Hang meat from hooks or rods in a smoking chamber 2-3 m tall, spaced so no pieces touch and smoke can circulate all around them, and use racks of hardwood or stainless or plain steel rather than galvanized or painted metal. In a hot-smoke chamber, keep racks above the fire box so drips do not flare.
Part of Smoke Houses
Hanging and rack systems are the hooks, rods, shelves and slats that hold food in a smoke chamber so smoke reaches every surface.
Smoke Reaches Only What It Touches, So Spacing Is The Design
The tall chamber lets smoke rise and circulate around hanging meat. Where two pieces touch, the contact area stays moist and unsmoked, and spoils first. The whole job of the rack system is to hold each piece in free air with space around it and a drip path below.
What You Need
- Hooks or rods of hardwood, plain steel or stainless steel
- Slatted racks or racks of rods for flat pieces such as fish and thin slices
- Cross-beams strong enough for the full load, fixed to the chamber frame
- A drip tray or clear floor beneath, positioned so drips do not land on coals
- A ladder or pole to reach the top rails
Method: Set Out The Chamber
Step 1: Fit cross-beams at two or three heights. Pieces hang from them, with free air between pieces and a gap from the walls.
Step 2: Use hooks that match the cut. A hook through a hock or the string of a loop; thin items on slatted racks.
Step 3: Space the pieces. No two touch. Leave a hand’s width or more, and a gap to the wall.
Step 4: Mind the temperature layers. In a hot-smoke chamber the lowest rack is nearest the fire and hottest; use it for items that take the most heat, and move pieces up as needed.
Step 5: Control drips. Fat falling on coals flares and sooty smoke taints the meat. In a hot smoke house, catch drips on a tray.
Step 6: Load within the beam’s limit. Heavy hams on weak beams bring the lot down.
Common Mistakes
- Pieces touching — unsmoked, moist contact patches spoil.
- Galvanized or painted hooks and racks — zinc coating gives off fumes when heated and paint contaminates food.
- Overloaded beams — collapse onto the fire.
- A single tall tier — the top pieces get less smoke and the bottom ones too much heat.
Safety
Metal fumes, falling loads and fire
Heating galvanized (zinc-coated) metal releases fumes that make people ill, so use plain steel, stainless steel or hardwood in a hot chamber. A beam that fails drops a heavy load onto the fire. Keep the area below the racks free of people while loading, and keep water at hand for any flare-up. See Fire Box & Smoke Channel for the carbon monoxide and creosote hazards.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Hot Smoke vs Cold Smoke Design — which layout the racks sit in
- Combine with: Cold Smoking — the process the racks serve