t 662 ] 



CHAPTER C/X. 



BACON AND HAM CURING. 



"UARMERS in Europe and America usually practice the 

 art of ham and bacon curing. The principle consists 

 in adding preserving substances to the meat and allowing 

 time for these to saturate the tissues. This inhibits the 

 growth of bacteria and renders it possible to keep the meat 

 for an indefinite period. 



1,142. The carcase of the animal is rolled inside vat 

 filled with water at i8oF. until the hair comes away easily 

 in the hand. Then it is put on a table and the hair removed 

 by scrapers. Then.it is hung up above a singing furnace 

 in which it is singed for about a quarter of a minute. Then 

 the carcase is lowered into a cold bath for a second and 

 taken of again and the burnt surface scraped off with hand 

 scrapers. The intestines and offal are then removed and 

 sorted and the carcase after being again cleansed is split 

 down the back, the vertibral column removed, and the two 

 sides including the vertibral column, the head, the feet and 

 the kidney fat, are weighed. This is called the dead weight 

 of the animal. The dead weight of an animal weighing 16 st. 

 is about 12 stone ; from this is deducted 2 Ibs. for evaporation, 

 &c. and the price is fixed on the net weight. Then the 

 head and feet are completely severed, the kidney, fat and 

 vertibral column removed, and the sides are disconnected 

 and allowed to cool hung up for 6 to 12 hours, according to 

 the time of the year. They are then placed in a refrigerator 

 for 12 hours until the meat registers a temperature of 4oF. 

 The refrigerator must be 38F for the meat to be cooled down 

 to 4oF, The blade bones are then removed and the sjdes 



