"Connie TenClay" > wrote in message
...
> Actually the smoking was to keep the bugs/flys off of the meat the
> brining was the preserving. This comes from my husbands grandmother who
> had a smoke house for years and years.
> Connie TC

Don't tell your granny in law, but she's wrong . Cold smoking not only
keeps bugs/fly away but, it does in fact help preserve meat for 2 reasons:
among the hundreds of compounds in smoke, there are some with bactericidal
properties, they are deposited on the surface of the meat and absorbed
during the first hours of the smoking process. The long/low temperatures,
also help preserve the meat by drying its exterior, which helps to prevent
bacteria survival, fungus too.