ANIMAL PRODUCTS 



245 



sometimes used for curing bacon. Ac- 

 cording to this method the hog sides are 

 placed in a metallic cylinder and the 

 air exhausted until all air is removed 

 from the meat and the pores are opened. 

 Brine is then pumped in under 120 

 pounds' pressure and held at this pres- 

 sure for four or five hours. The bacon 

 is ready for shipment on the third 

 day. In general, however, a slow process 

 of curing is practiced. Fresh bacon sides 

 after cooling down to about 38° F. are 

 filled with pickle by means of a pump 

 and syringe under a pressure of about 

 40 pounds. The syringe is introduced 

 at 15 to 17 points in each bacon side. 

 The pickle used for this purpose con- 

 tains 55 pounds salt, 5 pounds saltpeter, 

 5 pounds antiseptic (usually borax), and 

 5 pounds sugar in 20 gallons of water. 

 As soon as the sides are pumped they 



feeding yields too soft bacon. The 

 proper consistency is obtained by feed- 

 ing some barley, peas or other nitrog- 

 enous feed stuff. (For a discussion of 

 this subject, see the chapter on Swine.) 

 The following procedure recommended 

 by Fulton is well adapted for bacon cur- 

 ing at home. For small hogs (130 pounds 

 or under), 1 bushel fine salt, 2 pounds 

 brown sugar and 1 pound saltpeter are 

 enough for 800 pounds of meat. The 

 sugar improves the flavor and the salt- 

 peter makes the bacon firmer. After a 

 few days a little more of the salt mix- 

 ture may be applied, rubbing it in if 

 absorption is going slowly. All cut ends 

 of bone must be thoroughly salted, for 

 decomposition is most likely to occur in 

 such places. This method may be used 

 where hams, shoulders and bacon sides 

 are packed together in the same barrel, 



Prime p/ii?t or WOf 

 COLLAR BRCK 



Leanest 

 prrtof 

 LOIN 



STRERKr THICK STREAKY 

 Slanting ocdeep-.under joint of leg bom. 



Fig. 172 — POINTS WHERE PICKLE PUMI 



are packed rind-side down, sprinkled 

 with saltpeter and antiseptic and the 

 whole covered with a layer of salt.^ 



The curing process requires nine to 

 12 days, according to the weight and 

 thickness of the sides of bacon. After 

 bacon is cured it may be smoked. For 

 this purpose cured bacon is allowed to 

 drain for about 10 days, then cleaned, 

 dusted with pea meal and smoked with 

 the fumes of oak sawdust for three days, 

 at a temperature of 85° F. The above 

 is essentially the English method, but 

 similar methods are in use in Denmark 

 and the United States. In Denmark, 

 the common pickle used for curing ba- 

 con contains 1 pound each of saltpeter, 

 sugar and antiseptic per 10 pounds of 

 salt in 40 gallons of water. 



Home-cured bacon — The best bacon is 

 obtain from a Tamworth or other 

 long, flat-sided hog. Exclusive corn 



/Slanting downwards 

 <£(So os to tblte joint 

 •5 Ion tin q \ of ham\bone 



GAMMON HOCK' 

 SHOULD BE INSERTED IN A SIDE OF BACON 



the hams being packed at the top of the 

 barrel to prevent them from becoming 

 too salty. "Resalting should take place 

 within 10 days to two weeks, according 

 to the weather. Jowls, heads, livers, 

 chines and spareribs require less salt. 



After four to six weeks the meat may 

 be unpacked, washed and smoked, or the 

 salt may be left on the meat during the 

 process of smoking. In the South the 

 hams, shoulders and sides are thoroughly 

 rubbed with salt and saltpeter, the latter 

 being rubbed on the cut ends of bones. 

 The pieces of meat are packed with salt 

 between them and thoroughly rubbed 

 with salt at weekly intervals until thor- 

 ough penetration is secured, after which 

 the meat is smoked and left in the 

 smokehouse, protected in canvas. Be- 

 fore hanging in the smokehouse, the 

 meat may be sprinkled with black pep- 

 per or a mixture of black and red pepper. 



