Kitchen Essential

Refrigerator conversion

An old, disused upright-type refrigerator makes a useful smoker within certain limitations. It is well insulated and so will conserve heat, but, by the nature of its original function, is not designed to stand heat, so it is only suitable as a cold smoker. A hole about 10 in. square or round should be cut in the bottom of the fridge, which should be raised off the ground and supported on a square built of concrete blocks, open at the front to allow the fire to be placed within the square of blocks. Alternatively, the device can be used in conjunction with the remote fire pit and underground smoke tunnel, and as a means of draught control two or three 2-in. holes can be cut in the top of the fridge; better still, it can be fitted with a length of stovepipe, protruding from the top and preferably fitted with a damper.

The shed smoker

A shed conversion makes a very useful cold smoker, one of its major advantages being that it requires hardly any conversion at all and can be used for ordinary storage purposes when not in use as a smoker. Another advantage is that, as a shed is normally built with adequate headroom, there is plenty of space to work in. Racks can easily be suspended from the roof or, alternatively, 6-in. nails can be driven into the rafters to support 1/2-in. hazel rods. Sides of salmon can be suspended from the rods by strings threaded under the lug bones (the hard triangular plates to which the pectoral fins are attached) and under the shoulder plates, which are situated a few inches above the lug bones (according to the size of the fish of course) directly behind the gill covers.

You will need to build a hearth in the middle of the floor of the shed smoker, which can best be done by using three sides of a square of loose bricks or concrete blocks as a base, on which a square sheet of metal should be rested. A three- sided wall of loose bricks or blocks can be constructed around the sides of the metal plate to contain the sawdust or chips. A perforated metal or plywood sheet can be placed above the fuel to act as a smoke disperser. It is a simple matter to light the fire by lighting a gas ring underneath the metal plate of the hearth, which soon becomes red hot and ignites the fuel.

Various other devices can also be used, including a metal dustbin incinerator. These can actually be purchased ready perforated, for burning garden rubbish. The unperforated kind can simply have a 5-in. hole cut at ground level for draught, with a perforated lid, and are ignited by tilting them on one side, the lighted gas ring being placed under the bottom rim near the draught hole. The only other alteration the shed smoker requires to make it fully operative is a small space (about 2 in. is sufficient) under the door, made by cutting a small amount of wood away, to allow the intake of air. This can easily be covered by nailing a 4-in. board over the gap when the smoker is not being used as such. Most sheds have a space of about 1 in. between the walls and the eaves, which will allow for the escape of smoke, but failing this a few holes can be bored under the eaves.

Another advantage of the shed smoker is that it makes an excellent drying room in which to hang salmon or any other food, after brining and prior to smoking. A disadvantage is that, if smoke should be seen escaping from a wooden shed by a casual observer who is unaware of the operation in hand, the matter might well be misconstrued and the local fire brigade could possibly be called out on a fruitless errand.

More about: Look my grandma’s smokers part 4

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• The Ultimate Kitchen Planner Part 1 (Appliance)
• Long Island Ice Tea
• Creating a new kitchen: How to Do It Part 1
• Kitchen zones in practice
• Food Served Everyday Occasions, serve Food in a Pleasurable and Enjoyable way
• Kitchen Essentials AND Utensils Part 2
• Bloody Mary Party Cocktail
• Kitchen of the Future
• Decisions about Kitchen Units and Appliances
• A Nostalgic Picnic

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