The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1882-12-21
4st tie farmer.
CURE YOUR OWN PORK.

4
the same prices, and thus save the immense prof
| its the pork-packers are known to make. We
have eaten, hundreds of times, country hams
and bacon superior to any to be had in the city.
Such meat would command in towns about the
| same prices that city cured meats would. Now
a. a rule, hogs are shipped to the city, killed
and the meat cured, and shipped back TO the
same towns near where they were raised and
| sold again, and in some cases TO the very men
who had shipped hogs TO the city. The railroads
and pOrk-packers have made good thing out Of
| it-but the farmer who raised tine hogs might
have made all they have made.
Ii is strange more enterprise is not exercised
by farmers in many particulars IF they think
| they don't understand this business we'll enough
how easy it is to learn. Let of their sons.
or euterprising farm hand come down TO the
city, just before pork-packing time, and get
situation IN packing house, OF LET two or three
come and get situations in different departments
of the business. They can easily get situations
If they are willing to work, and get good pay.
They could after that put up pork for their
Deighborhood, cutting it mp rs neatly. and cur
ing IL as well as in the city. and If one year will
not saiiice. try another. The man who learns
the business would have good thing of it, Our
pork packers are notably rich. Farmers could,
many Of them, at least, make Just as good pork
and get about double what they now do for their
hogs.
The american FaIa and Home Encyclopedia has
some good directions for curing pork, which in
the main may me followed Skill in curing
meat will come from experience. What any one
wants TO learn he can learn, and become an
adept in. The directions for killing aud curing,
we think, can be understood by the average far
mer, and will be found valuable on most farms.
Shoot the hog, or stun him with an AK or large
hammer. Turn him square on the back and
| stick him, care being taken that the knife does
not penetrate either shoulder. As soon as the
| bleeding ceases, dip in the scading vat. Most
farmers Use a large barrel or hogshead for seald-
ing. These, however, are very inconvenient,
| and any who has used a vat prepared
for this purpose, wound never use d barrel again.
The vat or trough can readily be made of two,
inch plank by any Que. trough six feet long
| thirty inches wide and two feet deep is a con
venient size. One end should be sloping, 81 that
the carcass of the hog may be easily thrust in
aud pnlled ont of the water. A wide platform,
| on level with the top of the trough, should lie
constructed at the sloping end of the trough.
| The trough should he nearly filed with buiIing
| water and the hog immersed in il. being turne,
over several times. When the hair "slps- or is
| readily removed from the ankles, draw the car
| rass out on the platform, and scTape. This is
done with blunt knives, hoes sticks. The
hind legs then split at the hook JOINT and a
lsambrel inserted under the main cords with
which to hang up the hog In removing the en-
| trails care should be taken not to cnt into any
! of them. The carcass shOuld he thuruuly wash
edl and left hanging until perfectly COOL After
| the hog is slaughtered and dressed il should hang
/ in a dry place, where the air can circulate free
| ly, for twenty-four hours before cutting, that
all animal heat may escape and the meat become
| firm. Common salt should not be Used for cur.
| ing meat, as it contains too much lime. What
| is known A. Turks Island salt is good but ex-
pensive.
| CUrTIxG.-The carcass should be split through
| the backbone, and the sides cut up. Trim the
| pieces carefully. The hams should lie cut short.
well rounded at the butt, properly faced, and cut
| just above the hook joint. The shoulders should
Ice cnt as near as possible to the back part of the
| fore arm joint aud butted off square on top; or,
| the blade may be taken ont aud the corners
rounded. The ribs may be removed before cut
ting the sides or not, the farmer chooses. For
| making mess pork the ribs left in, and in
| clear pork, taken ont. The sides may he cut in
| long short pieces, according TO the use to be
made ofthem.
| Dry SALT DYRiNG.-After the pieces are
| trimmed they should he spread ont floor,
without touching each other TO thoroughly cool.
! Use no salt or pickl. until all animal heat has
! disappeared. Shoulders and sides are usually
| cured in dry salt. After cooling, rub the pieces
! well with salt, and place three nr four high.
a floor of shelf where the air can circulate free
~; at the end of five days take mp the msats roll
| in new salt; rub in much salt possible: the
| pieces should then be pat back again at first
sailing. This time the salt should cover the
meats well, bnt not heavily. At the end of
! twenty days repeat the operation, appyin. as
much salt as the meat will take, and allow the
| salt To cover each piece 10 the depth of one
| fourth of an inch. la sixty days from time Of
s,,,,ta ne snS,,,.cnr,d .b,nIdsr. az. r,i:i,.d =.
| -. ,,,.,..l,, H.. .,,,o a. s,,r,ar c,,,aJ L,r,s
'"l'
! half the side off the belly, and curing in sweet
/ pickle. the hams. The remaining half
may be cured in dry salt, and when smoked.
VIII DE choice oaeoh OF, u may oe eur ~ pieces
nfe OF SIX ihchSS sPuaIr' ana c"Iea IN regular
mess pnrk pickle, making the messy et family
mess pOrk.
SJJAE CURED MEATs.-tIams shoulders,
aud l-frakfas; bacon can he sugar cured in a
tight or open vessel. The open vessel is best.
Pack the meats closely in the vessel, and after
preparing the pickle. pour IL over the meats
and If the vessel be open, put n weight on the
meat to hold it under the pickle. If ihr vessel
is tight, turn il half over every thirl day for
twenty days. The vessel mast I've Kept full of
pickle.
THE PICKLF-Is made as follows: For each
three h-ndred pounds of meat placed in a fierce
or hogShead, put in twenty four pounds of salt,
| three quarts of good syrup, twelve ounces of
saltpetre, and ill the barrel with water IL cur-
| ing in on open vessel take the meats ont of the
/ vessel and rrpack rs often you would turn The
| vessel II tight. This is to be done TO change
! the position Of the pieces, that the pickle may
reach every part. IL is best To let the meats re-
main in the pickle until taken out to smoke
1 The Temperature shOnld be kept below fifty
while pickle remains on tho meats.
pIcKIrD poRx -p;rkled r,,rl Imass o- cI..r
porEl is made by sprinkling roek sal, n, The
| hottom of the barrel and nack mo- The ,,;..ss
closely pIarinp them ON edo. sn1inEI;,t, sol,
betyyren m. Iayers Is,D,, fli1tr ndnn5s f FL, =,
one hundred pounds Of Ineat Lr;na NJ f,II
strength sbonld then he made aud m. hal
filed See that The Iarr.I 4. kent f,Ii NJ n;ctI.
or IL the vessel i an o,,en one rbs, H.. r;,ll
covers the meats. If III. pickle sbnuI,i h,r;r =,
/ frrment at any time, mors rock salt should he
added. When any meats cured in this manner
are tn be smoked. put them in q vessel of cold
water To snak for six or ten hours Ia remove the
surplus salt; then wash in rain water. rubbing
well with scrIIb-hrush or cloth then han. twcr,-
tN-irnr hours before applying smoke. Sweet
picked meat should not be soaked IN water be-
lore smoking. but sh"nld be washed in rain wa
Ter the same as IN drl salt CARED meats. The
meat should be hung Tor smoking. a, high above
hfe as P"sslhir. HE meat should be smoked
rom zen uays 10 wv" weeks; Sugar-cured meat
should hr scrubbed or placed IN dark room s'r-
lore thr ny appears ~ The early spring
CASvAssISG MrATs.-Take the InratS down
from tine smoke-hnuse after the smoke has bern
nlf two or three DAYS. wrap with heavy panrr.
made Tor the purpose then wrap a second paper,
tue sa'ne As hrSi, thrn e"V"T with heavy shret-
ing, sewing II WIN strong t"ine to fit closely.