On the Care of Meats

Salt your meat, in summer, as soon as you receive it.

Cover the bottom of the barrel with salt an inch deep.

Put down one layer of Pork and cover that with salt, half an inch thick.

Continue thus till the barrel is full.

Then pour in as much strong pickle as the barrel will receive.

Always see that the Pork does not rise above the brine.

When a white scum, or bloody-looking matter rises on the top, scald the brine and add more salt.

Leave out bloody and lean pieces for sausages.

Take an ounce of saltpetre for each ham, and one pint of molasses to every pound of saltpetre.

Then take a quarter of a pound of common salt for every pint of molasses used.

Heat the mixture till it nearly boils, and smear the meat side with it, keeping the mixture hot and rubbing it in well, especially around the bones and recesses.

Let the hams lie after this from four to seven days, according to the size of the hams.

Then place them in a salt pickle, strong enough to bear an egg, for three weeks.

Then soak eight hours in fresh water.

Then hang in the kitchen, or other more convenient place, to dry for a fortnight.

Then smoke from three to five days, or till well smoked.

Then wrap them up in strong tar paper, tying it close.

Then tie them tight in bags of coarse unbleached cotton, stuffing in shavings, so that no part of the paper touches the cotton.

Hang them near the roof in a garret.

Empty the cases, taking care not to tear them.

Wash them thoroughly, and cut into lengths of two yards each.

Fasten one end of a case to the top of a candle rod, and turn the case inside outward.

When all are turned, wash very thoroughly and scrape them with a scraper made for the purpose, keeping them in warm water till ready to scrape.

Throw them into salt and water to soak till used.

Take one-third fat and two-thirds lean pork and chop them.

To every twelve pounds of meat, add twelve large even spoonfuls of pounded salt, nine of sifted sage, and six of sifted black pepper.

Keep them in a cool and dry place.

Take equal portions of veal, pork, and ham, chop them fine, season with sweet herbs and pepper, put them in cases, boil them till tender, and then dry them.

Put the meat in the vessel in which it is to stand, pour the pickle on the meat till it is covered, and keep it for family use.

Once in two months boil and skim the pickle, and throw in two ounces of sugar and half a pound of salt.

When tongues and hung beef are taken out, wash and dry the pieces, put them in paper bags and hang in a dry, warm place.

To one hundred pounds of beef, take four quarts of rock salt pounded very fine, four ounces of saltpetre made very fine, and four pounds of brown sugar, all well mixed.

Scatter some over the bottom of the barrel, lay down one layer, and over that scatter the proportion of salt belonging to such a portion of the meat, allowing rather the most to the top layers.

Pack all down very close, and if any scum should rise, sprinkle a pint or more of salt over the top.

Hang the stomach of a new-killed calf in a cool and dry place five days or so, then turn the inside out and slip off the curds with the hand.

Fill it with salt, with a little saltpetre mixed in, and lay it in a stone pot, pouring on a teaspoonful of vinegar, and sprinkling on a handful of salt.

Cover it closely and keep for use.