Smokehouse

Before grocery stores or reliable refrigeration, rural families preserved meat and fish by curing them in smokehouses. While the meat was still fresh, they covered it with a salt-based seasoning, about 6-8 pounds of salt per 100 pounds of meat, then placed the seasoned meat in the smokehouse where a fire burned at the back. The process took anywhere from a few days to several weeks depending upon the thickness of the meat. When it was done, the meat or fish had a brownish crust. They used specific trees for the firewood and added other items to the fire such as apples and corncobs for a distinctive smoked flavor. In Pinellas, people used hardwoods such as pecan, oak, hickory, and buttonwood in smokehouses, and although pine was very plentiful, they avoided it unless they wanted their food to have a turpentine taste. Folks in rural Pinellas filled their smokehouses with mullet caught in nets from the Gulf, beef jerky from the cattle they raised, and smoked ham from their hogs that roamed freely. Hooks and shelves inside the smokehouse held the meat, with smaller pieces placed close to the door, and split doors let people remove finished meat while keeping the fire's heat inside to continue smoking the rest. A roof overhang kept wood for the smokehouse dry.

Ridgecrest, Florida · United States