Smoke Hut

Subject: Smoke Hut Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:18 pm

Kris Watson from the http://www.the912project.us/group/preparedness said:

Quote :: Would love to learn more about the smoke hut. Especially how the ground holds the heat. I had heard from dutch oven cookers that the ground pulls heat away. Maybe both are true, and the ground pulls and holds.
Does that make sense?

This winter, I am planning to build a cob or adobe oven in the back yard. Looking forward to the project AND the food it can cook. It is the reason I took out three trees and heavily trimmed five more. Firewood !

Angryconservative from the http://www.the912project.us/group/preparedness said:

Quote :: Kris,

its all about the hot dry air. My ancestors preserved meats...i.e. buffalo, elk etc by sun drying....that took a while and if the meat is not sliced thin enough then too much moisture is retained thus, the meat rotted or went rancid.

Using a ground smoke pit and using a little modernization, use the heat reflection bricks you find at a Lowes for fireplaces and line the hole (They are cheap)...3 to 4 feet deep and as wide as you wish. You can use anything to create stacked shelving to place the meats by placing the shelf material between the layers of bricks.

Or you can do the native approach, wedge or dig out small shelve into the side of the pit to allow place pieces of wood, branches etc to make the shelving to place the meats etc

fuel- you do not want a raging fire...low fuel use is the key.
Natural earth holds heat....
On another note, surviving subzero weather in the open....same concept except using pine needles and other available things. Create a fire...stack as many rock into and around the fire...heat them up....dig a trench based on your height in length, and about a foot to a foot and half deep. pine needles or other needs to be laid then the hot rocks on top. There must be at least a foot
of material placed upon them, combination of dirt etc, in between you and the hot material. Then place what ever blankets etc you have on top and snuggle in for a warm sleep.

Experiment. The earth can be a real friend when in need
This has come in handy many times...