Back in the day when we kept pigs on the Elm property, only ever 2-3 at a time(easy to manage), one of the treats aside from all the other fun butchering stuff I'll spare you was the cutting and readying of the hams and such other parts as to be smoked. My dad prepared them in brines of varying stages over weeks in huge tan & brown crocks out on the sun porch in the winter. A system and secret solutions passed down over generations. When ready, they would be hung by wet rope in the homemade smokehouse(simple three walls a roof and a tarp door) The woods of choice were started and tended and then you let it do it's thing.
(sort of long before Ron Popiel's "set it and forget it")
Damn it smelt good!
On a sad note, one year he was smoking meat and killing chickens the same day. Didn't notice the smokehouse caught up and we lost much painfully prepared meat in the fire. Not cool man!
The freaky part, he tossed the charred meat right in the pen of sows that were raised with said meat only weeks prior and they supped with no remorse. Savages!
I refused them their request for some Fava beans and a nice Chianti.
g.