The Bloomsbury "Smoak" House

Having cooked in the old kitchen house of Bloomsbury a few times, my interest in the old "smoak" house is growing. Most early references to the Smokehouse is "smoak" house or meat house. Over the course of many years, the large acreage of Bloomsbury was divided, sub-divided and sold. The current Bloomsbury property is about two acres. The "smoak" house is actually on the property of our neighbors. But, that has not withered my interest as I continue to experiment in the old kitchen house.

The "smoak" house is normally positioned far enough from the manor house to ensure the smoke did not disturb the household and to ensure a fire was not left unattended in close proximity to the house. Historically, it is a small, windowless building where meats and fish could be smoked and stored. Smoking is the process of flavoring, cooking or preserving food by exposing it to the smoke from burning or smoldering wood and plant materials. Cheese, vegetables and whisky can also be smoked. Hot smoking occurs within the range of 165-185 degrees; higher temperatures will remove far too much moisture from the food and will cause excessive shrinkage. Hickory, mesquite, oak, pecan, alder, maple and fruit-tree woods are the preferred woods for smoking. Most meats were smoked for at least two weeks, and could be stored for upwards of two years.

Meats and fish were not removed from the "smoak" house until they were to be used. The meats would age without mold as long as the walls were not made of stone or greenwood. The keeper of the meats had to be very careful of mold, especially bright molds. Bright green and purple mold can be very nasty; however, duller molds and the creosote were just washed or cut off the mean with no harm done.

With the introduction of electricity and refrigeration, the labor-intensive process of smoking meat and fish gave way to storing and cooking in more controlled environments. But, the thought of experimenting with the old "smoak" of Bloomsbury is rather intriguing.