The Preservation of Food in the Home. — Part III 1323 



casings are of three kinds: "rounds," made from the small intestines; 

 "bungs," made from the large intestines; and "middles," made from 

 that part of the entrails leading from the bung to the rectum. The 

 " rounds " are used for bologna, the " bungs " for bologna, ham, 

 and blood sausage, and the " middles " for bologna and summer 

 sausage. Hog casings are made from the small intestines of the 

 hog, and are used mainly for pork link sausage. Sheep casings are 

 made from the small intestines of sheep, and are commonly used 

 for wiener-wurst and other small sausages. 



SMOKING OF MEATS 



Pickled and cured meats are smoked to aid in their preservation and 

 to give flavor and palatability. The creosote formed by the combus- 

 tion of the wood closes the pores to some extent, excluding the air, and 

 is objectionable to insects. 



House and fuel 



The smokehouse should be 8 or 10 feet high to give the best 

 results, and of a size suited to the amount of meat likely to be 

 smoked. One 6 by 8 feet will be large enough for ordinary farm use. 

 Ample ventilation should be provided to carry off the warm air in order 

 to prevent overheating the meat. Small openings under the eaves or 

 a chimney in the roof will be sufhcient if arranged so as to be easily con- 

 trolled. A fire pot outside of the house proper, with a flue through which 

 the smoke may be conducted to the meat chamber, gives the best con- 

 ditions for smoking. When this cannot well be arranged a fire may be 

 built on the floor of the house and the meat shielded by a sheet of metal. 

 Where the meat can be hung 6 or 7 feet above the fire this precaution need 

 not be taken. The construction should be such as to allow the smoke to 

 pass up freely over the meat and out of the house, though rapid circulation 

 is at the expense of fuel. 



Brick or stone houses are best, though the first cost is greater than 

 if they are built of lumber. Large dry-goods boxes and even barrels 

 may be made to serve as smokehouses where only small amounts of meat 

 are to be smoked. The care of meat in such substitutes is so much more 

 difficult and the results are so much less satisfactory that a permanent 

 place should be provided if possible. 



The best fuel for smoking meats is green hickory or maple wood 

 smothered with sawdust of the same material. Hard wood of any kind 

 is preferable to soft wood. Resinous woods should never be used, as they 

 are likely to impart bad flavors to the product. Corn cobs are the best 

 substitute for hard wood and may be used if desired. Soft wood and 

 corn cobs give off large amounts of carbon in burning, and this is deposited 



