Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1883-01-17
Curing Hams.

vice Oh iillS lOPlC
The principle thing in curing
hams is 10 get them just salt enough
TO keep them and not so salt as to /
injure the favor and cause them TO
get hard. Hams should be neatly |
trimmed and cut rounding. to imi-
tate as close as possible the hams
of commerce.
Trim closely, 50 there shall be
10 masses IF fat let at the lowest |
extremity of the hams. The shoul
ders may be cut in shape converts
ent for packing, and they should
be saIted in separate packages from
the hams.
'Hsms are cured by both dry
sailing aud brine. When dry salt
ing is employed the bans are rub
bed often with salt and sugar.
Between each rubbing they areI
punched up on platforms or tables,
the surface OF which is spread with
layer OF salt, and each lam is also
cover, d with sat. Wheu taken up
TO rub, which is usually done five
or six times, shallow box is at
hand in which to do the work.
When brine is used, prepare a
pickle strong enough to float an egg
and str INTO it sufficient amount OF
sugar and molasses TO give it al
sweeieped taste. Some add little
saltpeuc to color the meat, while
others claim it tends to harden the
meat. In modern quantities, it IS
generally accepted as beneficial.
Cover tie hams with pickle and
place tie packages where the tea"
peratu is IN form and above treez |
ing. For hams Of twelve pounds
four weeks will be sufficient; large
hams must remain in brine longer
time. In general, three to seven
weeks embraces the extremes OF
time required Tor domestic curing of
hams varying as TO size Of hams,
temperalur. and time when they
will be required for use. When 1t
is desisned to preserve hams
through the summer they must not
le removed from the pickle too
soon.
Shoulders require much the same
treatni,ni as do hams, and both
should be carefully smoked. The
preserya,iye principle Of smoke is
known as ueosote. Smoke made
by bulune com 'cobs is highly es-
teemed, bu, those engaged IN cur
ing meat on large scaie prefer the
smoke btaned from dry hickory
that has teen stripped OF Its bark.
The sm, king process must not tel
TOO much Durned or tie cresOte vii!
not have lime 10 penetrate the en-
tire su,s.aucc Of The meat. Ten
days smoking is usually sufficient,
nnless The pieces are very large ana
thick.
4 process in ham curing, practi-
ced by some OF the leading packing
houses, consists in Cheating tie
smoke in an oven outside OF the
smoke house and passed through
under ground pipes INTO it. The
smoke, using from the floor TO the
top OF tie house, encounters two I!
opposite currents OF air drawn from I
the OUTSIDE. these currents cause,
the suoAe 10 form into rapidly /
revolving horizontal column which
passes among The hams. The
smoke is not VAIN, and there is
no heat 10 melt the hams or hot
air 10 blacken them. The hams un.
der this process arc smoked in very |
much less nmc than by the Old
method.
While eanyassing hams has moth
ing to do with their flavor it is a
protection from insects, and will
pay tie farmer Tor tie extra labor.
1t should he done before warm
weather. Wrap each ham in coarse
biown paper and then sew it up !
in COTTON c,Otn cut to suit the SIZE
following the shape Of the ham. /
When covered as described, DIP |
them IN a wash made OF lime water
and coloied with yellow ochre. |
Hang up IN 4 cool place to dry.
The wash closes the interstices OF
the muslin, and the whole forms a
perfeet protection against insects.
Tie room in whlci any kiud OF
cured meat Is stored should be dry
and col. and the darker the bel
fa.