252 SOUTHERN PORK PRODUCTION 



difficulty in finding regular customers for their cured 

 pork. To properly cure meats requires considerable 

 work, and it is something at which considerable skill can 

 be developed. The aim should be to produce only the 

 best cured pork, whether it is to be used for home con- 

 sumption or for sale. Juicy, savory, nicely put up cured 

 pork will always command a good figure, and the com- 

 mon, dry, hard, tasteless, salty, roughly trimmed and 

 poorly cured pork will never prove very profitable. 



Vessels for curing. A clean barrel or cask is good to 

 pickle pork in. The only essentials for a suitable vessel 

 are t^'.t it be clean, free from bad odors, tight and large 

 , vo hold the meat. 



Preservatives. The more common preservatives used 

 are sugar, salt and saltpeter. These are all that are 

 necessary. Others, such as borax and salicylic acid, 

 are used sometimes, but the use of such preservatives is 

 probably dangerous for those who eat the meat. The 

 common preservatives are not poisonous, but effect pres- 

 ervation by the withdrawal of moisture and by osmotic 

 action, commonly termed astringent action. The sugar 

 itself acts somewhat as a preservative, but its main func- 

 tion is the addition of a sweet flavor. In warm weather 

 baking soda can be used in the brine to keep it sweet 

 without danger of injurious effects. 



Brine vs. dry curing. There are two general methods 

 employed in the curing of pork. One of these is the 

 common dry curing and the other is brine curing. In 

 most sections the dry-curing method is employed, while 

 in other sections the brine method is used more exten- 

 sively. The method to be recommended will depend to 



