1867 Six Hundred Receipts by John Marquart

600 MISCELLANEOUS VALUABLE RECEIPTS.

238

No. 518. T. E. Hamilton's Receipt for Pickling Meat or Hams, To every 100 pounds of pork take 8 pounds ground alum-salt, 2 ounces saltpetre, 2 pounds brown sugar, 11 ounces potash, and 4 gallons water. Mix them all together, and pour the brine over the meat after it has lain in the tub some 2 days. Let the hams re- main 6 wee*ks in the brine, and then be dried several days before smoking. He says he has had the meat rubbed with fine salt when it is packed down. The meat should be perfectly cool before packing. First rub your hams and pork on the ilesh-side with brown sugar thoroughly, and take care that as much sugar will lie on it as you possibly can. Having it covered all over, (from 1 to 2 pounds of sugar to each hog is sufficient,) you can either lay the meat on a table or any kind of vessel that will not hold any pickle ; then, when you have one layer laid, cover it all over with fine salt, (ef course, the flesh- side,) and squeeze it on with your hand as tight as you can, and so on with each layer. Then leave it so for 8 or 10 days. By this time the salt will nearly all be dissolved, when you have to take it out and pack it again, and cover it all over* with fine salt the same as at first. Then let it stand for 3 or 4 weekc' longer, according to the size of the hogs, then hang it in Bmoke. This method is excellent for dried beef. No. 519. How to cure Fork and Hams dry without Brine.