The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-12-11

Will bnanK you TO publish as part OF
this article; the object being to in
duce those who have meat to cure
to adopt the best means to attain
the best results. All of the hams
cured by Mr.. Patterson, and which
he could spare, have brought 2Ocents
per pound. That is evidence of the
superiority of his method.
T. K. BRUNER.
Wake Co., N. G..
COMMISSIONER PATTERSON s PLAN FOR
MAKING GOOD HAMS.
To make good bacon will require
good hogs. By that is meant a medium
weight hog which has been properly
corn fed, and watered with clean
water. The choicest bacon is made
from hogs from ID to 18 months old
and weighing 125 to 300 pounds.
They are killed on the farms on a
cold morning well bled, we'll scalded
and we'll cleaned. They should hang
all day, be housed at night, not
allowed to come in contact with each
other, and cut and salted next morn
ing
Do not cut them up the day of
killing.
Do not salt the meat before the
animal heat has cooled out. More
meat is spoiled by the sailing and
packing in bulk before it is thor
oughly cooled than from any other
cause.
Cut out the backbone and pull out
the ribs. Trim the hams and shoul-
ders close. Leave no surplus bumps
or points and make the cuts as
shapely as possible. The trimmings
are worth more made into sausage
and lard than if left to mar the ap-
pearance of the cured meat. The
sides or middlings should also be
carefully trimmed, and one or two
four inch strips cut lengthways from
the thin part to be cured as break
fast bacon. This is important, as
these cuts are much sought after,
and bring 215 cents more per pound
than the whole sides, when properly
cured.
When the meat has been properly
trimmed then curing begins; use
about one pound of ground saltpetre
to 400 pounds of meat. That is
heaping teaspoonful to the ham,
more or less, according to size. This
is rubbed in on the flesh sides and
around the bones. Use fine Salt, and
rub it in we'll, heaping it up on the
flesh sides to some extent. Don't
cut a cash for salt in the ham. If
desired, one pound of sugar may be
added to each 90 pounds of salt. The
meat should then be packed up in
piles on plank flooring Of some kind,
and raised off of the ground plank
frame or large trough is better. The
platform on which the meat is
packed should be slanted so as to
allow the melted salt to drip away.
In about a week take down the pile,
resalt and replace the pieces in the
pile and let them cure for four or
five weeks longer, according to size.
When the meat is again taken up,
brush off the salt and rub we'll with
a tablespoonful of mixed ground
pepper-red and black. IF you pre-
fer body to hold this pepper, use a
small quantity of good quality mo-
lasses, we'll rubbed on then the
mixed peppers. The joints are now
ready to hang for smoking. With
large wire needle or small knife, in
sert strong twine and hang in the
upper part of the smokehouse, hook
end down, and start ''smudge" or
small fire made Of green hickory,
(preferred) or red oak, beech wood
or corn cObs. Smoke every day for
about three weeks, or until the meat
has taken on the rich brown color
desired; and your hams are now
ready for bagging; or if preferred,
bagging may be done at time Of first
hanging.
To bag the hams, make bags of
common unbleached sheeting drop
the hams into the bags, hook down,
and sew or tie up tight at the top.
Then saturate the sacked hams thor
oughly in a thick solution of ashes
and hot water; or as others prefer,
into a lime bath, made up as for
whitewashing. These dips serve to
exclude all insert pests and to pre-
serve the color and flavor of the
meat enclosed.
It is better to hang the hams in
the darkest part of the smokehouse.
Shoulders and breakfast strips |
treated like hams, will pay well for
the trouble.