Also, FWIW: you can head out for 2-3 days when smoking. Just chuck a wood block or two in the fireplace before heading out (morning or late morning for safety), go about for night or two, get back to cabin; shove 3-4 blocks in the fireplace and lo and behold: no spoiled smoked cuts when complete.
But I agree: hiring a smoker would go great with other villager hired jobs in the pipeline.