Smoking system for the butcher's shop: planning, models, HACCP

Planning a smoking system for your butchery, farm shop, or fish counter comes down to four questions: What is your weekly batch size (from the F4 with 160 kg to the F6-100 with 260 kg)? Which processes do you run (hot, cold, boiling)? How do you document them (program control, core temperature sensor)? And where does the smoke go (exhaust air, filter)? The investment for Beelonia professional equipment ranges between around 7,500 and 24,000 € – a fraction of the cost of classic industrial systems, with the same artisanal results.

Last updated: 23 July 2026 · Author: Michael Vering, Beelonia GmbH · All prices: as of July 2026

Reading tip: The capacity system of all series – from hobby to professional equipment – is explained in the Capacity Guide; the processes behind them in the Process Guide.

Who smokes commercially – and what is different from hobby smoking?

The leap from hobby to commercial isn't about size, but standardisation: reproducible, documented, and officially verifiable results instead of working by feel. Typical Beelonia customers are small and medium-sized butcheries, direct marketers with their own slaughtering, fish farms, and supermarkets with fresh food counters. What they have in common: they refine products themselves instead of buying them in – and need a system that delivers the exact same result every week.

A practical example from the Beelonia customer base: The Reschauer family in the Bavarian Forest runs a small grocery store with its own meat processing and primarily cold smokes in the F6-100 – recently around 160 kg of cured pork loin with rind and pork belly in a six-day run. Customers travel from Passau and Austria for it. Their system with program control and external smoke generator costs around 10,000–12,000 €; comparable industrial systems with pressure chambers and self-cleaning cost 40,000–50,000 €.

Which system suits which business?

The choice depends on the batch size: F4 to F6-100 cover 160–260 kg per run, the KR series combines boiling and smoking in one system, and the supermarket version brings smoking visibly to the counter.

All professional devices are double-walled, made of V2A stainless steel (AISI 304), and modularly equipped: the program control and external smoke generator can be mounted on the left or right – depending on your room layout. The smoker works either classically with a smouldering fire and sawdust tray (hot/warm) or via the external smoke generator (cold).

Installation is also solved: For narrow access points – such as an 80 cm door in an existing building – the door, fasteners, and circulation fan are dismantled and reassembled on site. And where standard dimensions don't fit, Beelonia GmbH custom-builds; individual chamber depths and special equipment have always been part of the range.

Program control, smoke generator, exhaust air: Which equipment is worth it?

Three modules turn the smoker into a production system: the programmable control (reproducibility and documentation), the external smoke generator (cold smoke and constant smoke density), and – where necessary – the smoke filter for the exhaust air.

• PC program control (1,938.51 €): Smoke ignition time, temperature programs, and air circulation run automatically – every batch follows the same profile. The crucial component for HACCP documentation.
• Smoke generator for F4–F6-100 (from 1,001.98 €): generates the smoke outside the chamber – a prerequisite for clean cold smoking in production quantities and even smoke density in the smouldering process, the standard for small and medium-sized businesses.
• Smoke filter (6,616.40 €): cleans the exhaust air where neighbours or regulations require it – for example, in the town centre or in a supermarket.
• Smoking trolley (1,163.82 €): loads the large chambers by rolling instead of grate by grate.

Practical case fish counter: Smoking in the supermarket

The supermarket version brings the smokehouse directly to the counter: with a separate extraction system that catches the residual smoke when the door is opened, and a visible wood compartment as a signal to the public. The supermarket in Ganderkesee uses it to smoke twice a week – Tuesdays and Fridays – hot-smoked salmon strips, trout, and halibut, on sliding grates and with hooked goods in the same run. The result after just a few weeks: regular customers who previously bought their smoked fish elsewhere, and an aroma in the store that customers actively comment on. "Fresh from the smoker simply tastes better," concludes the counter team in the video.

HACCP & Law: What needs to be documented?

Commercial smoking operates within the framework of EU hygiene regulations: business approval according to Reg. 853/2004, HACCP self-checking according to Reg. 852/2004, and traceability according to Reg. 178/2002 – the critical control points in smoking are primarily core temperature and the cold chain. In practice, this means: documenting temperature profiles per batch (the program control takes the manual work out of this), proving uninterrupted cooling, and deep cleaning the smoker regularly – as a guideline 2–3 times a year, which veterinary offices also look out for during inspections. The article Cleaning your smoker provides instructions on this.

A side note on the choice of process: The EU phased out the approvals for liquid smoke flavourings in 2024 (Reg. (EU) 2024/2067, transition periods from 1 July 2026 and 2029 for meat, fish, and cheese). The classic smouldering smoke process with real wood smoke – as run by Beelonia systems – is not affected by this and remains the artisanal standard.

Frequently asked questions about butchery smoking systems

Is a large hobby smoker enough to start a business?

For direct marketers with small quantities, an F2-70/60 XL might be enough – but as soon as weekly batches, documentation obligations, and cold smoke production come together, the step up to the F4–F6-100 class pays off. The deciding factors are batch size and whether a program control needs to be retrofitted.

How long does the delivery of a professional system take?

Beelonia manufactures to order in Beelen; standard devices are available much faster than custom builds. Specific delivery dates, delivery, and installation (including dismantling the door and fan for narrow access points) are best clarified by sending an enquiry with a floor plan photo.

Hot and cold smoking in one system – is that possible?

Yes: The F professional devices work hot via the smouldering fire and cold via the external smoke generator – both in the same chamber. If you also want to boil (scalded sausages, cooked ham), choose the KR series, which combines a boiling and smoking system in one device.

Reading tip: The Price Guide calculates exactly what the purchase costs and which follow-up costs are realistic. For the ham product page, the Raw Ham Guide provides the process values.

Sources and technical basis: Beelonia product data and shop prices (as of July 2026); practical reports from the Beelonia videos (Reschauer family/F6-100, Ganderkesee supermarket/supermarket smoker); EU hygiene law Reg. 852/853/2004, Reg. 178/2002; EFSA/Reg. (EU) 2024/2067 on liquid smoke approval; classification of the smouldering smoke process from the Commercial Smoking dossier.