The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-02-03

gelatinous matter, which, not having had
time to become hard and firm, will when
the meat is being BOILED because Of it's SOL
ubility) cause the cells of the pork to con-
tract, or, in other words, shrink in the
pct" Give only sufficient food to satisfy
hunger the night before butchering and
none at all the following morning.
AS to the best method of killing. the bull
ct is better than the axe, though the ma
jorlty Of farmers prefer to use neither. In
the latter case two men turn the hog upon
its back, and while one holds the fore legs,
which are slightly drawn back, the. other
the hind ones, the third person, an expert
enced "sticker'' places his left hand on the
under jaw, and with his keen eight-inch,
sharp pointed knife, makes cut across the
neck just in front Of the breast bone and
thrusts the knife directly into the heart, SO
that the hog will speedily bleed to death.
That the heart is reached is indicated by
the dark color of the blood. In scalding. a
slow scald is better than quick one. In
dressing black ones the water should not
De quite SO hot as in scalding white Ones
Some begin cutting up as fast as they kill,
and salt while warm, but the majority do
not until the carcass is thoroughly cooled,
but not frozen. Take out the chine, or
back bone, and if too fat, strip may be
taken off for lard. The parts designed for
sailing down as picked pork should be cut
into small pieces four to eight inches square.
which is a convenient size for use. For
bacon. first take oat the ribs, andafter neat
~ cutting out the hams, and shoulders, di-
vide the side lengthwise about half way up,
the upper portion being reserved for sailing
down in the barrel.
When picking pork use new barrels; 9th
erwlse scald, drain, and turn them bottom
up over few burning cobs to sweeten them.
Cover the bottom Of the barrel with good
salt-the kanawha is preferred in the blue
grass region of Kentucky. Pack in layer
OF meat, placing it on the edge, skin out,
putting some salt between the barrel and
the bork and on each layer of meat; then an
other of meat, and so Oh. Cover the top
well, weight down with hard, smooth
rock, and at the expiration of four or five
days cover with a brine strong enough to
float an egg. Pork packers use salt only at
the rate of forty pounds of imported or for
ty'tlve pounds Of domestic coarse salt to ev-
cry one hundred and ninety-six pounds of
green meat. ~. -
For sugar curing hams invariably had
excellent success by pursuing the following
method: Spread out the hams, shoulders,
/,
OF where it will not freeze. Let it remain
twenty-four hours. Put the side meat il a
pork barrel and salt literally. Bulk up the
bacon peices, first rubbing them all over
with the same mixture hereinafter describ-
ed for huns. Let the bacon lie in bulk two
weeks, then rub with the mixture, and then
again at the beginning Of the fourth week.
At the end Of the sixth week smoke. When
the ham weighs from fifteen to twenty
pounds, and when there are eight hams and
shoulders, take large dish pan and put IN
to it eight quarts of SALT eight pounds of
coarse grained: brown sugar, and eight
ounces Of pulverized saltpetre, and put
in sufficient warm water to make it of
the consistency of soft mush. Set the hams
and shoulders one at u time in the pan and
rub the mixture well in, and see that no
part of the meat, especially about the ham,
! is overlooked. Pile the hams, flesh side
up, and let them remain from three to five
days, according 10 the weather. Put them
in a barrel cleansed AS described for pick
led pork, then pour in enough brine, which
has been previously boiled. strained, and
cooled, to cover them. Let them remain
in the brine not less than four weeks nor
more than six. then wash, drain, and
hang them, hook or small end downward,
not lower than six feet above the slow fire
made Of green hickory, sugar maple chips,
or corn cobs. The fire is kept well COW
cred with wood ashes, the object being to
dry the hams as we'll as smoke them. Smoke
until they become Of pretty yellow color,
when the smoking should be discontinued,
except in rainy weather, when an OCCASION
al smoke for drying will be needed. Two
weeks of continuous smoking during the
6avtina when tho weather. il clear will he
sufficient.
From the first to the middle of March the
meat is taken down and rubbed with a bit
Of cloth dipped in molasses, SO that the
finely ground black pepper will adhere to
every part of the meat. Enclose each ham
and shoulder in cloth sack, place them in
a paper flour sack, and return them to the
smoke house, where they can remain until
used or sold.-.W NJ. K. n, Farm and
Fireside.
Benjamin FrankIin's Papers.