The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-11-28
strongest coarse salt of sufficient strength to

! bear an egg; odd two or three quarts oil
hickory ley, refined By boiling when cold
| cover them.
The receipt Of Abraham Hunt, of Trenton
was: For three dozen hams, three pound.
saltpetre, half bushel fine salt, and ono aud 4
| bait gallons molassca; mix them we'll TO.
gcthcr, and rub the hams we'll let them lie
twelve or fourteen days; then make pickle
that will bear an eSg, and cover the hams
with II. After lying three or four weeks In
pickle, rub them with bran and hang them
up to smoke.
The recipe that / have adopted for my own
use is rs follows: For twelve hams, one
pound saltpctre, twelve pounds fine SALT and
a half gallon molasses. These ingredients,
when well mixed, will have about the con-
sistcncy and appearance of dlnp brown
sugar. Rub them thoroughly With this mix
,urc; lay them singlv on dry platform. AT
the end OF one week rub them again ut the
end of tue second week again rub them, and
hang them up to smoke; let them dry
thoroughly, but do not smoke them more
than ten DAYS.
1t will be perceived that Ill the foregoing
recipes embody the same principles, and
differ only in the mode Of compromising the
ingredients and their application; and am
frequently amused to see some ncwiy-1cdgcd
agricultural journal publishing new recipe
for curing bacon hams, when i'll principle, il
not in words, it is precisely the same that
waS used more than half a century ago.
In regard to smoking lncat, il has been
practiccd in this country since timo I'M
memorial, but do not deem ii essential 10
its preservation. Many persons like d slight
flavor of smoke; others do net, Meats
cured for the English market are nerer
smoked. aud | have known persons to kiln
dry their meat as they would cure tobacco.
1t is necessary, however. to have it thor
oughly dried. ! would not be understood
is entirely dScaldiDg brine. In some cl-es
It is not only valuable, but iudispensab bic.
The sides, or what is known Us mess pork.
being nearly all fat, possess neither Gbrinc
nor albuDen. and consequently cannot he
injured other By salt or waller and can be
kept sound and sweet az indcGu!le length OF
time b. simply keeping it covered with pure
brine, or. as the gentleman from Whcatand
suggested at our last meeting, by keeping ii
covered With salt, and taking it 10 the pump
now and tbcu and Cling The cask with cold
water. I would here, however, drop eau.
ton. All brine requires 10 be asSiduouSiy
watched and kept pure. It ex racts the
juices Of the meat; they, being lighter than
the water saturated with salt. rise TO the top.
become exposed TO the air, and soon decom.
pose, thereby communicating the whole coz
tents Of the caSk. The following Iocipe !or
making brine, | think, is the best that has
fallen within my observation:
Six pounds salt, one pint molasses, six
ounces saltpetre; dissolve them By boiling
In four gallocs of water. In the pickle, when
perfectly Geld, keep any sort Of fresh meat
sunk aud closely stopped. This pickle may
be kept pure, and its strength uudimiuisheG
for almost any length Of time, rs OCCASION
ally reboiing it aud >kimming Of the impu-
rites; but as Old brine is an excellent fer
tilzcr, and salt IS not expensive, l would
recommend that the old brine be thrown on
the asparagus bed or compost heap, ara
fle>hy-madc brine he substituted.
Opinions in relation to "thc best mode Of
preserving meats after they are cured" arc
as diversified as they are in regard Is the
mode o.! curing. The hams Of commerce
are, believe, invariably covered with cdu-
vas aud whitawashed. Many persons adco.
cate packing them in chaG, bar, ashes, &c.
Others, after smoking, imuef>c them II
brine; Others agIin pack them in air-ti9hi
barrels. The manner OF keeping is n0l 81
| essential rs the time al which they are PIT
up; ana hence the necessity Of not con'
>umug more time than i necessary ii curi@.-
Ii they are not secured before the fy de-
posts lis eggs upon them no means whatever
will save them, except, INDEED, Keeping them
| in temperature so low that the egg clnnol
hatch, or imineisng them i'll brine. Fol
any considerable quantity prefer the tight
lnriel system; but for family use, ! have
found i rough, swinging shelf, the sides anc
ends Of which are covered with wire Glo;i
| Gin which The piece are hung conrs
nient aud secure against both ilrs ana reiMi!
Of every description.
Now, Mr.. President and gentlemen, If tlls
for-oiu@ premises be corrcc', am led TO tuC
! following conclusions:
l. TO lave cured meas in perfection II
| animal should lie slaughtered until it bus il
| some. degree ut least allatued lis patulr.
growth.
2. All meats should be promptly anC
! thoroughly cooled before being fa'te6. /
in cold weather, by hanging III Il cold plac.
| at least forty.eight hours, aud rs much lungc;
as will be consistent with It's keeping sound
but under no circumstances let it freeze.
3. No more salt should be used md liz
more time should be consumed in curin-
| than Is necessary 10 its Sackeeriug, due ~
| gard being had TO the size Of the pieces. thu
| temperature of the weather, De, aDd rs liillt
| water should be used rs is consistent viii
cleanliness.
4. They should be thoroughly dried before
slowing away, but smoke Is not essential t
| their preservation.
5. To preserve them after being cured they
should be slowed away in cool md vel
| ventilated apartment before the fly can pos
sihy reach them. In this climate, SHOULD
say not later than the middle OF February.