The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-11-11
Farm and Home.
AND USEFUL IMPORTATION.
To Cure Bacon

To Cure Bacon.
The following which we clip from
an exchange, is from Rev. Mr.. c.
Lewis, of Franklin county, KY, and
can be relied upon for this section.
Good bacon can be made without
the use of the ashes, but the plan
given is followed successfully by
many farmers:
1t is quite natural for every one
who makes good bacon to think
his manner of curing is the bOst. /
have been an experimental all my
life, where l thought any good to
be arrived at. Many of the recipes
for making good bacon have been
tried and found utterly worthless,
in my estimation. l herewith send
you one that to my personal knowl-
edge, has been practiced in my own
family connection for three genera
tions. My grandmother told me
of her having followed this plan be
fore the revolutionary war. NY
father did likewise for fifty years,
and l have done so Tor forty five
years, not only successfully, but
without ever finding any one of the
many plans recommended by others,
at all equal to this.
First, have your hogs well fatted;
let your pork be thoroughly cool to
the bone, but u ot at all frozen, when
sailed. Take four measures of salt
and one of ashes burned from green
hickory woUd-any small charcoal
left in the ashes is no disadvantage
mix the salt and ashes thoroughly;
rub the meat well with the mixture,
using a hogs ear as a glove to save
the hand in rubbing; then pack the
meat with as mucn salt on each
piece as Will lie on it when lifted
into the packing box; and as fast
as one layer is made all over the
box, fill up all insterstices with the
salt and ashes, so as TO completely
envelope each layer of the meat in
the mixture; then add another lay
er, and so on, putting hams first,
then the shoulders, and topping off
with the sides, from which all the
ribs should be taken. The packing
box should be so open at the bot
tom as to let all the bloody brine
pass off.
After the meat has taken sufi-
cient salt, which will be in four to
six weeks, according to the size of
the hogs, and counting out any
weather cold enough to freeze the
meat in the meat house, take it up,
knock the salt of, and string each
piece ready for hanging, then wash
clean in tepid water, and while wet
roll it in hickory ashes before hang
ing. Smoke it well with billets of
green hickory, and about the first
of March put the joints in cotton
bags, tie them closely, and hang up
in the house again. say use hick-
DRY wood for all this, because 1t is
a sweet wood. Our sugar tree is
nearly as good; but never use pine,
oak or walnut, or any other strong
scented or sour wood, unless you
wish to spoil the flavor, OF your
bacon.
A smoke-house ought to be as
perfectly dark as possible, and the
smoke so supplied as not to heat
the meat.
Now, just try this plan, and when
you cook a ham boil it until thor
oughly done; then put it in an oven
and bake it slowly until brown; put
It away until tho noxt day, and 10 /
will be all you wish, and you will
never again be induced to use SUI
gar or saltpeter, or any composition
for brine curing, nor for curing dry.
Your bacon will be as red as i: you
had used saltpeter, as firm as it is
possible to desire, and more de
ightfully favored than you have
aver had by any other process
The fat, when the meat is well cook
ed, will be red and semi transparent,
md without any of that tallowy
condition so often met with.
If my directions are complied
with strictly, there will be no need
Tor lifting the meat, nor for re-salt-
Dg, nor fear about the influence of
mild weather. In forty-fve years l
nave never lost piece of meat in
he packing box, and / never lifted
)r re-salted a piece. some persons
painting meat, when it
5 hung up, with molasses and
black pepper, as a safeguard against
he skipper fly, and l have reason
% believe it answers well, but have
lever resorted to it, because l put
he joints ia the bags.