The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1886-01-23
HOW TO CURE HAMS.
Simple Instructions for Those DESTROYS Of
Having Fine Cured Meats.


The principal thing is to get the hams
just salt enough to keep them, and not
so salt as to injure the flavor, and cause
them to get hard. Hams should be
neatly trimmed, and cut round, to i'm
itate, as closely as possible, the hams
of commerce. Trim closely, so there
shall be no masses of fat left at the
lower extremity of the hams. The
shoulders may be cut in shape con-
venient for packing, and they should
be sailed in separate packages from the
hams. Hams are cured by both dry
sailing and brine. When dry-salting
is employed, the hams are rubbed often
with salt and sugar. Between each
rubbing they are punched up on plat
forms or tables, the surface of which ID
spread with layer of salt; and each
ham is also covered with salt. When
taken up to rub, which is usually done
five or six times a shallow box is at
hand in which to do the work. When
brine is used, prepare pickle strong
enough to float an egg, and stir into i:
a sufficient amount of sugar and mo
lasses to give it sweetened taste.
Some add little saltpeter to color
the meat, while othere claim it tends
to harden the meat. In moderate
quantities it is generally accepted
as beneficial. Cover the hams
with pickle, and place the packages
where the temperature is uniform and
above freezing. 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 for domestic curing of
ham, varying as to size of hams, tenn
perature and time when they will be
required for use. When it is desired to
preserve hams through the summer
they must not be removed from the
pickle too soon. Shoulders require
much the same treatment as do hams,
and both should be carefully smoked.
The preventative principle of smoke is
known as creosote. Smoke made by
burning corn-cobs is highly esteemed,
but those engaged in curing meat on a
large scale prefer the smoke obtained
from dry hickory that has been stripped
of its bark. The smoking process must
not be too much hurried, or the creo-
Sote will not have time to penetrate
The entire substance of the meat Ten
| days smoking is usually sufficient, I'M
less the pieces are very large and
thick. A process in ham-curing prac-
ticed by some of the leading pack
lighthouses consists in creating the
smoke in an oven Outside of the smoke
house, and connected with it by under
ground pipes. The smoke, rising from
the floor to the top of the house, en-
counters two opposite currents of air,
drawn from the outside. These cur
rents cause the smoke to form in a rap
idly-revolving horizontal column,
which passes among the hams. The
smoke is not warm, and there is no
heat to melt the hams or hot air to
blacken them. The hams, under this
| process, are smoked in very much less
time than by the old method. While
canvasing hams has nothing to do with
their flavor, it is protection from in
sects, and will pay the farmer for the
extra labor. Ii should be done before
warm weather. Wrap each ham in
coarse brown paper, and then sew it
up in cotton cloth 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 colOred
with yellow ocher. Hang up in a cool
place to dry. The wash closes the
interstices of the muslin, and the whole
forms perfect protection against in
sects. The room in which any kind Of
cured meat is stored should be dry and
cool, and the darker the better .-.Popa'
lay Science NeWS