Existing comment:
The Smokehouse:
The smokehouse was one of the most important buildings on a plantation. In the days before refrigeration, meat was preserved and stored here to accommodate the needs of the family and enslaved workers. A meat-filled smokehouse symbolized the self-sufficiency of a plantation like Ashland.
According to an account ledger dated August 12, 1817, Henry Clay paid $76.50 for an "amount of Brick in Smoke house and for other uses." The smokehouse was likely completed about that time. It retained its original form until later generations of the family added the surrounding structure, converting the entire building into a garage and storage area.
Although various kinds of meat could be smoked, the smokehouse was mainly filled with "hog meat." Pork was consumed in one form or another by all classes. Hogs were generally butchered in the fall as the cooler weather prevented spoilage. Meat hung in the smokehouse was preserved by a dry salting process. Freshly butchered meat would be rubbed with raw salt and placed in wooden troughs for up to six weeks. Next, they were smoked for about a week using a variety of wood types to give distinct flavors to the meat. The smoke escaped through vent holes and the interior of the building was very dark due to soot blackened walls. It had a dirt floor to lower the risk of fire. No part of the animal was wasted. Hams and sides of bacon were preserved whole and sausages were made from the bits. The head was boiled and combined with spices to make souse or hogs head cheese. Lard was used in cooking, candle making and for lamp oil.
The products of Ashland's smokehouse were much admired among their consumers. In a letter dated January 1843 sent from New Orleans, Henry Clay informs his wife Lucretia: "your hams are much praised, there will be no difficulty of selling next fall those you now have on hand." |