The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1859-12-09

Formerly 1 tried keeping hams and
shoulders in salt, and also in grain, but
they would dissolve the salt and mould
in the grain. then tried keeping them
in pounded charcoal but with no better
effect. ! next tried dry ashes, but unless
the hams we're very dry when put up. they
would tast Of the ashes. | then tried
sewing them up in coarse cloth and white
wash them several times over, as / had
seen them in that condition in market;
l,it they did not keep well-wuuld either
moIld or the lime would crack aud the
flies get in.
For a number of years havo adopted
new method, and never failed 10 keep
them sweet and free from mould aud flies.
prepare a sack for each ham. a yard
square Of good shecting is sufficient for q
good sized ham, After the hams arc
smoked, and before any flies have infec-
ted them, put them mp one in a sacki
/ take sweet hay, aud cut it On cutting
box) about one inch long, end I'LL It in the
sack and arouul the ham, so the ham can
not touch the bag. Tie q cord around
the open end and hang them up in the
smoke-house or some cool dry place, and
they can be kept any length Of time; the
bag and hay will keep AWAY the flies and
and allow the moisture 10 escape 30 thcy
will not mould.
frams should always be well cured he
fore they are smoked. hgye seen sever
al good recipes in the RAal for curing
hams The followinRis my method, and
! have often beCG asked how could keep
them through the summer and have them
Of 30 fine flavor:
RECIPE FOR CURING hAws.-To one pal-
- g water take one and a half .-Ounds Z
of good salt, one half pouad ~rsuger, and
haitian ounce saltpoter--to be increased
in tbis ratio to any quantity required to
eovar the hams. AZ soon as your pork is
rol5 cue out the hams and pack them
cl~sely in your cask. Sprinkle each lay
or lightly with fine salt--put on weight
and Dour on the brine Immediately, and
and before the juice Of the ham has cs-
cAped. Il will require from four to six
weeks for the salt to strike through, ac-
cording TO the size Of the hams. IL will
o necessary perhaps, TO add little salt
on top Of the hams sometimes if they are
very large, they absorb so much Of the
salt as to leave the brine 80 weak IL may
sour. IL would be well % take them up
after they have been in week or two
and examin them and if necessary add a
little moro salt Great care should be
tOkon not TO salt too much, as by doing so
-- you lose tho flavor Of the ham, and but
Wst enough should be used to keep them.
As the salt ubsorhs the salt from the
brine Il should be fed by adding a little
salt at the top, and the ham should be
we'll struck through. When the hams arc
large take out the Hat bone and cut of
the round socket bone with chiscl, leay.
ing always the large bone. With care
| have never failed to keep them sweet
How to MAKE A MoKE-HoUsE.-Hav.
ing gwen you my method of curing and
keeping hams, let me add my plan for O
smoke-housc. No farmer should be with.
out smoke-housc, aud such a one as will
be tre-proof and tolerably secure from
thieves. Fifty hams can be smoked al
one time in a smokc-house seven by eighI
feet square. Mine is six by seven, and il
largo enough for most farmers. l firs
dug out all the ground below where tbs
frost would reach, and filled il up to the
surface with small stones. On this | ait
my brick floor, in lime mortar. The walls
nre brick, eight inches thick and sever
feet high, with door on one side two fee
wide. The door should be made Of wooC
and lined with sheet iron. For the top
put on ioce two by four, set up edgewise
eight and half inches from centre L
ceptre, covered with brick, and put on I
heavy coat Of mortar. built a smal
chimney on the top in the centre, arch
ing il over and covering it with a shingl,
roof in the usual way. An arch shoul,
be built on the out side, with a small iroi
door TO shut it up, similar to a stove door
with hole in the arch through the wal
of the smoke-house, and an iron graft
over it. Tho arch is much more conven
lent and better to put the fire in than I,
build fire inside the smoke-house, am
the chimney causes a draft into the smok
house. Good corn cobs or hickory WOO
arc the best materials to make a smok
for hams. The cost of such a smoke
house as have dccribed is about twent
dollars. Alex, Brooks, FactoryvillC
TiogN county, New York, October, 1858
--RHTal Nei0 Yorker.