The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-12-07
HOME CURING OF MEAT.

The high prices of pork products are again calling the attention of Eastern farmers to the home curing of meat. Normally the price paid for the cured hams, shoulders and sides win practically equal that re- ceived for the hog on foot. The liver, head, ribs, lard, backbone, sausage trimmings, etc. may be regarded as pay for the labor. and 1t is certainly labor that is well paid. Based on prices obtained from markets in lead- ing New England towns, a farmer who sells bis hog on foot gets only about one-laalf the amount required to buy the meat back from the re- taller. In many cases it will be profitable for country and village people who. do not grow pigs to buy on foot and cure their own meat.
 Butchering.
 If you want the delicious nutty cuts of bacon or ham that are to be had from the highest grade of pro- duct, care must be exercised in the selection of the animal as well as in the handling after butchering. se- 1ect a young hog that is fattening rapidly but not one that is excess tvely fat. One that has been prop erly fed on a balanced ration will give better admfxture of lean and fat The best weight is from 175 to 250 pounds. The highest quality of meat cannot be made from stags, runts or worn-out sowS. Do not feed for 24 hours before killing. The hog should not be excited before killing. as this will cause poor bleeding, with finally, a meat that lacks the proper flavor and spoi1s easily. Kill on clear, cold day; scald in water at 155 to 175 degrees in temperature: clean of hair, hang up, remove in- ternal organs. open widely and wash clean with cold water, doing all this as rapidly as possible. Keep at Temperature of 35 to 40 degrees for 24 to 80 hours before cutting. Be careful that the meat does not freeze. as frozen meat spoiIs easily on thow- ing. Cut up, rub over well with salt and allow to stand for one to three days.
 G Curing.
 There are many satisfactory ways of curing meat, one of the simplest, surest and best being the brine method. A standard formula for brine IS made as follows: For each one hundred pounds of meat use 12 pounds of common salt. pounds of brown sugar, : ounces of salt petre, gallons of water. Mix, boil gently one hour, put in a perfectly clean vessel, weight down the meat and cover at least two inches deep with the brine. Examine the brine for Fopiness once or twice week. To correct ropiness remove the meat From the brine, add common cooking soda, The ropiness should immedi- ately disappear. If it does not, hake up new brine and put it in after Thoroughly cleaning and scalding the vessel. Small pieces of meat are suf- fciently salted in 30 to 35 days, small hams in 40. days and larger hams in % days. If mild cure is wanted keeD the meat in the brine few days jess than is called for. The formula given above has been tested with sev- eraI others in North Carolina and has proved the most satisfactory of any tried. An older formula and one which has been more widely used con- eists of pounds of salt, pounds of sugar, and ounces of salt petre to aaah hundred pounds of meat.
 Smoking.
 Remove the meat from the brine, hang up and allow to drip for three days and then apply the smoke. The smoke should be made from non- FesinOus woods, hickory or corn cobs being the most widely used, though there is no special advantage in them The fire should be we'll smothered to preveat the meat from being over heated. The best method is to have 4De fire outside the smokehouse and sa in through pipes. Where there is So smokehouse, smoke led into tight barrel or bex is quite satisfactory The msak should be smoked eight hours for four days or an equivalent There s no advantage to flavor in smoking ht intervals, but in summer this may help keep the flies away,
 Keeping smadred Meats,
 if fhe meal E tc be used before