The Return of the Smokehouse : Smoking Your Own Meats
By Randy Godwin
Smoke your own meat, build your own smokehouse
Although there are a few remaining smokehouses to be seen nestled among old gray outbuildings alongside rural roads, most have vanished from the American countryside. Before the advent of refrigeration, and for quite a while afterwards, they were a fixture on every farm where pigs were raised.
In the fall of the year, on a cold day to prevent spoilage, enough pork to last the winter would be prepared for smoking. These rustic little buildings, with smoke seeping out of the cracks, emanated the smell of bacon, spices, and the type of wood the owner preferred to use for smoking the meat.
This would continue until most of the moisture was removed which prevented the meat from spoiling.It is said that smells trigger memories. If you have ever entered a smokehouse full of sausages, hams and shoulders, and of course sides of bacon, you will know this is true. Many of us remember going with our grandparents to “fetch some bacon.”
Smokehouses of the Smoky Mountains
Back to Our Beginnings
The taste of real smoked pork is unforgettable too. What is labeled as smoked meat today cannot compare to the real thing.
Artificial smoke flavor along with other chemicals are injected into the meat to try to mimic the taste and look of real smoked pork. There are some real smoked products available but still, it’s not the same.
Recently, concerns about food safety and the desire for authentic smoked meats has caused a resurgence of interest in smokehouses,
Old methods of curing and smoking pork and sometimes beef and fish, are being used to rediscover the unique taste our grandparents enjoyed.
The once endangered little shed is starting to make a comeback in many rural areas. The pleasant aroma of wood smoke is once again stirring memories throughout the countryside.
Why smoke your own meats?
The reasons for this sudden interest in having one’s own smokehouse are many. In areas of the south a recent influx of wild hogs has suddenly provided an inexpensive supply of pork to hunters and landowners alike. Deer hunters have discovered the delicious taste of venison sausage and how easy it is to make it themselves.
Even farmers are once again processing their own pork for the dinner table because of the high prices charged at local abattoirs. There are extra charges for smoking sausage, hams, and bacon from most processing facilities with the "old familiar" taste missing somehow.
But whatever the reason, a smokehouse is relatively easy to construct even for less-than -professional carpenters. The basic concept of a smokehouse is simple. A dry enclosed area with hooks or racks to hold the intended meat until the majority of water is removed from the meat.
Smokehouses with character?
Smokehouse Building Materials
Hardwood smoke not only flavors the meat, but removes excess moisture while protecting it from insects as it cures. The size smokehouse you need depends on the amount of meat you intend to cure. For most, a small two-holer outhouse size will do the trick.
The type of wood or other material you plan to use will dictate some facets of the construction. It is recommended that the fire box be located outside of the structure if possible. Many of the old smokehouses had a dirt or clay floor on which to build a small smoky fire.
This lowered the chance of the smokehouse burning down. Others used a small brick or stone hearth with the flue exhausting into the interior of the smokehouse. Today, some use a propane or electric heat source combined with wood chips to provide the smoke needed for the curing process.
Some commercial deer processors use old refrigerated trucks such as those ice cream or milk was delivered in. The insulated coolers are perfect for converting into large smokehouses. These are mainly used for smoking sausage links made from venison and pork.
One of the best sausage makers in this area of southern Georgia uses peach wood to smoke his wonderful links with. The wood comes from local orchards when they prune the trees annually. These sausages are so good many hunters have the whole deer processed in this manner.
In some parts of the country wild hogs are becoming a nuisance to homeowners and agricultural business owners. Some hunters many not have room in their freezers to store all of the meat these animals provide, so smoking part of it may be an option to be considered instead of freezing it..
Wild pork is especially suited for smoking as a preservation technique. In many areas of the south wild hogs are there for the taking by industrious and adventuresome hunters. Because of their destructiveness to crops and property, hunters bag them with the blessings of the landowner.
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A Rare Reminder of Our Past
The curing and smoking process
Before smoking the meat it is important to use a curing method consisting mainly of covering the meat with salt until the meat is rid of a lot of the water contained in it. Other spices such as black and red pepper, sugar and molasses, or even oregano may be used to flavor the meat. There were many preferences among the “old timers” with some being passed down through the years. Covering the meat with salt is the most important part though. So you must choose your own method for this step. There are books available which give greater details on some of the old favorite methods.
Once the meat has been salt cured for a few days it is time for it to be placed into the smoke house to finish the curing process. Hooks and straps are used for hanging the hams and shoulders. Slabs of bacon can be hung in the same manner. Horizontal poles hold links of sausages wrapped around them in loops. The manner in which these hooks and racks are used is not important as long as the smoke can reach the surface of the meat.
The type of wood used to smoke the meat is usually one of availability in the area. Hickory seems to be the favorite but down here in Georgia many favor pecan. Most of the oak woods will do a decent job as will other hardwoods. Pine or other conifers will not do as they leave a pitch taste and soot covering on the meat. Peach or apple wood gives a pleasant taste and smell to the meat. Again, old timers had their own favorites which varied from farm to farm.
So if you are a hunter with a hankering to smoke your own meat, or if you are just an ordinary person who likes the taste of real smoked meat, then build your own smoke house. Learn how the old timer’s produced such wonderful tasting hams and sausages. The process is easier than you may think and you will savor the results. Smoke ’em if ya got ’em.
Comments
Thanks for the comments Montana Farm Girl, the's nothing better than a "pig picking" as we call it down here in Georgia.
I do a lot of smoking myself,and love the flavors from different woods.
Hello firead45, thank you for reading my smokehouse article. We seem to have a lot in common with our interest in the outdoors.
Great hub. Still use the old smoking methods here in New Zealand. Fish, venison along with pork. We use the smoker for eels which are plentiful in this country.
Thanks Kiwi gal. Never tried smoked eel though! Looks too much like SNAKE!
I remember my Papa's smokehouse in Irwinville. It always smelled heavenly! Thanks for the memories.
Great hub! We have commercial smokehouses here in the UK, some traditional ones, especially in Scotland. Others on the East coast for herrings especially. It's a great taste. Thanks for an interesting hub!
Me too, Holle. The sides of bacon with the hams and sausage hanging was an accomplishment for our ancestors. They ate well in the country, even if money was not in great supply. Thanks Holle!
Many of the smokehouse's in this area were built by settlers of Scottish descent. My grandparents from both sides were Scotch-Irish. Thanks for the comments, dragonbear!
I have actually been thinking about doing this...Thanks!
Smokehouses are becoming more popular these days as real smoked meats are harder to find, not to mention the additives used in the quick cure commercial processes. Thanks Michael!
Very informative, I love smoked meat. One day I would like to build my own smokehouse.
Thanks LH! The smokehouse is indeed coming back as it's getting harder to find real smoked meats.
No problem. Have you built your own smokehouse?
I have built several, but not one for me yet! I plan to build my own this fall. I already have the materials, just need the time.
I love the smell of smokehouses, but it's been such a long time since I've been near one. On top of that, I love the meat! Great hub, it was fun to read!
Yes Origin, the smell of a smokehouse is something you never forget. And the taste of real smoked meats can't be imitated by modern means.
Thanks for reading!
wow, this brings back a lot of memories. I love real smoked foods. Driving along the north shore of Lake Superior, there used to be a lot of small smoke shops where you could pick up a freshly smoked fish. Absolutely delicious!
It's true, Lamme! Memories and smells enhance each other!
Thanks for the comments and nostalgia!
Very good info.
So much of the old ways are forgotton.The movement to become more independant and sustainable would be alot easier if we could relearn what was once a way of life for our great grandparents. I've talked to the older generation who still remember the smokehouse as the home essential. It was always full of food even when not smoking meat. It was a place to store canned vegetables and dried peas etc..
Not forgotten yet, Oldtimes! I can still smell the bacon, hams, and sausage, which hung in both of grandparents smokehouses. And many folks are relearning how to produce these wonderful, tasty, meats.
You are right about using the smokehouse in the off season for storing pickles and canned vegetables. My father said they would always make several hundred gallons of cane syrup to last them through the winter.
They would also butcher 8 or 9 hogs for the same purpose. They didn't have much money but they sure ate well. Thanks for reading and reminding me of how they used the smokehouse other times of the year.
Cheers!
Randy Godwin
Do I remember correctly that the hams and bacon were put into a large wooden barrel, then covered with salted water. The water had enough salt in it to float a raw egg in it's shell?
Thanks for an answer
Hello Eileen! Yes, some used this process while others just packed the meat in dry salt until most of the water was removed. The process used depended on the person who was doing the curing.
Many had their own secret way of curing and smoking the meats. And the spices used varied from person to person with some mixtures being handed down through the generations.
Thanks for your time!
I can still remember going to the smokehouse and getting up on a bucket too take a bite of my Grandfathers suger cured bacon, he said the mice were at his meat. I still read the Fox Fire books on the old ways of doing things.
Good memories, Towercion! I have some of the same! Thanks!
I remember when i was a smallboy my dad curing meat in salt peter, i helped him put the meat in the barrels and cover it with salt. It was good, but that was a long time ago, It was good.
Good memories, Applejack! Thanks for stopping by!
Randy
nice hub.I've talked to the older generation who still remember the smokehouse as the home essential. It was always full of food even when not smoking meat.I like this hub.Thanks a lot for this informative sharing.
I AM one of the "older" generation, dusy! LOL! And yes, the smokehouse was always full of good food!
Thanks for stopping by!
Randy
oh, i miss the smokehouse of my dad! very informative hub.
Me too, Laine! Both of my grandfathers kept their smokehouses full of hams and sides of bacon and sausages all through the winter. And ah the difference in the meats we have today.
Thanks for stopping by!
Randy
My husband and I are working towards being self sustaining, so we grow our own food now. We just built a smoke house and I am soo tickled that my granddad took the time to teach me all his secrets. I'm so glad I found this site though!!! Anyone have a good recipe on smoking rabbit?
Hi Antha, good for you guys growing your own food and learning to be self sufficient. I've never tried smoking rabbit meat but I suppose it can be done like msost other meats.
Thanks for stopping by and for your input on this subject.
Randy Godwin
It's embarrassing to me, Randy, but .....I dunno how to clean something as large as a deer or a pig.
I'm positive that that and then curing or smoking such meats will become something that we ever poorer American men must know how to do.
Ha! Believe me Wesman, if you get real hungry you will figure it out. Actually, cleaning the animals are basically the same as with a smaller animal, but a pig is not skinned like most other animals. They must be scalded shortly after being killed and scraped clean of all hair before butchering.
Yes, there is quite a bit of interest in relearning this once necessary process along with smoking the meats and other preservative steps.
Thanks for your time and comments as always.
Randy
very informative, a good read
Thanks for taking a look and for the input, Eye Say!
Randy
Montana Farm Girl 2 years ago
Loved your hub....very informative!!! There are many people here in Montana who use smokehouses or do their smoking the good ol' fashioned way... Had a pig roast Saturday night....oh my, nothing like it!!!!! I'm still learning all the in's and out's, but when someone offers smoked meat of any kind, I sure know it's going to be good!!!!!!