SHRINKAGE OF SOFT PORK. 37 
Table 23. — Curing record of dry salt cured bellies (sides), Fort Worth. 
Lot 
No. 
Weight 
in cure 
(pounds). 
Number 
of days 
in cure. 
Swept 
weight 
(pounds). 
Gain from chilled 
weight through cure . 
Pounds. 
Per cent. 
Oily 
13 
16 
19 
22 
14 
17 
20 
23 
15 
18 
21 
- 24 
882 
728 
916 
677 
31 
30 
33 
32 
852 
663 
877 
622 
2 0.24 
-44 -6.22 
-8 -.90 
-28 -4.31 
3,203 
3,014 
-78 ' -2.52 
Soft 
1,033 
805 
820 
709 
31 j 970 
30 740 
33 759 
32 1 654 
-30 -3.00 
-38 -4.88 
-36 -4.53 
-31 -4.53 
3,367 
3,123 
-135 -4.14 
Firm 
831 
868 
901 
920 
31 
768 
-42 '' -5.19 
30 
33 
32 
856 
833 
905 
16 1. 90 
-39 -4. 47 
5 .56 
3,520 
3,362 
-60 — 1. 75 
DRY-SALT BELLIES. 
Some of the bellies (side meat) were cured by the dry-salt method, because a large 
percentage of such meat is too large to be pickle cured and used for breakfast bacon, 
hence it was desirable to obtain data on the meat cured by the dry-salt process. The 
bellies from 300 hogs were divided into oily, soft, and firm and taken through cure, 
smoke, and retaining period together. This cut did not increase by pumping as much 
as the hams but the different grades did increase in about the same relative per- 
centage. There was a noticeable difference between the swept weight of the dry- 
salt bellies and the cured weight of the pickled hams and bellies, which shows that 
meat pickle cured gains in weight, but meat cured in dry salt loses weight. In all 
lots except lots 13, 18, and 24, a loss in weight was recorded. It was also noted that 
the loss in the lots of soft meat was much greater and more uniform than in either 
the oily or firm. 
From the chilled weight through the cure a loss was sustained as follows: Oily, 2.52 
per cent; soft, 4.14 per cent; firm, 1.75 per cent. 
Table 24. — Soaking record of dry salt cured bellies (sides), Fort Worth. 
Weight 
Lot of meat 
No. in soak 
• (pounds). 
Time meat 
soaked. 
Net 
weight of 
drained 
meat out 
of soak 
(pounds) . 
Tempera- 
ture of 
water 
(°F.). 
Gain 
in soak 
Hours. Minutes. 
(pounds) . 
Oily 
13 852 
2 j 35 
850 
676 
874 
630 
75 
75 
76 
76 
-2 
16 663 
1 
13 
19 | 877 
22 622 
2 45 
1 
-3 
8 
3,014 
3,030 
16 
Soft 
14 970 2 35 
977 75 
753 75 
THs 76 
659 76 
■ 7 
17 740 
20 759 
23 654 
1 
13 
2 , 45 
1 
9 
3,123 
3,157 
34 
Firm 
15 768 35 
780 75 
12 
18 856 
21 833 
24 905 
1 
859 
843 
914 
75 
76 
76 
3 
2 45 
1 
10 
9 
3,362 
3,396 
34 
