212 AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTUBE. 



to drip; rub it again 10 or 12 hours afterwards. Rub it 

 well, and again the next evening, and the next, changing 

 the pieces from top to bottom of the heap each time, 

 placing boards between the pieces, when it is desired to 

 flatten them out nicely. It may then stand for 12 or 14 

 days being rubbed occasionally. 



Smoking. After about 14 days, wash the meat quite 

 free from salt and hang it up until just dry, no more ; then 

 smoke it with tea-tree, wattle, stringy bark or other hard- 

 wood. Those first-named are the best. Do not allow 

 flame, the heat of the smouldering fire, or draughts of 

 drying air to reach the meat. To darken the colour, a 

 little sweet oil may be rubbed on ; smoking for 10 or 12 

 hours, either at once or during different times during a 

 week is sufficient for ordinary tastes. The smoking is all 

 the better done in a cool, close place To get rid of salt on 

 the surface, and also to improve the colour, of the hams 

 or sides, they are dipped in water of ISOdeg., having Jib. 

 soda in, say, ten gallons of water. Let the meat drip, then 

 hang up till dry, and smoke. 



Pickling A popular American Method. Rub the 

 hams and shoulders with salt, and let them lie 36 hourn. 

 Then cover with brine for from three to six weeks. When 

 taken from the brine, insert a strong string in the large 

 end, and hang the pieces in the smoke-house, hock-end down- 

 ward. By this means tenderness and flavour are given to 

 a portion of the ham often treated badly. When they are 

 sufficiently smoked and dried, wrap each in brown paper, 

 and put in a loose bag of strong calico. Tie up the 

 mouth of the bag carefully, leaving out the string by 

 which it was hung up, and return to the hook in the 

 smoke-house, or any other safe convenient place. Hams 

 thus treated keep for years. 



Curing with Sugar. The sides of hams are neatly 

 rounded and trimmed, well sprinkled with salt, and 

 allowed to He twenty-four hours to let all blood escape. 

 Then use for curing: l^lb. coarse sugar, l^lb. fine salt, 

 3oz. saltpetre pounded fine, lib. salt. This is enough for 

 icwt. of meat. Lay one of the flitches on a table or 

 bench, where the brine can run off, and rub a quarter of 



