Sharp County record., 1881-03-31
The Farmers SmOke.HOuSe.

lit CitlOhN-
Each year shows an increased num-
her of farmers who are anxious to cure
meats for their own consumption, and,
what is even more to their credit are
anxious to have this properly done.
The day has gone by when the farmers
table is graced with picked pork as
REGULAR meat and an occasional ham
from the grocers for q relish. Break,
fast bacon, sugar-cured hams, corned
beef and the like, are provided from
their own meat-rooms.
Meat to be properly smoked, must
be continually surrounded by smoke
produced from material that impartS a
pleasant flavor While the smoke ought
to be continuous, the smoking process
should not be hastened to such degree
as to raise the temperature sufficiently
to make the fat ooze out of the meat or
to prevent the creosOte in the smoke
from thoroughly permeatng its entire
substance. To make a long matter
short, the fire from which the smoke
arises should neither be permitted to
die or blaze up. A correspondent in
the Micbiga1 Farmer, who has succeed
ed in smoking meats with but little an
noyance, describes the simply-con'
structed Smoke-houSe in which it is
done. The house is only large enough
to hold the meats closely packed on slat-
shelves-extending from bottom to top
without a floor, and door only large
enough to afford entrance. In tllllng
the house care is observed that the
pieces do not touch each other, and
that they are laid each one with the
skin-side down. By the way farmers
who prefer the old mode of hanging up
the hams, will, of course, do 50, avoid
ING, all the same, the pieces com
inc in contact. The slat-ShelVes which
admit of an easy passage OF
the smoke, have, it must be said, a
good many advantages. The house in
order, brisk fire is built in pit out
side and removed some six or eight feet.
The Michigan correspondent dug his
fire-hole orpit two and a half feet across
and about two feet deep, and placed a
single curbing of two by four feet around
the top, leveled with the surface. From
the bottom of this pit he laid line of
four-inch tile, slanting to the surface,
Just inside of the threshold of the meat
room, and a wooden pipe, six inches
square, from the very top ofthe pit to the
house, so as to have a rise Of about one
foot. The fire once started the pit is
closed with tight-ttting shutter. The
house soon fills with smoke, which is
controlled in amount by means of par
TALLY closing and opening the leading
from the bottom of the pit. When the
house is tightly built it is necessary to
make an opening to admit fresh air and
induce circulation.
A very much cheaper arrangement,
which has proven efficient where Onl y a
limited number of hams were smoked,
involves the same principle of the fire
pit outside the smoke-house. A narrow
pit from twelve to eighteen inches deep
is dug. At the bottom of this pit a trench
is opened of sufficient length to hold
,one or more joints of stQvepipes at such
an angle as will bring one end away
from the pit to the surface of the ground.
Over this end of the pipe a sweet clean
cask, with both heads removed, is set
and the earth banked up around it so
that no smoke can escape from the bot
tom. The hams to be smoked are hung
on found sticks placed across the top of
the cask and fitted in notches to hold
them in place. Over these sticks is
thrown cover that will leave space
sufficient for draught to let the smoke
pass freely. A fire is built in the pit,
of corncobs, or better still, of good
hickory wood, and the pit covered over
with tight-ftting plank.
Old smoke-houses should be thor
oughly cleaned out previous to use.
Where the fire is built inside care must
be observed that it does not burn up too
brightly. The contrivances from which
the meats are suspended will bear look
ING after, and it is not an uncommon
occurrence to have them break down
and bring the meats in contact with the
fire and ashes. - Chicago Times.