The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1844-12-26
CURING MEAT.

CURING MEAT.
HAMs.-The following mode of prepar-
ing hams, we haye practiced for several years,
and can with confidence recommend L il to-
Others.
For every one hundred pounds Of meat,
take five pints of good molasses, Tor five
pounds of brown sugar.9 five ounces of salt
betre, and eight pounds rock-salt-add three
gallons of water, and boil the ingredients
over a gentle fire, skimming off the froth or
scum as it arises. Continue the boiling III
til the salt &c, is dissolved. Have the hams
nicely cut and trimmed, packed in casks
with the shank end down, as the pickle will
thus strike in better. When the pickle, pre-
pared as above, is sufficiently cool, pour it
over the hams. They may lie in pickle from
two to six weeks, according to the size of
The pieces or state of the weather-more
time being required in cold then warm wea-
Their. Beef or mutten hams, intended for
smoking and drying may be cured accord
ing to this mode, and will be found excel
lent.
Much ofthe goodness of hams depends
ON smoking. They should be hung at such
a distance from the fire as not to be heated
They should be hung up shank end down
ward, as this will pevent the escape of Their
%iucies by dripping. Small hams. wanted for
immediate use, will answer with two weeks
smoking, but large ones, and those wanted
for keeping, should be smoked four weeks or
more.
Different article are used for smoking
Perhaps saw dust from hard wood, where it
can be conveniently had, is on the whole to
be preferred. Corn-cobs are first rate, and
are slid by some to make the Sweetest
smoke of anything. Chips ofmaple or hick-
DRY, or the snallt wigs and branches of those
kinds of woods, do well.
Hams are sometimes cured by adding py-
roligneous acid to the pickle; but having had
no experience with this made, we cannot
speak of It's advantages Another mode,we
have seen practiced, is TO smoke the barrel:
or casks in which the hams are to kept, and
let them remain in pickle till wanted--only
taking them out sufficiently long time be
r tore using, to allow them TO drain properly
The barrels are smoked by being place.
over small fires of chips, cobs, g., for sever
al hours. The essence of smoke, which j:
/, thus embibed by the barrel, is impaired &c
the pickle and thence 10 the meat.
BEEF.--The best piece for corning are
the plates, ribs, and briske;s. Pack the pie
ces in casks giving a very a slight sprinklin.
of salt between each piece. Then cove
S The meat with a pickle made by boiling TO
gether, in tour gallons Of wafer, eight lbs
Of salt, three lbs, brown sugar, 3 ounces 0
saItpetre, l ounce pearlash, for 100 pounds
of meat. Have a heavy fiat stone on the
o meat, that it may be well emmerced in ih'
: pickle. Beef packed in this manner vii
d keepa year. and will rather improve thar
q grow worse.
q Another mode recommended by a 9en!le
man of long experience in the packing o
beef and pork, is the following:
For one hundred pounds of beef.ake fou
e pounds brown sugar, four ounces sallpetre, ant
b and TOUR quarts of fine Liverpool salt-mi,
q all intimately together, and inpacking,s prink
e lie it evenly over the meat. Add no pickle
the dissolVing of the salt, &c, with the fuic
es of the meat, will be sufficient. Keep lh
meat closely pressed together by a goo'
a weight. We are assured that this is tin
best modeo of packing beef that is intended
for keeping over the summer, and that The
quality of the meat is exceptionally fine.
5 CLEAR PoRk.-For this we prefer clea
salt and water. After having divided tn
hog, take OFF the shoulders and hams, ant
all the lean meat, cut the sides crosswise in
to strips, four or five inches wide, and afie
d covering the bottom of the cask with salt
h puck the strips in layers, set edgewise, a
: closely as possible round the cask, with pien
ty Of salt between each layer. When tn
cask is full and has settled for a-day or two
put in cold water enough to fairly cover th
a pork. There is no danger Of using too muc
e salt for clear pork-no more will be take
up by the meat than wanted, and the remain
y der is safely left and may be used in pack
2 ing a new parcel.-ALbany Cuttirator.