Example of a well-constructed old smokehouse near Chatham

Before the days of deep freezers and refrigerators, it was imperative for farms to have an outbuilding called a smokehouse. Hogs have historically been a major part of subsistence farming in Virginia, and a hog that weighs over five hundred pounds would be sure to spoil before a single family could consume that much. Each year around November, hog killing time brought neighbors together for a custom that ensured everybody would stay fed during the colder months and not waste the meat. The use of traditional smokehouses for meat preservation has fallen by the wayside in day-to-day life, but their existence allows new generations to learn about the way life used to be.

A typical smokehouse (also called a “meat house”) was a small, square or rectangular building usually made from rough-cut boards that are sometimes painted white, wealthier homes may have structures made of brick. Documents from eighteenth century Virginia recorded the size of several square smokehouses that varied between eight-by-eight feet, ten-by-ten, twelve-by-twelve, or sixteen-by-sixteen. They had minimal ventilation and walls were without windows or featured a small window to control airflow and light. The roof was commonly built as a front gable or pyramidal shape. 

The interior consisted of a single room with a series of rafters above for hanging meats like hams, shoulders, and sides of bacon. The floors were typically dirt but as time progressed some were built with wooden floors. After decades of use, salt intrudes upon the integrity of the wood or brick walls and causes the surface to crumble. One could expect to find an assortment of meat hooks, ropes, a large wooden box, and a little metal stove populating the room, or perhaps a fire pit in the center of the floor. Black soot thickly coats the walls and ceilings of well-used smokehouses. 

The curing process usually began in late fall or early winter to take advantage of cool temperatures. After the cuts of meat were cleaned and prepared, they were rubbed with a mixture of mostly salt and a bit of brown sugar, and packed in large wooden boxes for about six weeks. The salt draws out the liquid from the ham and it drains out of the box. Afterward, the meat was hung in the rafters above a steady smoldering smoke. Smoking lasted another couple weeks, depending on the size, and historically farmers used either corn cobs or something flavorful like apple wood to kindle. People had their own preferences in salting, seasoning, and smoking techniques. Sometimes a flour bag was tied around the meat to protect them from bugs, or a coating of pepper worked to deter them as well. The meat could last a few years if well-maintained. 

A smokehouse often doubled as a storage place for other dry goods as well. My grandmother remembers growing up in Dry Fork during the 1950s when her parents George and Louise Grant had a smokehouse. “The big meat box was on a bench along one side of the smokehouse,” she said. “On the other side was another shelf where they kept baskets of potatoes, sweet potatoes, and dried corn on the cob that was used for feeding the chickens, ducks, and sometimes the pigs.” She continued to tell how after her parents got a chest freezer, the washing machine was moved from the porch into the smokehouse. “…Mom washed clothes there, which was good during winter as she could have a fire in the little stove to heat water…it always smelled like smoke and salted meat, but it was a place that Mom could keep us with her while she did work.”

New smokehouse construction declined after the 1940s with the spread of electric refrigeration and deep freezers. The tradition has not been completely forgotten as it still lives on in some rural homes, and many modern forms of country ham are available to buy in grocery stores or restaurants. Many old smokehouses still stand, often leaning or half-forgotten, as an obsolete house that was once a necessity for country living. They should be preserved to help tell a more complete story of the past.