About Smoke Houses
Before refrigeration and the canning process were developed, salt curing and smoking meats was the only way to preserve fish, poultry, beef and pork. Almost every farm family had a smoke house and many cities had commercial smoke houses that sold smoked meats to city dwellers. Smoke houses still exist on a few small farms and most urban areas have one or more restaurants that serve smoked meats. Does this Spark an idea?
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Function
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Smoke houses served as a way to preserve large amounts of meat, particularly beef and pork. The smoking process often lasted 2 weeks or longer and once the process was complete, the building was often used to store the smoked meat until needed for use.
Types
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The smoke house was a separate outbuilding constructed away from the main house and barn. The smoke house could be round or square, had one entry door, no windows and a vent. Farm smokehouses were smaller than commercial houses or those considered communal and used by more than one family.
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Features
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Popular smoke house design had a fire pit built outside the smoke house. Wood was burned covered or partially covered in the pit and the smoke house worked much like a chimney. A tunnel went from the pit into the house where the smoke would cure the meat and vent to the outside.
Effects
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By smoke curing the meat, the farmer was able to preserve the meat for longer periods of time. After the animal was slaughtered, it was then cut up into manageable sizes and smoked. This kept the meat from rotting and gave the family meat for the table for months after it was processed.
Considerations
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The smoking tradition continues today, as bacon and ham are both popular smoke cured meats. Many people have electric or grill/smoker combination as part of their backyard bar-b-que tools. Many restaurants that have smoked meats on their menus will also custom smoke hams or turkeys for their customers.
Benefits
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The final taste of the meat depends on the type of wood used for smoking. Hickory is the most popular wood for hams and bacon, but mesquite, oak and other woods are often used. Smoking is still used as a way to preserve meat, such as large game, when freezer space isn't available.
Expert Insight
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To learn more about the smoke house and how important it was, the Foxfire series of books give first hand experience from the people who relied on them for their food before refrigeration became available. These books, along with a cookbook are available from The Foxfire Fund.
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