Making the cut
Located on the outskirts of Glenwood , Alabama , Stephen Luther has put up shop almost overnight . Striking out on his own , Luther started Southern Smoke Deer Processing in 2021 at the beginning of deer season .
He learned the trade from a gentleman in Jack , Alabama , while helping him at his deer processing business in previous years .
Luther built his operation by hand , including the large wood smokehouse where he smokes jerky , sausage and other types of deer meat .
It takes about eight hours to complete his smoked jerky , depending on the temperature outside .
A wood-burning stove attached to the back of the smokehouse provides the hickory-smoked flavor .
The meat is seasoned with Legg ’ s seasoning before being ground into smoked sausage .
“ It probably takes about a week to process an entire deer when I am busy like I am now ,” Luther said .
Southern Smoke has grown quickly since the beginning of the deer season . Taking in around 21 deer a week , Luther has had to hire help to process the deer . His industrial freezer stood packed with 14 hanging carcasses waiting to be processed .
Southern Smoke has a skinning fee of $ 20 . He offers hamburger , cube / tenderized steaks , stew meat , patty sausage , hog casings , summer sausage , bologna , and jerky .
Luther said he is looking to expand his business in the near future and would like to double his freezer space .
Southern Smoke Deer Processing can be found on Facebook at Southern Smoke Deer Processing or you can contact Luther by phone at 334-282- 8636 .
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