Ken Albala

So even if you couldn't afford a big hunk of fresh meat, you could get something canned.

And preservation techniques, you know, by the 18th century, they're using nitrates already, you know, in hams and meats and things.

And those would have certainly helped, you know, prevent botulism, mostly.

But I think by the time you get to the 20th century, no one needs to smoke anymore.

And they do it because it tastes good, and ham...

tastes better than fresh pork and bacon tastes a whole lot better than pork belly.

So it's, you know, that's something we definitely don't need to do anymore.

I think we probably do as much smoking, if not more today than in the past, but it's done industrially.

So you'd have an enormous smoking outfit, you know, in a factory, churning out things and then wrapping it in plastic and sending it to the supermarket.

Whereas

At home, very few people do this.

I mean, they think for some reason it's going to be dangerous or difficult to do.

So they make home smokers.

I mean, my older brother has one and you put wood chips in it, you press a button and electrical current goes through and it smokes it.

And that seems really not to be much fun to me.

I mean, I like the fire itself.

And I think the amount of control you have when you're doing it yourself is just to sit out in the backyard and start smoking something and put on some good bluegrass and carve while this is going on.

I mean, that's just a delightful day in my mind.

I do think it is hardwired into our limbic brain, you know, that we've been smelling smoke for so long that it's sort of like, you know, infants immediately like the taste of sugar and we grow to like other flavours.

But I think smoke is really there.