BUTCHERING AND CURING MEATS. 97 



use prepare a liquid as follows : Take three gallons 

 of water, four and one-half pounds of salt, one pound of 

 brown sugar and one ounce of saltpetre. Boil for half 

 an hour and remove scum. When cold pour it over the 

 meat, and allow it to stand for several days. 



There are many methods of pickling pork on a 

 large scale, all depending on the preservative effects 

 of salt, sugar, saltpetre, etc. The sugar may be re- 

 placed with molasses, and the meat may be afterward 

 cured by drying or smoking. Every precaution must 

 be taken to guard against insect attacks while the 

 meat is in a fresh or partly cured condition. Every 

 cook book gives a recipe for making pickle for pork, 

 and there are as many recipes as there are cook 

 books. I will give but one : To 100 pounds of meat 

 use one pint of fine salt, four pounds of brown sugar 

 and three ounces of saltpetre. Rub the meat thor- 

 oughly with this mixture, and allow it to lie for a 

 day. Then pack in barrels, using additional salt 

 freely. Drain the liquor from the bottom of the bar- 

 rel and pour over the meat again. The meat should 

 not rest upon the bottom of the barrel, but on a frame 

 of some sort. After two or three weeks of this treat- 

 ment the meat may be packed or smoked. 



To prepare for smoking it is only necessary to 

 wash off the brine, roll in bran (some people use saw- 

 dust), and hang in the smoke-house for four weeks. 

 The house must not be permitted to become over- 

 heated. Good smoke is made with hard-wood chips 

 and sawdust. 



Hams may be packed in barrels or stored dry. 

 The latter is the plan most in favor. One good way 



