And curing/smoking meat like my kin used too. Anyone cure their meats like this? I wish I'd have paid attention when I was a kid and learned. Anyone know of any good books on the old proven ways to cure and store meat???

Go big
Biperty

Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game by John Mettler might help. I read it a longtime ago and found it useful. I have a copy somewhere.

Keith

The old foxfire books had a lot of the old methods of country living and putting upfood for winter. Might try to find a copy of them.

Several of my neighbors do this every year. Sausage making is a huge thing too. People from all over come by and we grind, mix and stuff one day and then smoke the next. Many of the smokehouses are generations old and retain that wonderful smokey smell to them all year round. Always look forward to that time of the year.

Foxfire Series
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/C84/foxfire-series


Pick the volume that has your interest included.

The best ham I ever at was in Spain. It was cured Serrano ham. They cure it for into years. You can get it here, but it is about $16-$20 a pound. It is much better than any ham I have ate in the US.

MJM, I believe that is the from the hogs that are fed only acorns.

We would butcher 2 pigs and 100 chickens every fall. Kept one pig fresh and smoked the other. We also smoked fish, eels, ducks and geese. The apple wood came from orchard prunings and hickory from the sawmill scraps.

That is cool! There's nobody around me that does it anymore so I'm thinking of starting hog killin day again. I need to do a lot of research first!!

I've been helping the last three years and am still learning. Everyone has a different recipe or way of doing things. Nice to keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut....well at least until comes to test tasting!

Th original early Mother Earth News mags had some great articles on that and many other subjects.

It depends if you want to cold smoke or heat smoke pork..A lot of people cold smoke sausage

Don't forget some Fromage!

Here's some

Book

Book 2

Book 3

General Meat Book

Been a few years now but i have helped at many hog killins.
Takes alot more than a smoke house though.

Salt/cure table, salt boxes, scalding vat, hoist, a few sharp knives, scrapers....etc etc. Then if ya want all the goodies you will also need a press for the cracklins/chitlins, and skin rinds. Also enough containers to keep the fat for rendering. Bowls or buckets for the head cheese, and the packaging for the other "extras" ya may want. (heart, liver, kidneys, etc)

When we did it the men folk did the outside work and the women folk did the inside work. kids did most of the scrapin. Lots goes into it, but if done right it is well worth it.

I have been shopping for a pellet smoker and that video made me feel embarrassed for my efforts. It was cool to watch.

Univ of KY food science has some good video instructions.

Yes they do. They do a great job.

Thanks for all the input everyone!! il.trapper, you brought up a salt table. That's one thing I thought of about that video. He salts them real good and leaves them lay on the table. I thought they had to be hung or it caused spoilage. I'd like to hang out with that feller for a spell, he knows how it's done.