The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-11-12
farm aud 6aratn.
How to Cure Hams and Bacon.

There are different methods OF curing
bacon and hams. The essential thing Is
to have the meat absorb a sufficient
amount of salt to prevent putrefactlon
This is the science of preserving meat,
and salt produces this chemical effect.
If there is too much salt, the meat is
rendered tough and hard and unpalata-
BILE, while at the same time enough salt
must be used to insure the preserving Of
the meat. The common and a safe meth
cd is to make brine strong enough to
swim ham or to float a potato, and i'm
merse the meat in this until enough salt
is absorbed. For hams of the average
size twenty-five days Is long enough to
leave them in this pickle. Large hams
should be left from full month to SIX
weeks, according to the size. The rela-
tive proportions for making the brine are
six pounds of salt for every hundred
pounds of meat, with fourth Of pound
Of saltpetre.
The saltpetre is put In to preserve the
red and fresh color Of the meat, and it is
also beneficial to arrest and preventputre-
faction. 1t Is dangerous thing to use,
and no large quantity should ever be put
into the mixture than one-fourth of a
pound for one hundred pounds of meat,
or else the person that eats that meat
may be injured, as saltpetre is destructive
to the coats of the stomach. On this &C
count, some careful people do not use it;
but the hams of commerce are impreg-
mated with it, and it is this which gives
them their rosy and fresh appearance.
Brine can be made by pouring cold water
upon the salt and letting it slowly dis
solve; or it may be made much sooner by
using boiling water Care must always
be had, in curing meat, in any form or by
any method, that it Is not frozen, as
frozen meat viii not absorb either salt or
brine The meat Will often freeze in the
brine when the brine is not frozen, and
when in this condition it will not cure.
Bacon is usually cured by dry sailing,
that is, it is not put into pickle; but the
salt is put on the surface and allowed to
penetrate, which it Will do Six pounds
of salt to one hundred pounds Of bacon
is also the rule, with the one-fourth Of a
pound of saltpetre made fine and mixed
with it. Hams can be cured the same
way. The pieces of bacon are first
washed with brine, to moisten the sur
face, and then the salt is sprinkled on
and the pieces are piled one above the
other, as high as convenient. Wettlng
the surface with brine makes the salt
stick to the meat, and, as it gathers
dampness from the meat, it soon melts or
dissolves and Is taken off by the meat.
The pieces should remain for eight days
undisturbed after the salt is put on, and
at the end of this time they should be
sprinkled again. If the bacon Is light
and thin, by this time it Will be salt
enough; but if it is thick and heavy, it
should be treated again and left a week
longer. When sufficiently cured, the
meat will be dry on the surface, or, at all
events, not Shiny and wet. 1t is an easy
matter to test the degree of sadness by
tasting the meat raw or by cooking a
small piece.
The hams or pieces of bacon should be
washed in warm water, to make them
look neat and clean, before being smoked.
When the meat is found to be frozen,
which may be known by running sharp
iron through it, it must be thrown in
fresh water. When cured in the summer
time. the salt Is rubbed into the bacon to
insure its active absorption This Is not
necessary in cold weather, as the low tenn
perature will arrest putrefaction until the
salt has taken effect, Molasses and sugar
are often added to the salt or mixed with
the pickle, to impart a sweet taste to the
meat To get Just the right degree of
saltness to meat, so as to insure Its pres
ervation and at the same time not have
it too salt, requires experience and skill
at least. to get it perfect One dealer
used to pack his hams in tight barrels
and fill them half full of brine, and then
turn them down on the sides every day,
rolling them over. This plan kept the
hams in the brine half of the time, and
had the effect of making them softer and
more popular. This was his secret; and
others have modes differing, which each
one claims to be superior and which
. makes his wares preferable to others.
Close observation and experience will
enable any one to secure success. If meat
is to be kept long time, it requires more
salt, as the action Of the air upon it will
draw out portion of the salt. Many
dealers have a special trade, and fit their
meot to suit the taste of their customers
and adopt it to the conditions required,
Bacon-that is, the sides Of pig-is not
generally used by farmers in the North
IN this form; but as pork, kept in pickle.
When cured and smoked these parts Of a
pig are more palatable and decidedly
more fashionable A breakfast on bacon
is considered recherche, while a plate Of