 Prior
to the development of refrigeration, meat was preserved by the following
smoking process: first, the meat was cured by rubbing it with a mixture
of salt, saltpeter, and sugar or by soaking it in a brine of this mixture.
It was then hung in the smokehouse above a smoldering fire. After
several days of smoking, the meat was removed and stored high and dry in
the attic or under the roof of the smokehouse. Smoked meat could
be stored for months without risk of spoiling. The smokehouse, adjacent
to the Millers' log house, is a rare example, for few wooden ones have
survived lengthy exposure to the elements. |
