Smokehouse

Smokehouse. A Way to Preserve Salmon for Winter Consumption. , This smokehouse is a typical building you would find at a traditional Athabascan fish camp. The smokehouse was a key component of every fish camp, as it was the only means for the Athabascans to preserve the thousands of salmon they caught each summer. This reliable food source allowed them to reduce their dependence on nomadic herds and settle into more permanent villages. It also provided the ability to raise and feed large teams of dogs, essential for the operation of winter trap lines., Once the salmon were caught by the fishwheel, they would be cleaned and processed by the Athabascan women. Before going into the smokehouse, the salmon would be hung outside to air dry. Once inside the smokehouse, the hanging salmon filets would be rotated all around the interior until fully dehydrated, a process that could take anywhere from a few days up to two weeks. You will notice that there are many doors and openings in the smokehouse. These would be opened or closed as needed to maximize airflow, which allowed the salmon to dehydrate faster. If it rained, the doors and windows could be closed up effectively protecting the hard-won harvest. At the end of the smoking process, the finished product was a hard, dry salmon that was just a fraction of its original weight and would last for up to two years., Each family had their own recipes, traditions and techniques for preserving salmon. The style of cut, brine ingredients, wood sources used for smoking and time spent in the smokehouse varied from village to village and from family to family.