door seal

What is the Best Style of Door Seal for a Smokehouse?

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The door seal is a vitally important part of any industrial smokehouse, dehydrator, or steam oven.

This one component is responsible for keeping the oven doors sealed tightly in the frame, preventing heat and steam from escaping the cabinet, and in some oven designs, keeps the doors closed.

Imagine the cost you would pay if the oven didn’t have a door seal: utility expenses would spike with the loss of heat from the oven, employees would be burned just being near the oven, and product wouldn’t cook consistently, resulting in product rejections.

The door seal is that important, but not all styles of door seals are created equal.

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spray nozzle

What is the Best Spray Nozzle for Cleaning a Smokehouse?

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Choosing a spray nozzle for the clean-in-place (CIP) system in a smokehouse or dehydrator doesn’t seem all that important, especially when compared to choosing a heating source, damper control system, or the main fan.

While the spray nozzle maybe just a small component part, it plays a big role in effectively cleaning an oven — and reducing the risk of product contamination that can occur in an oven that is not properly cleaned.

The right spray nozzle will give you maximum coverage to clean the inside of the oven. The wrong spray nozzle, however, will give you the illusion of being clean, while leaving a good portion of the oven untouched by cleaning solution — a huge no-no in the world of food processing.

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thermometer calibration log

What Data Do You Need to Record in a Thermometer Calibration Log?

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Good record keeping is an essential part of any smokehouse or dehydrator thermometer calibration.

The ability to review temperature differences, comments from previous calibrations, who performed the calibration, and if the thermometer needs to be replaced is essential to any HACCP program — and will save you the headache of trying to track down the data later.

If you’re cooking product in a smokehouse, dehydrator, or steam cabinet, getting your team in the habit of calibrating thermometers on a regular basis and recording the results is a must!

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