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Methods of Smoking Deer Hides

Smoking a deer hide is usually one of the last steps in brain tanning, a tanning method that employs pig, deer, or horse brain meat as the main ingredient of the curing solution. Smoking the hide at the end of this tanning process dries out the hide and makes it more durable.

Ground Pit Method
- Tanners will sometimes smoke a deer hide over a ground pit. The tanner fastens the hide into a sack shape and suspends it for two or three hours over a two-foot-deep pit that contains smoking wood chips.
Stove Pipe Method
- Tanners will often smoke a deer hide with a stove pipe. The tanner fastens the skin into a bag shape and fits it over the mouth of a stove pipe, and then lights a wood-chip fire in the belly of the stove. The stove-pipe method lessens the chance of burning the hide since the fire is located further away from the hide.
Smoke House Method
- Tanners can use the smoke house or smoke box method to tan deer hides. The tanner hangs the hide in a wooden box that is attached to a stove. The stove pipe feeds smoke from the wood-chip fire into the smoke house. A fan in the smoke house circulates the smoke evenly throughout the space.

Animals & Science