Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-01-05
agricultural department.
THE LARDER.

The sailing Of clean side-pork is a
very simple process. There is no dan
ger of sailing it too much, as it will only
absorb certain amount. The only dan
ger in curing clear pork is in packing it
before the animal heat is gone. More
pork is lost from this cause than from
all others combined. No definite rule
can be laid down as to the time requir-
ed for perks becoming thoroughly cool.
This will depend somewhat on the thick
ness of the pork, but more on the state
of the weather. The outside often feels
cool when the inside may he warm. In
ordinary November weather hog should
be allowed to hang So hours before it is
packed, and if, on cutting it up, the
thermometer applied to the fresh-cut sur
face indicates a rise of temperature,
packing should be deferred still longer.
The pork should be cut in strips about
four inches wide, and packed with the
skin next to the sides of the barrel, a
layer of best rock salt being first placed
on the bottom, and SO alternating with
layers of salt and pork till the barrel is
full, care being taken to pack each lay
er of pork SO compactly that it will not
rise. Some make brine and add it to
the pork after it has lain in the salt for
two or three days; but pure water is
just as good, if sufficient salt has been
used in the packing. If brine is used
} it mu be thoroughly cold before it is
applied. A little saltpetre, half a pound
( to a barrel, will give the pork slight
rosy tinge, much admired by many,
while others prefer the pure white which
salt alone gives.
i The curing of bacon is an entirely
e different process. In cutting up pork
s for bacon, it is usual to have some lean
r meat in the strips; and if these were
{ sailed as thoroughly as is clear fat pork,
}. this lean meat would become intolera-
J. bly, hard and stringy, Bacon is, there
r fore, better if dry-salted. as it is called
f that is, not put into Brine but rubbed
o with fine salt and sugar or molasses mix
s ed together. If the rubbing is thorough
Is ly done, using six pounds of salt and a
G. pound of sugar, or pint of molasses to
k 100 pounds of pork, sufficient salt will
T. be absorbed to keep these strips of bacon
10 sweet for an indefinite time. If how
r, ever, the strips are unusually thich, the
N rubbing must be repeated after ten days
k or fortnight.
!" Beef is best cured much in the same
way as recommended for bacon, only we
should always put in quarter of a
pound of saltpetre along with the six
=: pounds of salt and the pound of sugar
a A reddish hue in beefis desired by every
/; one, and the saltpetre also has an anti
nd septic effect. With large pieces of bee
e; the rubbing must be repeated, excep
t when it is designed for drying, whel
lis one rubbing is sufficient, as the dryin,
'or forms tight covering, which keeps GU
Die the air and prevents the putrefaction ten
eft dency. In some warm and dry climate
ok all the curing which beef requires
eat hanging in the sun on some branch of
hes tree, where the air circulatrs on all side
ich of it, and soon forms membranous-lik
Vas covering. Our climate is too moist fo
led this, and, besides, most persons like
it taste of salt in their cured meat. TIL
on. common practice of putting beef an
six hams into brine is Objectionable. a
ide the brine extracts more or less of til
ink juices of the meat, which are mostly IT
But tanned if the meat is dry-cured.
tor Another process in curing hams an
ev- dried beef is smoking. Most person
n" think this gives good as well as an &C
in ditional flavor to the meat. Whetht
ltic the flavor is good or bad depends muc
yet on the material used IN generating I'll
wn, smoke Corn-cobs make good smok
the as also do birch and hickory chips; bl
re- pine and most light woods communica
49," an unpleasant flavor. Great care mu
in be exercised, In smoking, not to Great
will SO much heat as to cook, as well as cur
it the meat. To avoid this, it is well
his have two apartments in the smoke-hou
ain -one for the cobs or chips, and IL
ing other for the meat but one is sufficiel
'om if only the meat is hung up high enoug
lilly and the fire is kept smouldering.
70! Vermont in 1878 produced 2,275,5(
bushels of corn which exceeds the pr
duct of New Hampshire by 68,l00 bus