82 BEEF. 



pass a twine through it, and hang them in a cool, dark place 

 after they have been smoked. Tongues, when fresh, require 

 two hours to boil ; but if salted and dried, they will take from 

 three to four hours, and will require to be soaked twenty- 

 four hours, and the water to be changed at night. Salted 

 meats must be put into a great deal of cold water when they 

 are to be cooked, and simmered, and never boiled hard. 

 For baked tongues, see Baked Meats. 



BEEF, ROASTED. 



The sirloin, rib-pieces, and in small families the piece that 

 is left from the rump after the steaks are cut off, are all 

 roasted. The fire should be got well going, with a substantial 

 constitution, before the meat is put down. Sometimes a 

 backlog of tan, or wet ashes, thrown in at the back of the 

 chimney, throws the heat in front. When the fire is to be 

 stirred, the meat should be drawn aside, to escape the smoke 

 and ashes. In the first stages of the roasting, place the tin- 

 kitchen or roaster at a distance from the fire, and baste fre- 

 quently with water, seasoned with a little salt. Meat should 

 get thoroughly heated through before it begins to brown. 

 Where beef is very fat, the dripping-pan may be emptied 

 once or twice, and still enough remain to make the gravy. 

 Beef dripping is very nice for frying potatoes and breakfast 

 cakes, when it has been nicely clarified. As the meat as- 

 sumes a rich brown, a little flour can be sifted over it from 

 the dredging-box, but the meat must remain long enough to 

 brown it. A sirloin weighing fifteen to eighteen pounds will 

 take four hours of roasting ; but ribs of the same weight will 

 be done in half an hour less. 



BEEFSTEAKS. 



Beef for steaks, though it does not require to be mellowed 

 by time so long as a large roasting-piece, eats tenderer for 

 being three or four days old. 



