The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-03-13
mo-. 10.
HOME CURED MEATS.

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HOME CURED MEATS.
How a Farmer That Understands the Bust
moss May Make Money.
Curing meat properly for the mar
kot is frequently the surest way I'd
mako profits, especially when fresh
pork is so low that it hardly pays to
raise it. Generally home cured meat
can find local market at fair prices,
many consumers preferring such
meats to those cured on largo scale
by the packing houses. Good, homo
smoked hams or shoulders are sweet.
er and juicier, and a farmer can COM
mand fancy prices for his products
if he understands his work.
Picklod meats are very popular in
these days, and there is good de-
mand for them. To pickle shoulders,
bellies and hams or any kind of meat
about seven pounds of salt should be
mixed thoroughly in four gallons of
water with five pounds of sugar and
an ounce and a half of saltpeter.
Boil this mixture in some large tin
vessel, and then as the scum and
dirt rise to the surface skim off care
fully. Next pack the meats to be
picked very carefully into a water
tight barrel that has been previous
~ washed and scaldcd out. Pour
the curing mixture while cold over
this meat until every part of the
contents is covered. If tho meats alb
sorb some of tho liquid, moro must
be poured on 80 that no meat is ex-
posed to the Dir. If the meat is to
be kept for a year. the picking proc
ess should be repeated In about q
week. Pour off the old liquid, dry
off the meat and scrape off any
mold that might be on it and then
pickle again with new sweet brine,
as before. This mixture Is sufficient
for 100 pounds of meat, and the same
should be added for every additional
100 pounds.
In smoking hams and shoulders q
great deal depends upon the smoke
house, for a good ono is really . rare
thing to find upon the farm. The
smokehouse, to do we'll, must be per-
feotly dry and when closed free from
frost. 1t must be- we'll ventilated. II
very fine wire netting covers over
the vent holes in summer, the meats
can DO kept in thes1nokehouse with
out danger of being infected with
insects. In the lower part of tho
smokehouse the smoke should be
made, and this should pass through
holes in the upper partition, where
the meat is hung. The upper story
can in this way DO kept scrupuloasly
clean, and this is very important
point. Where the fire and meat are
all put in tho same place withoutany
partition between, the ashes from
the fire and dirt will be sure to get
on the meat. Blackened meat 10
hardly as salable anywhere, and 1t 10
hard to smoke meat to q crisp brown
without blackening it without hav-
ing tho fire chamber separated from
the place where the meat is put. The
smoke should be light, thin smoke
and not a deep, black, cloudy smoke
that will cover everything with SCOT
A layer of corncobs and then one of
maple or oak sawdust, then pieces Of
wood and then more sawdust until
the furnace is full will make clean,
thin smoke all night. Pine sticks or
sawdust should never be used, as it
taints the meat, but hickory is good.
Every few days the outside air
should be admitted by opening the
door, as this will dry the meat.
Before smoking rub the hams and
sides thoroughly on both sides with
q mixture of salt and saltpeter and
then pack the meat closely. sailing
down between each layer. The meat
should remain packed in this way
from two to four weeks, according
to the size, and then it will be
ready for smoking. -Germantown
Telegraph.