The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-01-16
HOW TO HAVE GOOD BACON.
Directions for Cutting, Sailing and
Curing Meat-How to Save the
Hams-What is Necessary to Pro.
tect Them From Flies and Bugs.

Curing Meat-f1OW to save the
Hams-What is Necessary to Pro-
tect Them From Flies and Bugs.
The Bulletin, issued by the State
Agricultural Department, prints the
following:
Like the old recipe for making a
rabbit pie, which begins, "First catch
the rabbit" SO to make good bacon,
the first thing necessary is to have good
hogs.
Good bacon will not be made of
sharp backed, slab-sided, half-fattened
hogs; nor will the best quality be OBJ
tanned from very heavy and over-fat-
tened hogs. Anywhere from $50
pounds for 12-months old pigs to $50
pounds for 1S-months- hogs is good
weight.
Of course they should be killed on a
cold morning, be we'll bled, we'll
scalded and we'll cleaned, and be al
lowed to hang all day, then put away
at nj ght so as not to come in contact
with each other, and cut up and salted
the next morning.
1t is not a good plan to cut them up
the day of killing.
1t is not a good plan to salt the
meat away before the animal heat has
cooled out.
More meat is spoiled by the sailing
and packing in bulk before it cools
than in any other way.
If the weather is very cold, an ex-
ception to the above rule of cutting up
may be made-but it is still better not
to salt until it is we'll cooled.
The halves should be so divided as
to throw as much as possible to the
middlings, then trim nicely all the
pieces, SO as to leave no surplus fat or
flesh to dry up and be useless for food.
The trimmings pay we'll to 60 into
the sausage mill or tat pot.
Hams left with big slice OF loin
and an occasional tail will not bring as
much money as the same hams smoothly
trimmed.
When the meat has cooled off, which
can be tested in the cutting, it may be
closely packed after being we'll salted
"a gallon of salt to the 100 pounds
or bushel to the 1000 pounds is
about the right quantity.
If the weather turns warm, it may
be we'll after week to take up the
joints, add little more salt, and in re-
packing shift the surfaces of contact.
The sides and shoulders should lie in
salt 4 or S weeks, according to size and
weather, and the hams a week or 50
longer.
If it is desired to make the hams
extra nice. and better than the So
called sagar-cured ones, try the follow
ing recipe, which has been fully tested:
Beat up saitpetre in a mortar-a lit.
tie at time is easier-until it is as fine
as corn meal, put heaping teaspoon
full to the ham of 200 pound hog
more or less according to size-rub it
in we'll about the bones and on the
exposed flesh 6efo,e saAting-then salt
and pack.
When the hams are taken up, brush
I off the salt and rub with a tablespoon
full of mixed ground black and (if you
have it) we'll pounded red pepper
parched little to beat well-put the
hams in bags made Of common sheet.
ing, hook downward, and tie tight
dip the ham, sack and all, in a mix
ture Of water and ashes (hard wood
preferable). 1t is better if the water i:
:. hot-and let the sack be entirely sat
urated-then hang by strong string
split or wire. If the smoke-house il
properly constructed, the hams and
other pieces also may Ike left hanging
until used.
All the meat should be smoked o.
3 weeks.
The ham-bags may be kept from
one season to another, and will last fol
years with little patching. Leave nc
hole in the bag that fly can enter.
These rules carefully observed, will
such precautions and adjustment t
circumstances as common sense vii
dictate, will insure tender, sweet ane
wholesome quality Of bacon for hom'
use, and will put money into the pocke
), of the farmer who has a surplus 70
sale.