fuelling and the removal of ash. It should reach right to the base of the drum and leave no edge or lip to hinder cleaning-out operations. It is quite feasible to operate this type of smoker with a permanently open fire hole, but if a hinged door is fitted to the hole this will give you far greater control of draught, heat and smoke.

The racks which will rest on the loose metal rods inside the drum and support the food which is under processing should be circular to give maximum area, and should measure about 1 in. less in diameter than the barrel. The outside rim should be of strong steel and the bottom should be of strong welded mesh about 1 in. square for general purposes, or fine wire screens for smoking of such things as shellfish, nuts or bilberries. A pair of strong handles on either side of the racks will greatly facilitate handling.

To cover the top of the drum use either a sheet of heavy plywood, a sheet of metal or a piece of asbestos, either flat or corrugated. It is a simple enough matter to insert a stick under this cover in various positions to control smoke and heat escape.

To start the fire, you can stack sawdust around a perforated tin can or a circular kitchen food grater, leaving the nearest end open. If a gas poker is inserted the sawdust quickly ignites. Alternatively, an ordinary gas ring can be covered with an 8-in. square metal sheet and the sawdust piled around and on top of the plate. When the gas ring is ignited, the covering plate quickly becomes red hot and starts the fire. Once the sawdust is alight, the gas ring can be removed from the sawdust and allowed to burn independently as an additional source of heat should the drum smoker be required for hot smoking.

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