The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-05-14
AGRICULTURAL HINTS.
ABOUT DRIED BEEF.
How Beef Can Re Perfectly Cured with
a,+ yrs;nr

SOoS Osi-N
How Beef Can lie Perfectly Cured With
out Using Salt.
I have recently been watching an ex'
pertinent in keeping beef without salt.
Two farmers in this vicinity during dry
ing weather in early winter killed
beef, and having hung it up in the air,
used the meat as they wanted it all
winter. One Of them says that his meat
treated in this way has never become
spoiled. Another man in West Chester
keeps meat for dogs in the same way
and claims that none was ever spoiled
that had been hung up in good weather.
On January 81 bought half beef that
had been killed the day before. lieut. it
up and sailed what we did not want to
use fresh. The rib-pieces were cut up
into convenient sizes and hung up in
room had built on top of the house for
drying beef in summer. The weather
had been warm and moist for some time
but cleared off on the day the animal
was killed, and remained clear about
four days. The beef cooled nicely and
dry crust got on the outside OF the
pieces that were hung up before the
weather had changed; then followed
some of the worst weather for keeping
meat ever knew in the winter time.
On examination, four weeks after it had
been hung up, twas in erfectcondition.
To salt beef for drying, ! separate the
rounds at the seams, or use any good
pieces that can get in that way without
bone. In pieces cut in that way there
are no pockets that do not dry out, and
in cutting across the end one always
cuts squarcly across the grain, which
makes the shaved meat much tenderer.
There will be some small pieces, but
they can be used before they get too
dry. In sailing, begin with the largest
pieces; rub them all over with fine salt,
leave on all of it that adheres, and pack
as closely as l can in tub. In two
DAYS l take the meat out, drain OFF the
bloody brine, and resalt and pack as
before. Pieces that are not more than
an inch thick will be salt enough at this
time. The other pieces l take up in
the order of their thinness, leaving the
thicllest for eight or ten days.
Some years ago while attending the
! West Chester market, a friend suggested
that trade in shaved beef might be
established there l was SO well pleased
with the suggestion that l bought a
quantity of rounds of beef, cured them.
| bought meat-shaver and went to work
shaving and selling so fast that the sup
ply was exhausted by the middle of Au-
gust. determined to try to salt some
then. 1 purchased round; cut it ur
into small pieces, left no seams. sailed
| the pieces as above described, but neg
| lected to change the brine on the sec
/ ond day. The weather being very warm
the blood spoiled and tainted the meat
/ I prepared a temporary frame with
tight top and bottom, covered the sides
with wire gauze, set it up on top of the
wood-shed and hung the meat up in it
In less than week the smaller piece:
were ready for shaving and were no
tainted in the least. The meat was
sweet and good in August. then bull
the drying-room on top of the house /
is ten feet long, four feet wide and fou
feet high, and is tight at the top. bot
tom and ends, and for one foot at thu
bottom of the sides.
The upper three feet of the sidos arr
covered with wire gauze and the meat i
hung on hooks screwed into the woode1
ceiling. The entrance is through a trap
door from the attic below. The onl.
trouble l have had with the meat hun!
up here has been from shippers. TIL
ordinary fly gauze is not fine enough t
keep the skipper-fy out. A skipper ca
not enter the meat except through
seam or blood-vessel, hence the neces
sity for cutting all seams out. Mea
should not be left in salt after it has be
come thoroughly salted.-Rural Ne'
Yorker.