Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-12-11

s,
leg Tree from bone, and chimes the rest to
b. neck and poll pieces fore and hinf legs
not to exceed g. Quality to be very lat
2-ShouId contain As pieces prime, quality
not so fit as India -,
8-Shouli contain 80 pieces prime, quality
same as last.
4-ShouId contain % to % piec prime, and
is the only package and quality suitable
for this market
5-Should contain u to u pieces prime.
When packing for expOrtation the pieces OF Beef
and Pork should be washed in clean water Ihe
pickle should stand twenty-four hours after being
m de, and all scum taken of, and never used TIL
perfectly bright and clear The want OF good
head of salt and the muddy pickle have been the
most conspicuous faults of American Beef and
Pork; so much that the great bulk OF 1t has TO be
washed and re-salted on landing.
The Brand; as above directed, must fairly r p
resent the contents of each package.
BACON.
There are three sorts of Bacon used in England:
The highly sailed Irish Bacon, used only by the
working classes on account Ofits comparative cheap
ness-the Cumberland and Yorkshire Bacon, fed
and cured by the farmers 10 these districts, aud Ia
ken out Of salt at early period, being then hung
up to dry till it acquires rich havOr-the thlrd
kind is called breakfast Bacon" and is cured prln-
cipally in Ireland. The taste for this mild Bacon
is becoming general, and is mentioned here, not IN
expectation that Americans compete IN the sup
ply of the article, but that knowing what is waited
they may come near az possible to 1t.
HAMS.
There are two kinks of Hams made in Belfast,
long cut and short cut. Long Hams keep much
better as they do not OK the points It's gen
orally customary to make Hams above 20 pounds
ignr, short cut, as the points are otherwise too
fat.
Splitting and separ ting the Hams must be very
carefully done, unless the small ligament that tas
tens the meat to the Ham bone in each Ham be
fairly divided one ham is apt to have IL all, and
the other having none the meat will separate from
the bone
The skin is rubbed well with a course brush
every alternate day for a week, they then laid
on the cel4r floor for a few days, as long the
room can be spared, when they are piled two to
four hg: they are always laid in a slanting posi-
ton the head Of one resting on the shanks OF
the previous row, the shanks being always lowest
to induce the melted salt to soak into tnat part
which is always difficult to cure; the first day about
a teaspoOuful of very finely powdered saltpeter Is
spriukled over each Ham, over the Heshy surface,
and very slight covering OF salt IS also applied;
the skin side is always down. When the weather
is dry and the salt does not melt freely, hams
mnst be sprinkled with pickle. Hams under l0lbs.
should be kept fourteen days in salt; 10 to l6ios.
twenty-one days; over l6ibs. twenty-eght to THU
ty-six-days in size.
When taken out Of salt Hams must be washed
in water, to cleanse their surface from supeltou-
Gus salt and improve their appearance when dried
thew are then hung in an airy place, or dried with
hot air but not so hot to melt the lat 1t IS
usual to give one man the charge OF this depart
pcnt attending to the fire, admitting air as 1t Is
needed and shifting the Hams 10 and from the
heat; the nicely of drying Hams, to dry up all
the water and leave in all the juice of the meat,
can only be acquired by experience. The drying
house should have 1ues to carry OF the smoke
the Hams are then pale dried, after which they
NAV be slightly smoked. For the voyage to Eng
land they should be extra dry, as there is great
tendency to dampness or sweating IN the hold OF
the ship; they should be packed in a cask with
very dry straw, oat-huls, other materials that
will absorb moisture; if they come dry, and with
coat of green mould upon them, it very desira-
BILE as they are then called RIPE, but an excess OF
this makes them SHINY or out of condition.
The great fault of American Hams has been be-
ing too highly smok the lean parts too hard, and
the fat too soft and oily. Smoked meet ia not pop
ular in England.
| After being dryed the Hams must be tried with
a small ST. ell fryer, making as few holes as possible,
and only those which perfectly sweet are ship
| ped; they are then neatly trimmed with a sharp
knife TO remove all rugged pieces of flesh or skin.
! The well-fed plump ones have part of the shanks
! left on; the lauky ones have the shanks cut very
| short which bring them all nearly to par in APP
! pearance.
The assortment into sizes is very important. Al
! the Hams cask shOulu De wen matched III
/ thickness, and not vary more than 21los. IN
| weight else they must be sold at a less price to
! persons who will assort them.
! Shippers should put their nan rs on none but
the best articles, and the invoice should be true
description of the goods, to size aud quality,
| that ait.r the first few shipments the Hams may be
| sold from character before arrival.
Irish Hams are packed in sugar hogsheads.-
tn are packed on their edges, with layers Of new
unbroken straw between each Ham and between
/ each row. The INK Of the Hams is kept upper.
most and as many packed in row as pOssiOle the
! TANKS are then heated down so that when they are
! unpacked they may appear plump.
Although there is trying to make good
| Hams from badly fed Pork, it will be that
| there is more attention reQuir 10 preparing
| Hams after they are cured than in cutting them.
! In Ireland one man cuts all the Hams another
| cures them, havn, unSkiued men under him,
| third has charge of the drying house, an the try
ing and asserting is often done by OF the mas
! ters. BY this system each man acquires great per
| lection 10 his particular branch.
! Hams or Bacon should be protected from frost
! as when cured in frosty weather they seldom take
| the salt properly, aud when heated and thaweG
are discolored aud partially tainted. From fros
il Is believed arises the bad color oi much Amer
! lean meat, as there is 10 doubt temperature has
much TO do with favor and color whether in sal
or in dry state; this refers only to intensi
~ Of it, as sght frost is rather assistance thar
otherwise.
LARD.
The melting OF L.ri preserves it without using
salt or any other autiseptic, simply because tn,
| pure Lard is contained in very minute meshes Oh
cells, something like honey in the hOneycomo, anc
the cells, cellular membrane) eng the parts tina
purify any process which will destroy or burs
them whilst they yet sweet so that the LarC
may be collected separately, is all that is uecessa'
! " for its curing or preservation.
The application of heat has been found the sim
| plest and most effective mode OF bursting these
| cells Melting IN a cast mon pan Is the usual way
but IN consequence of the liability to seoreh 0
SINCE melting by steam has been lately introduce.
| but steamed Lard is not so certain to keep sweet
owing, no doubt, TO the cells being imperiectly
bust; tie heat Of the steam not being intens
| enough for the purpose.
Fire tn, ltiug can be managed with entire safet.