No. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 365 



cut a short or smaller shoulder. If you want a large amount of 

 cured meat, you can cut between the fourth and fifth or fifth and 

 sixth rib and in that way get more of that meat. There you have a 

 cross section of the shoulder, fat on the outside, that spinal column 

 split practically through the middle. Notice the way that bundle of 

 muscle fiber there is protected. If you cut that on the outside, you 

 would cut right through the center of that and spoil it for roasts 

 right here, and much more so when you come to the loin. Now this 

 shoulder may be cut into what we call a long shoulder or it may be 

 cut into what we call a short shoulder or calf cut shoulder. But 

 before you put this into the curing vessel, remove the rib from the 

 Inside of the shoulder. 



A Member: What does that hog weigh? 



PKOF. TOMHAVE: I couldn't tell you, I couldn't get the weight 

 of this hog; I didn't tell the manager to get it for me, so I don't have 

 it In removing these spare ribs, cut as close to the rib as possible. 



The CHAIRMAN :You don't sandpaper the ribs like they do in 

 our town? 



PROF. TOMHAVE: Well, you can't blame the butcher for cutting 

 them that way, because he gets more money for the shoulder than he 

 does for the spare ribs. Now these are what is known as the neck 

 spare ribs or the most inferior ribs that we can get out of the car- 

 cass. Those that we get from the middle are choicer and more de- 

 sirable. Now don't put this shoulder into the curing vessel just as 

 I have it there, but remove the scrag ends and use them for sausage 

 or for lye. To put a shoulder into the curing vessel just this way, 

 you will find these scrag ends, after they are through the curing pro- 

 cess, have been smoked, become hard and dry and have been wasted, 

 so take your knife and trim the shoulder neatly. The idea is to re- 

 move the scrag edges as much as possible. Also remove some of the 

 heavy fat that is found over the back of the shoulder. Now notice 

 how much better that shoulder would be to go into the curing vessel 

 than if you leave the scrag ends and square corners there. 



A Member: Do you always leave it that thick? 



PROF. TOMHAVE: Yes sir. 



A Member: Isn't that liable to dry out? ^ 



PROF. TOMHAVE: No. because the deeper you go into the rib 

 you are in the lean constantly and it will keep on drying till you 

 get to the fat and you want to leave as much of this lean on as pos- 

 sible. We leave a covering on the outside of this shoulder. "See? 

 Remove the shank in this manner. There is your shoulder ready for 

 the curing vessel. You can use this shoulder for fresh meat, for 

 shoulder steak or for a roast. Very often the top of the shoulder is 

 cut ofl" as illustrated in that chart and we have what we call the 

 shoulder or Boston butt, and then trimming up the balance of the 

 ham gives us what we call the calf cut shoulder; I should not say 

 nam. If we cut about a little better than a third from the top 

 down, that will give us a short shoulder. Now you notice there we 

 have a covering of fat on the outside. That should alwavs be re- 



