25 Smokin’ Hot Smokehouse Ideas [DIY Plans You Can Use for Free!]
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Smokehouse ideas and designs! Fancy making your bacon or smoking your salmon catch? If that sounds good to you and your tastebuds, you need a smokehouse! A smokehouse you can DIY using free plans and proven smokehouse designs and ideas.
Today, traditional smokehouse methods are more compelling than ever. Smokehouse fanatics are creating a surprising buzz in the culinary world. Artisanal smokehouse food products get regarded with the same esteem as craft beers, homemade hot sauces, and sourdough loaves!
Let’s get to grips with what makes a smokin’ hot smokehouse and which design suits you best!
24 Smokehouse Ideas and DIY Plans
A traditional smokehouse helps you preserve and flavor meats, cheeses, vegetables, and sauces. They give foods an extended shelf life without refrigeration. Our favorite smokehouse DIY plans and ideas emulate classical smokehouse designs. They also enhance cold and hot smoking methods using modern technologies.
Here are a few of the best smokehouse plans and ideas we found – we think they can help if you’ve never smoked food before.
Big time!
1. DIY Plans for a Traditional Walk-In Timber or Brick Smokehouse
For the skilled builder, these plans from the University of Florida date back to the 1960s. They provide measurements and lists of materials for constructing both wood and brick walk-in smokehouses.
- An 8’x6’x8’ smokehouse is plenty for hot smoking or cold smoking. Plus, you’ll have an authentic traditional walk-in space to create your smoked specialties.
Get the plans here.
2. DIY Idea for a Small Dedicated Cold Smoke Smokehouse
If you want a portable cold smoke wooden smokehouse, check out this idea from The Grass-fed Homestead – a wooden closet-style design with an external smoke generator that requires zero electricity or propane to do its work.
- You can smoke everything from bacon to cheeses to vegetables with this design.
See how it gets made here.
3. DIY Idea for a Neo-Classical Smokehouse
Nothing beats rough-cut lumber for creating a rustic backwoods smokehouse. Romanian woodsman (and homesteader) Cezar Machidon proves that point valiantly.
Using his chainsaw and trusty carpentry tools, Cezar has built a board and batten smokehouse in the neo-classical style with a firebox. Just the ticket for hot and cold smoking and outdoor meat
Get the idea here.
4. DIY Idea for a Timber and Concrete Smokehouse
With basic DIY skills, you can build a first-class smokehouse using poured concrete, cinderblocks, firebricks, and timber boards, just like the one by Tim Farmer’s Country Kitchen.
- The design uses the popular extended roof spec to create a shed for firewood.
See how it gets done here.
5. DIY Smokehouse Idea with a Repurposed Steel Barrel Firebox
To create a steady flow of cold smoke into the smokehouse, position the firebox more than 10’ away like Square One Farms has done, using a repurposed 55-gallon drum and stovepipe steel.
With a concrete and cinder block substructure, a wooden smoke box above, and firewood shed, this rustic smokehouse idea demonstrates the appeal and benefits of finishing the timber with a Japanese Shou Sugi Ban burn.
Get the idea here.
6. DIY Plans for a Garden Smokehouse
Just because it smokes a lot doesn’t mean a smokehouse should get relegated to the backyard! Create a classic smokehouse with attached greenery that creates a spread fit for a glossy magazine, like this one by Deep South Homestead.
- This epic smokehouse harvests rainwater from its roof to feed various plants adorning the finely crafted structure.
Watch the step-by-step build series here.
7. DIY Plans for a Simple Hillbilly Smokehouse
Cinder blocks, timber, cement, stone, and an old steel drum work together to create a functional and handsome smokehouse with a roof covering firewood or a workbench. It’s a lovely design made by My Little Crafts.
The video shows how easy it is to make a smokehouse with cheap materials and limited skills.
Get the plans here.
Read More!
- How to Build Stone Stoves and Outdoor Survival Ovens
- Best Wood for Smoking Ribs [9 Options That’ll Make You So Hungry!]
- Cinder Block Fire Pit Grill – DIY Tips for Epic BBQs and Fires!
- How to Build a DIY Smoker for $5
8. DIY Idea for a Pallet Wood Smokehouse
Wooden shipping pallets are used for many outdoor DIY projects because you can often get them for free. Can you build a smokehouse using pallets? Yes, you can, but you need to be careful about which type of pallet you use, as did DIY Projects.
You can make a simple, cheap smokehouse using pallet wood without chemical treatment, rather kiln-dried.
- Use aluminum foil to line the interior of the smoke box and aluminum sheeting for the roof.
- Avoid pallets marked with MB – which means methyl bromide.
Get the idea here.
9. DIY a Miniature Classical Smokehouse
Are you on a budget and want authentic smokehouse seasoning in your meat, fish, and vegetables? Then try this simple, portable DIY smokehouse idea from Metal Works Workshop.
A small firebox (of steel) feeds a steel pipe, which elbows into a steel-legged 100% natural wooden smoke box with a removable lid for easy access to the smokehouse interior. Neat!
Get the idea here.
10. DIY Idea for a Closet-Style Cold Smokehouse
This smokehouse idea from Ana White is elegant and easy to make. It’s a double-closet design with an external metal firebox for cold-smoke seasoning for all your favorite raw foods.
- Use soft plywood and natural-untreated timber.
- Fit robust hinges and door handle for durability.
See the build here.
11. DIY a Cedar Walk-In Smokehouse
A walk-in smokehouse gives you more space to smoke more good stuff, like this Alaskan example, made from rough-cut cedar on railroad ties with an aluminum roof.
- A propane burner gets positioned inside the smokehouse for cold-smoking salmon.
- The burner can get set to hot-smoke meats like ribs, chicken wings, and brisket.
- The propane tank sits outside the hut.
Get the plans here.
12. DIY Cedar and Cinder Backyard Smokehouse
Want a simple, cheap smokehouse that follows all the traditional smoking principles? Then try this DIY smokehouse idea from Littlethings.com, where raw cedar, cinder blocks, and bricks combine to create a charming backyard cold and hot smokehouse.
- Cedar has anti-fungal properties, so it’s super-durable.
This design has a 100% wood roof and a firewood shed. It looks awesome!
Get the plans here.
13. DIY Idea for a Brick and Steel Smokehouse
A well-built brick-and-mortar smokehouse will last for generations and won’t require much maintenance, like this one in the UK, built by Heritage Craft’s Tom Green.
After setting a concrete foundation, Tom lays bricks to create a small garden smokehouse with a steel door and a fire/charcoal tray inside the smokehouse.
Watch the idea here.
14. DIY a Cinder Block Smokehouse
If you can lay a concrete slab, you’ll have no trouble making this simple cinder block smokehouse. It was built by Jack of all Trades, with no pipes, welding, or lumber.
- Two cinder blocks provide the ventilation for the firebox and the smokehouse.
- A chimney on a steel roof exhausts smoke.
View the build here.
15. DIY a Smokehouse with Cedar Shingles
You won’t believe what you can achieve with a chainsaw and elementary DIY skills. And a smokehouse is a great way to develop your construction skills without threatening your budget, as demonstrated by Off Grid with Jake and Nicolle.
The design follows the smokehouse with a woodshed design, but Jake demonstrates how he uses chainsawed cedar boards to shingle the walls and roof of the smokehouse, au natural!
Check the idea here.
16. Epic DIY Smokehouse With Cold And Hot Smoker
In this video, Sapp Wild Outdoors takes a solid cinderblock foundation and turns it into an epic dual-purpose smokehouse capable of handling smoked meats, cheeses, veggies, jerkies, or anything else you can imagine. The idea is to have the ultimate versatile smokehouse in a small package!
Get the idea here.
17. DIY Plans for a Beef Jerky Smokehouse
Plywood is safe to use in cold-smoking applications, from fish to beef jerky, as shown by JoeandZachSurvival in this small, electric hot plate-fired smokehouse.
View the plans and build here.
18. DIY Smokehouse Idea for the Carpenter
If you’re a passionate woodworker with a shop equipped with precision cutting tools, you’ll love this neat smokehouse design using store-bought timber, a steel firebox, and plastic roof sheeting to cover a wood roof.
19. DIY Idea for a Patio Smokehouse
In this video, Backwoods Tech takes big boards of cedar and cuts them to size using a chainsaw and table saw to create a smokehouse attached to a large wooden table. The idea is to locate the eye-catching creation on the patio!
Get the idea here.
20. DIY a Tongue & Groove Smokehouse
Tongue and groove timber is an upcycling favorite. And there’s no better new home for this solid wood than a smokehouse. These plans for an old-fashioned smokehouse include store-bought lumber and hardware, plus an old electric frying pan to generate smoke from wood chips.
Get the plans here.
21. DIY Smokehouse Idea using a Weber BBQ
If you’ve got a Weber grill in your shed, why not make a small smokehouse and plug your Weber into it to smoke all your favorite foods?
22. DIY Cheap Smokehouse Step-By-Step
It is possible to build a proper smokehouse with minimal DIY skills using store-bought lumber and hardware using this step-by-step guide from morningchores.com.
The plan includes the use of paint and steel roofing.
- Always make sure your paintwork is only on the exterior of the smokehouse.
- Never use galvanized metal roofing, racks, or screws to build a smokehouse.
Follow the guidelines here.
23. DIY Plans for a Propane Closet Smokehouse
Here’s another simple DIY plan to build a basic smokehouse using store-bought lumber, courtesy of agriculture.com.
A simple closet design secured to a cinder block or stone foundation will give your smokehouse a stable platform.
- Warning: The plan suggests using galvanized screws – Don’t! -Use brass or stainless steel screws instead.
- Use expanded steel for smoking racks.
Get the plans here.
24. DIY Plans for a Classic Multipurpose Smokehouse
This classic timber frame smokehouse plan includes materials and dimensions based on the first plan on our list, with details on the placement of concrete foundations and anchor bolts for the frame.
- These smokehouse plans allow for hot and cold smoking.
The firebox design includes an aperture on the top of the box. When opened, it serves as a stovetop for boiling water or cooking food.
Get the plans here.
25. DIY Artisanal Smokehouse Idea and Smoking Methods Explained
We end our list of DIY smokehouse ideas with a master class on cold smoking and effective smokehouse design by Living Web Farms.
- Learn the basics of smokehouse methods and practices.
- Learn about smokehouse design and how smoke works in a DIY smokehouse.
Watch the master class here.
Best Smokehouse Ideas and DIY Plans – FAQs
You might have questions when planning your perfect backyard smokehouse design. So we assembled a list of popular grilling and DIY smokehouse questions. We hope these answers help make your smokehouse more enjoyable. And easy to build!
Smoking food in a smokehouse preserves it. It also flavors (seasons) meats, fish, vegetables, cheeses, fruits, sauces, beverages, and spices.
Cold smoking in a smokehouse does not cook meat. Cold smoking merely flavors and preserves it at temperatures between 60°F and 100°F. Hot smoking in a smokehouse cooks and flavors meat at temperatures from 160°F to 185°F.
Always know the optimum internal temperatures of hot-smoked meats to achieve the best results. Use thermometers to measure the internal temperatures of the smokehouse and the meats getting smoked.
The best woods for cooking in a smokehouse firebox are fruit and nut species like apple, pecan, hickory, cherry, alder, and mesquite. Never smoke food with conifer wood, including pine, cedar, cypress, elm, and redwood. The resins and vapors can be toxic to humans.
Galvanized metal isn’t ideal in a smokehouse. Galvanized steel contains zinc, which, when heated above 392°F, releases toxins. The toxins do penetrate foods. Smokehouses rarely reach temperatures above 300°F. But – it is safer to avoid using galvanized products in the building and use a smokehouse.
To build a smokehouse, you’ll need woodworking and masonry tools, lumber, concrete, bricks, cinder blocks, nails, screws, and hinges. Steel roofing and a steel firebox may also be required. Racks, hooks for meat and produce, and suitable smoking wood chips or pellets are also vital.
Hot-smoked in a smokehouse, slim cuts of meat and fish will be ready to eat in under four hours. Popular dishes include smoked BBQ ribs, pork chops, smoked trout, chicken wings, and lamb chops.
The easiest way to build a small backyard smokehouse is to construct a wooden box into which smoke can be injected or generated by a smoke tray within its confines. Using wood chips or smoking pellets on an electric or propane cooker are easy ways to generate smoke for a backyard smokehouse.
A smokehouse needs ventilation to supply the fire with oxygen and to exhaust smoke from the smokehouse to avoid the over-smoking of products. An adjustable vent on the firebox helps regulate heat and smoke production, while vents on the smokehouse help control smoke and cooking temperatures.
Heat in a smokehouse can be controlled by:
1. Managing the fire temperature by adding wood or choking the fire.
2. Ventilating the smokehouse by opening vents and the door.
3. Lowering or raising the propane setting.
4. Decreasing or increasing electric hotplate settings.
5. Install two thermometers.
An old-fashioned smokehouse uses cold and hot wood smoke to flavor, cook, and preserve meat, fish, and poultry. A firebox or fire pit near or in the smokehouse generates smoke from smoldering wood, which rises to permeate and season the foods in the smokehouse over several hours.
The best woods to use to build a smokehouse include most types of untreated lumber and plywood. Pressure-treated wood contains chemicals and should get avoided, as should pallet wood treated with methyl bromide (marked MB on the pallet).
Centuries ago, meat would be smoked and stored for many months in a smokehouse without refrigeration. Today, sizeable meat cuts can spend up to four days cold smoking in the smokehouse. Once smoked, meats must be refrigerated to comply with food safety regulations.
A smokehouse should never reach temperatures above 250°F. A well-managed smokehouse will range in temperature from 60°F to around 185°F. Temperatures vary depending on whether the operation is a cold-smoke or hot-smoke application.
It is possible to smoke meat in a shed using a BBQ smoker. But you must ensure there are no chemical products in the shed and that the shed got made from untreated natural materials.
To build an authentic old-timey smokehouse, erect a windowless wooden walk-in shed using untreated lumber. Install a fire pit in the center of the floor and place a chimney through the roof. Screen all ventilation hatches to ward off critters. Fit the smokehouse with steel racks and hooks.
A smokehouse using cold smoke will make smoked bacon, sausage, fish, meat, cheese, fruit, vegetables, boiled eggs, sauces, chocolate, spices, herbs, and beverages. Hot smoke in a smokehouse makes brisket, BBQ chicken, pork ribs, pulled pork, smoked ham, smoked turkey, smoked venison, and smoked lamb.
Seal all non-designated escape routes for the smoke to have optimum control of the smoking process. Achieving controllable temperatures is also vital to successful smoking, making insulating and venting the smokehouse critical design factors.
Totally-Smoked
The great thing about building a smokehouse? You can experiment with many different foods, creating exotic flavors only your smokehouse can produce. That’s right! Smokehouse smokiness is unique, much like a fine wine.
With these easy DIY smokehouse ideas and plans, you can begin your smokehouse adventure in bite-size chunks, learning as you go. And hey, if the smoking feels like pure hell (which it won’t), you can always convert the smokehouse into a tool shed!
Happy smoking!
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