Modern Cookery
Ingredients
Directions
Cure
Rub the head with the saltpetre and mixed salts, turning it daily in the pickle for 4-5 days.
Pour treacle over the head and continue to turn it daily, basting with brine frequently for a month.
Smoke
Hang it up to drain overnight, then wrap in brown paper and smoke for 3-4 weeks.
Cook
Wash and scrape the head clean without soaking it, then place it in a saucepan and cover with cold water.
Heat slowly, skimming thoroughly when it begins to simmer, and boil gently for 1¾ to 2 hours until tender.
Pour off excess water, leaving just enough to cover the gelatinous part, and simmer until tender.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Saltpetre
- Cures the meat and sets its pink colour while preserving it.
- Common salt
- Draws out moisture and seasons the meat during curing.
- Treacle
- Adds sweetness and helps darken the surface during smoking.
The step that matters
Skimming while the water simmers. Heating slowly and skimming as the water first simmers removes foam and impurities that would otherwise cloud the broth and spoil the texture of the set jelly.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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