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single-wide vs double-wide oven

Single-Wide vs Double-Wide Ovens: Which is Better for Throughput, Labor, and Yields?

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If you are in the meat processing business, you know that cooking and smoking meat is an essential step in producing high-quality products. But when it comes to choosing the right smokehouse, the options can be overwhelming.

One of the biggest decisions in this regard is whether to opt for a single-wide or double-wide oven.

Most larger processors immediately opt for a double-wide oven — double the capacity means you’ll make more product, faster, right?

Not necessarily.

There are other factors to consider, such as the difference in throughput, labor, and yields between a single-wide and double-wide oven.

Often, a double-wide oven is going to slow production and decrease yields.

We’ll explain why that is in this article.

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smokehouse quotes

How to Accurately Compare Smokehouse Quotes

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Smokehouse quotes can be tricky to compare, especially when investing in an industrial oven for the first time.

Most food processors look at one number on a quote — the total cost. It makes sense. You have a budget to keep, finances to gather, and ultimately want to know how much you need to spend in order to get the smokehouse you need.

Total cost on a quote, however, can be deceptive.

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smokehouse installation checklist

How to Prepare Your Plant for a Smokehouse Installation

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Preparing your facility for a smokehouse installation is an essential step in purchasing an industrial oven.

Not only does proper preparation ensure a quick and easy installation of your new oven, it also affects the life and operation of the oven.

Bumps in the flooring under the oven, lack of filters on water and air supplies, improper pressure on utilities, even the wrong floor slope can all wreak havoc on your oven, causing serious structural and operational problems down the road — most of which will not be covered by a manufacturer’s warranty.

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coves smokehouse air flow

4 Essential Benefits Coves have on the Smokehouse Air Flow

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The air flow, or more specifically the breakpoint, is the most important feature in any smokehouse or dehydrator.

This one feature alone is what cooks product in the oven — and is ultimately responsible for product yields, consistency, and color, as well as cook time.

If you want to improve product yields, consistency, or color, it all starts with being able to improve and control the breakpoint. The more control you have to set the location and duration of the breakpoint in any one specific spot in the oven, the greater your yields and consistency. The opposite is also true: the inability to control the location and duration of the breakpoint in an oven will always result in less than optimal yields and consistency.

It seems to reason then that the design of the oven cabinet should help strengthen and improve the breakpoint.

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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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chain driven dampers

3 Reasons to Avoid Chain Driven Dampers in a Smokehouse

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Chain driven dampers were the industry standard for decades when it came to “controlling” the breakpoint in an industrial smokehouse or dehydrator.

If you have an older oven, or one manufactured in Europe, chances are the dampers are driven and kept at a 90 degree angle from each other using chains and sprockets.

While this design was revolutionary in the industry when it was first introduced, new technology and updated designs have made chain driven dampers a thing of the past — and a very ineffective way of controlling the breakpoint in an oven.

In order to understand why chain driven dampers should be avoided in a smokehouse or dehydrator, it’s beneficial to know what the breakpoint is and how it’s controlled.

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lock out tag out warning signs

8 Safety Signs You Need to Improve Worker Safety with Commercial Ovens

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Commercial ovens, as with any food processing equipment, can pose serious safety hazards for employees.

Burns, pinch points, crush points, cuts, chemical burns, carbon dioxide suffocation, or being trapped in an oven while in the cook cycle are all possible if proper care is not taken when operating a commercial smokehouse, dehydrator, or steam oven — leading to serious injury or death.

As a food processing company, it is imperative that proper safety signs be posted on and around any commercial oven to notify employees of potential dangers associated with this piece of equipment.

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heat source

How To Choose the Best Heat Source for Your Oven

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Choosing the proper heat source for your product when purchasing a commercial smokehouse or dehydrator can be a daunting task.

What are the differences between heat sources? Which works best for what you’re trying to achieve? What heat source is going to be easy to maintain and inexpensive to run? What is the price difference between each heat source? Do you have the proper utilities already in your facility, or will you need to have more brought in?

There are a lot of aspects to consider when choosing the best heat source for your product. So where do you start?

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smokehouse breakpoint

5 Design Components You Need to Improve the Smokehouse Breakpoint

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The smokehouse breakpoint is the most important aspect of any industrial oven.

This one feature is directly responsible for cooking your product, coloring your product, and either increasing or decreasing your product yields, depending on the strength and velocity of the breakpoint.

A strong breakpoint — one that makes it all the way across the cart to heat all product on that level — should be the main focus when investing in a smokehouse, as it results in a more consistent product, as each piece of product is receiving the same amount of airflow.

But how do you know if a smokehouse will have a strong breakpoint?

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