On an early American homestead, the smokehouse was one of many necessary outbuildings and helped a family sustain itself throughout the year by preserving meat before refrigeration. Every late fall or early winter, butchering on the farm supplied meat for the coming year. Daniel Snook raised hogs that could be made into hams, bacon, sausage, and puddings. Cuts of meat were packed in salt for several weeks and then hung from the rafters of the smokehouse, where a slow-burning fire in the center of the room gradually drew moisture from the meat and preserved it for the months ahead. Hickory and apple wood were often used to add flavor. The smoking process lasted about two weeks, though meat might remain hanging in the smokehouse for up to two years. This smokehouse is constructed primarily of red sandstone. Because smokehouses needed to keep out bugs and rodents, their building materials had to fit tightly. On farms in Maryland, smokehouses were typically square buildings with hipped roofs, and interior roof trusses were fitted with hooks for hanging meat. Slits in the northeast and west walls of this smokehouse allowed smoke to escape slowly and provided ventilation that prevented excessive moisture from collecting, helping preserve the meat.