The dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1919-2001, 1922-12-13
CURING PonsI .

C-c.lSoa College, Dec l2.-Coun-
try sausage and home cured ham!
These words make almost any man
smile, but too often he will be dis
appointed dn the eating, because po-
tentially good pork Is often ruined
by ignorance of the essentials OF
7 meat cutting. Weather conditions at
feet meat curing to some extent but
they can be overcome.
? The pork carcass should be diyi-
ded on the basis Of lean or fat, thick
tor thin. Properly divided, there will
be ham, lein, bacon, shoulder and
head says D. r. Herman. Extension
Swine Specialist who makes the fol-
lowing suggestions on curing meat.
|; The ham is cut off just back of
the rise Of the backbone and at right
angles to the leg. The hindleg is
! cut off an inch above the hook, and
the foreleg an inch above the knee.
The head is cut from the shoulder
at the atlas joint and includes all of
the jowl meat. The shoulder is cut
off between the. third and fourth
ribs and at right angles to the body.
The bacon is cut from the ioin just
below the tender1oin muscle on the
rear part of the middle and parallel
to the back. All of these cuts re-
quire thinning and squaring This
improves the appearance Of the fin
ished product, ard makes for uni
form curing. No more lean meat
than necessary should be exposed, as
curing hardens it. ALI loose. pieces
should be trimmed of, for they dry
| out in curing. All but one-fourth
inch of fat should be trimmed off the
loin and put fnto the lard, care being
taken in trimming this off not to cut
into the loin.
| . - + ! rs#F - 5 .-
Lean trimmings and head meat go
into the sausage, fat trimmings int6
the lard. The loin and sausage are
used for fresh meat andthe remaip
der Is cured.
The first essential 10 successfH,
curing is. thorough cooling. but tlsf
meat should not be frozen at any
time. Either brine Or dry curing
viii be satisfactory. Brine sequres
less work unless it gets ropy and in
this case must be drawn off and
bosaed or a new brine made. Brine
also keeps away insects and vermin
During warm weather the dry meth
od is much safer. Whichever method
is used It is advisable to rub the
surface OF the meat with fine salt and
allow # to drain fora6 to II hours be-
fore packing In the cure.
Brine Method ,of Curing.
For brine curing use 10 pounds Of
salt, 1-2 pounds OF sugar, Q ounces
OF saltpeter, l-2 gallons Of water
for every 100 pounds Of meat. Boil
these in the water sc that they will
be thoroughly dissolved and allow to
feooi Pack hams an the bottom OF
Etl1e con q fner. shonl Hers next and Ttlfe
s. 81 sn 81 .tiss IA,
Isbrtn sssres ceyaes the
ls1nsas n Elie
ord paskiag,
ard he arIas sac Re-
1pea On tss tenth and
ssfghfeenth days How four days
cure for zach pound of ham and
shoulder In = piece, and three days
for each pound in a piece of bacon.
J. DRY Method.
For dry curing use to pounds
Of salt, 2 IL pounds Of saltpeter for
every 100 pounds of meat. (Two
ounces of red pepper and ounces
Of black pepper may be used if de-
sired). Mix thoroughly, rub one
third on the meat the first day and
pack; unpack on the third day and
rub in one-third more and repaek;
and on the seventh day rub on the
remainder and pack the meat ! to
cure. Allow twoa days in the cure
for each pound in a piece Of bacon
and 2 1-2 days for each pound in a
ham OF shoulder.
Much Of the superiority !of pack
ers' meat comes from proper soaking
after curing and before smoking
This brightens the meat and removes
| excess salt, which will harden and
| form a crust if left ON through the