Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-12-24
Curing and Keeping Pork.

ALTHOUGH we cannot class the products
of the hog as food quite as high in the
scale as we do beet and poultry, yet if
hogs are judiciously fed and the pork,
hams, sausages and lard are all we'll pre-
pared and thoroughly cured, they make a
valuable addition to the family stores,
especially of those who live at an incon-
venient distance from a retail market or a
butchers stall. Pork, unlike beef, can be
kept for long time in strong brine with
out growing over-salt and unwholesome.
Some housekeepers are always having
trouble with their pork barrel. The
brine scums over, becomes tainted, and
soon the pork is spoiled, or it gets oily
and rusty" and anything but palatable;
while others are successful in keeping
pork nice and sweet till it is all consumed,
whether it be longer or shorter time.
AS the season is now at hand when the
majority of farmers are laying up pork and
pork products for the year, perhaps few
words about curing it may not come amiss
To have pork keep well for long time
it is only necessary to have good, sweet,
wholesome pork to begin with, Il clean,
tight barrel, plenty of pure, clean, coarse
salt, and cool place for keeping it when
packed.
To keep pork year, first cut out most
of the lean meat, as this contains more
blood to discOlOr the brine, and besides it
taxes salt very freely ard soon becomes
hard like old salt beef Procure a tight,
clean oak barrel and scatter coarse salt a
half inch deep over the bottom. Then,
having cut the pork into strips OF nearly
uniform width, pack them on edge, with
the rind next to the barrel, and follow
round till the bottom Is covered by layer
of strips so close and solid that no single
piece can rise without bringing up the
whole layer. Then fill all the interstices
with salt, and spread ii half inch thick
over the top of The layer; then pack an
other layer, and so on till the barrel is
full of the pork, all packed. Fine salt
may be used for filling the spaces between
the strips, but coarse salt is better be-
tween the layers, as it keeps the several
layers far enough apart to admit the brine
to both edges of the pork. If pork were
to be packed absolutely solid il would
spoil before the brine could have time to
penetrate it,
Pork should be packed so solid that il
will remain in layers, but so loosely that
the brine can reach il all Immediately. On
the top layer place enough clean, Hat stones
to keep it from floating after the water
or brine is added. After the pork is all
packed it may remain day or two be
fore the brine or water is added, or il may
be finished up at first. In warm weather
the sooner pork is in brine, after becom
ing thoroughly cool, the better, but in
cold weather there is less need Of haste
Some people always make brine to turn
on the pork after packing and others are
very particular TO use old brine that has
seen service. Old brine is as good as new
if it is perfectly sweet, but it is no better
Our own practice is TO pour away the
old brine as not worth the trouble of scald
ing and skimming. Salt is cheap now
only about cent pound. If there wa'
much undissolved salt in the old brine W.
save that by washing it in clean waite
and pouring of all the sediment and float
ing bits of pork. There is but one oh
lection to the use of water instead 0
brine for filling the barrels after the porl
Is packed. IL takes some time for the sal
90 dissolve, and the pork may taint beior
il becomes salted; but if plenty of fin,
salt is used between the strips and on tn
top of the last layer there should be no risl
in pouring on fresh water. II is neces
sary in this case that the barrel be shaker