smokehouse

A smokehouse is a small outbuilding used for curing and storing meat, especially pork. In Appalachia and the South, families smoked hams, bacon, and sausage there to preserve food through the winter.

#Appalachia #Southern

Hillbilly Dude Says...

Papaw and Granny's old 'smokehouse' is still standing, but barely. They're rarities these days, but essential way back when.

Pronunciation

[SMOHK-hows]

Meaning & Usage

- A building for curing meat with smoke (noun)

Mae:

Where’s Papaw?

Earl:

Check the smokehouse - he’s tendin’ the fire.

- A storehouse for cured meat (noun)

Mae:

This ham come outta the smokehouse?

Earl:

Sure did - been hangin’ since fall.

other spellings: meat house, curin’ house, ham house, meat shed, hog house, and smokin’ shed

★ The smokehouse wasn’t just about food - it was security. Folks would lock it tight, ’cause hams and bacon were as good as money. ★

Origin

From Old English *smoca* (smoke). Smokehouses were common in Europe, and the tradition carried into Appalachia and the American South, where pork was central to farm life.

Notes

Smokehouses were once found on nearly every farm in Appalachia and the South. With refrigeration, most disappeared, but some families still keep or restore them as a tradition.

Say It Like a Southerner

Said plain: "smoke-house." Always two syllables, said slow and plain.

Kin Topics

Kin Words, Stories and More

Common Questions

What meats went in a smokehouse?

Mostly pork - hams, bacon, sausage - but sometimes beef or venison.

Do people still use them?

Rarely, though some traditional farms and heritage sites keep the practice alive.

Was it just for smoking?

Both - meat was smoked for flavor and preservation, then stored in the cool, dry building.