Curing or Hams and Bacon

Ingredients

• coarse sea salt
• saltpetre
• dry sawdust
• common salt
• treacle

Directions

1. Pound and mix the salt and saltpetre, then rub it well into the meat.

2. Place the meat in a stone trough or tub, rubbing it thoroughly and turning it daily for 2 days.

3. Prepare a pickle by boiling the mixed ingredients in a saucepan for 30 minutes, stirring frequently and removing any scum.

4. Pour the hot pickle over the meat and let it sit, turning daily.

5. For small pieces, let them cure for 2 weeks; for hams, cure for 3 weeks.

6. After curing, drain the meat for 1 hour, cover it with dry sawdust, and smoke for 2 to 3 weeks.

7. Boil and skim the leftover pickle for future use, adding 2 lbs of common salt and 2 lbs of treacle to account for waste.