Snook Farm Smokehouse

Snook Farm Smokehouse. . The smoke house was one of many outbuildings necessary on an early American homestead. This building was important to ensure the family could sustain themselves throughout the entire year. , , In an era before refrigeration, the smokehouse provided a way to preserve meat for future use. Every late fall or early winter, butchering took place on the farm to provide the family with meat for the upcoming year. , , Daniel Snook raised hogs, which could be turned into hams, bacon, sausage and puddings. The cuts of meat were packed in salt for several weeks then hung from the rafters of the smokehouse, where a slow burning fire was built in the center of the room to slowly pull moisture from the meat and preserve it for use throughout the upcoming months, Hickory and Apple wood were often chosen for the smoking to provide additional flavor to the meat. The process of smoking would last about two weeks but meat might be left to hang in the smokehouse for up to two years. This smoke house is constructed primarily of red sandstone. In constructing a smokehouse, the building materials chosen needed to be tight fitting to keep out any bugs and rodents. , , Throughout farms in Maryland, smokehouses are typically constructed with a hipped roof over a square building. The interior roof trusses were fitted with hooks from which the meats could be hung. Slits in the northeast, and west walls of this smokehouse allowed the smoke to escape slowly and provided ventilation to keep excessive moisture from collecting ensuring preservation of the meat.