Farmhouse Fare

[aris]

SUFFOLK TREACLE CURE

RUB the meat well with salt and leave for 3 days in earthen pots or a slate tank. Then, take out and empty the brine away and wipe the vessels out clean and dry.

Now, having made the pickle the day before (consisting of 4 gallons of water; 8 Ibs. of black treacle; 2 small bars of cooking salt; 4 Ibs. of brown sugar and about 2 ozs. of black pepper), bring all this to the boil and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from the fire and when cold pour over the meat, which should be well covered.

Hams up to 20 Ibs. need to be in pickle about a month; if larger, about 6 weeks; breasts and hands and rib spears about 3 weeks, according to thickness. Turn these in the pickle every other day, then hang them up to dry slowly.

The meat is ready to eat in about a month or 6 weeks and will keep good for 12 months and over, and the longer hams are kept the better, anything from 1 to 2 years.

From Mrs. G. Keeble, Suffolk.

[aris]

SWEET PICKLED PORK

One small leg or a small hand of pork
1/2 oz. saltpetre.
1/2 pint ale.
3 ozs. coarse salt.
1/2 pint stout.
3 ozs. bay salt.

PUT the leg or hand of pork in a crock, after rubbing it well with coarse salt. Break up fine 3 ozs. of coarse salt, 3 ozs. of bay salt, and the 1/2 oz. of saltpetre, and mix the three together. Put them into a saucepan with the ale and the stout, bring to the boil, stirring often; and pour the mixture over the pork, boiling hot. Turn the pork over in the pickle every day for 14 days. It is then ready to cook and it may be either boiled or baked and is delicious hot or cold.

From Mrs. A. Shute, Dorsetshire.

[aris]

TWO ABERDEENSHIRE WAYS

For our hams, we use one of two cures. Here is the first:

2 Ibs. salt.
2 ozs. saltpetre.
2 ozs. pepper.
3 Ibs. treacle.
2 ozs. mustard.

MIX all the dry ingredients together and rub the hams well with them, then pour the treacle over them, turn and rub them every day for 5 weeks. This is enough for 2 good-sized hams.

When they have been in a fortnight put 2 tablespoonfuls of essence of smoke over them.

N.B.: Essence of smoke may be bought from the chemist; its trade name is crude pyroligneous acid.

Now this is our second method:

2 Ibs. bay salt.
4 Ibs. common salt.
2 ozs. saltpetre.
2 ozs. salt prunella.
2 Ibs. brown sugar.
1 oz. whole pepper (black and white)
1 oz. cloves,
1 oz. pimento.
1 pint stout.

MAKE a pickle of above ingredients with water. It must be strong enough to float an egg. Bring to the boil, then strain. When stone cold pour over the hams. Leave for a fortnight then remove from brine and hang in the rafters to dry. Enough for 2 good-sized hams.

Both from Miss Christian Milne, Aberdeenshire.

[aris]

WILTSHIRE {Wet method}

Mix together:
1 1/2 Ibs. cooking salt.
2 Ibs. treacle.
4 ozs. saltpetre.
1/2 Ib. bay salt.
2 ozs. salt prunella.
1 oz. black pepper.
1/2 oz. juniper berries.
2 quarts beer.

BOIL all together, and cool slightly before putting over hams; which should have been sprinkled first with cooking salt and left for 12 hours to draw out blood, and wiped dry. Turn hams daily for a month, rubbing pickle well in. Dry well before storing. When cooking pickled hams, allow them to stay in the water in which they are boiled for 2 hours after cooking.

To pickle 1 sides of bacon in 3 weeks, mix together:

5 Ibs. cooking salt.
4 ozs. saltpetre.
8 ozs. bay salt.
2 Ibs. brown sugar.
2 ozs. salt prunella.

1st day: Sprinkle with cooking salt to draw out blood.
2nd day: Wipe dry, rub well with pickle.
3rd day: Leave untouched.
4th day: Rub in pickle.
5th and 6th days: Leave untouched.
7th day: Rub in pickle.
For the next 2 weeks, rub in pickle every third day.

From Miss Susan Fisher, Wiltshire.

[aris]

YORKSHIRE METHOD

FOR salting or curing a pig from 20 to 25 stones, I generally allow 3 large bars of salt; 1/2 Ib. of saltpetre; 1 Ib. of Demerara sugar (if not obtainable, white sugar will do).

Lay the pig on a cold slab with the skin on top. Rub the shoulders and hams well with salt, leave for 1 day. Next day cover the slab well with salt and lay the pig on it, skin downwards. Rub salt well in and cover well. Sprinkle with saltpetre and sugar and leave for 3 or 4 weeks. Then take out of salt, wash well with cold water, and hang up to dry in a dark room with a good draught. Put hams and shoulders into a bag or pillow-case to keep dust and flies away.

From N.B., Yorkshire.