Book of Household Management — 038 - Recipes. Chapter 17. Part 2.

_Time_--Small meat to remain in the pickle a fortnight, hams 3 weeks; to be smoked from a fortnight to 3 weeks.

The following is from Morton's "Cyclopaedia of Agriculture," and will be found fully worthy of the high character of that publication.

CURING OF HAMS AND BACON.

822. The carcass of the hog, after hanging over-night to cool, is laid on a strong bench or stool, and the head is separated from the body at the neck, close behind the ears; the feet and also the internal fat are removed.

The carcass is next divided into two sides in the following manner:--The ribs are divided about an inch from the spine on each side, and the spine, with the ends of the ribs attached, together with the internal flesh between it and the kidneys, and also the flesh above it, throughout the whole length of the sides, are removed.

The portion of the carcass thus cut out is in the form of a wedge--the breadth of the interior consisting of the breadth of the spine, and about an inch of the ribs on each side, being diminished to about half an inch at the exterior or skin along the back.

The breast-bone, and also the first anterior rib, are also dissected from the side.

Sometimes the whole of the ribs are removed; but this, for reasons afterwards to be noticed, is a very bad practice.

When the hams are cured separately from the sides, which is generally the case, they are cut out so as to include the hock-bone, in a similar manner to the London mode of cutting a haunch of mutton.

The carcass of the hog thus cut up is ready for being salted, which process, in large caring establishments, is generally as follows.

The skin side of the pork is rubbed over with a mixture of fifty parts by weight of salt, and one part of saltpetre in powder, and the incised parts of the ham or flitch, and the inside of the flitch covered with the same.

The salted bacon, in pairs of flitches with the insides to each other, is piled one pair of flitches above another on benches slightly inclined, and furnished with spouts or troughs to convey the brine to receivers in the floor of the salting-house, to be afterwards used for pickling pork for navy purposes.

In this state the bacon remains a fortnight, which is sufficient for flitches cut from nogs of a carcass weight less than 15 stone (14 lbs.

to the stone).

Flitches of a larger size, at the expiration of that time, are wiped dry and reversed in their place in the pile, having, at the same time, about half the first quantity of fresh, dry, common salt sprinkled over the inside and incised parts; after which they remain on the benches for another week.

Hams being thicker than flitches, will require, when less than 20 lbs.

weight, 3 weeks; and when above that weight, 4 weeks to remain under the above-described process.

The next and last process in the preparation of bacon and hams, previous to being sent to market, is drying.

This is effected by hanging the flitches and hams for 2 or 3 weeks in a room heated by stoves, or in a smoke-house, in which they are exposed for the same length of time to the smoke arising from the slow combustion of the sawdust of oak or other hard wood.

The latter mode of completing the curing process has some advantages over the other, as by it the meat is subject to the action of _creosote_, a volatile oil produced by the combustion of the sawdust, which is powerfully antiseptic.

The process also furnishing a thin covering of a resinous varnish, excludes the air not only from the muscle but also from the fat; thus effectually preventing the meat from becoming rusted; and the principal reasons for condemning the practice of removing the ribs from the flitches of pork are, that by so doing the meat becomes unpleasantly hard and pungent in the process of salting, and by being more opposed to the action of the air, becomes sooner and more extensively rusted.

Notwithstanding its superior efficacy in completing the process of curing, the flavour which smoke-drying imparts to meat is disliked by many persons, and it is therefore by no means the most general mode of drying adopted by mercantile curers.

A very impure variety of _pyroligneous_ acid, or vinegar made from the destructive distillation of wood, is sometimes used, on account of the highly preservative power of the creosote which it contains, and also to impart the smoke-flavour; in which latter object, however, the coarse flavour of tar is given, rather than that derived from the smoke from combustion of wood.

A considerable portion of the bacon and hams salted in Ireland is exported from that country packed amongst salt, in bales, immediately from the salting process, without having been in any degree dried.

In the process of salting above described, pork loses from eight to ten per cent.

of its weight, according to the size and quality of the meat; and a further diminution of weight, to the extent of five to six per cent.

, takes place in drying during the first fortnight after being taken out of salt; so that the total loss in weight occasioned by the preparation of bacon and hams in a proper state for market, is not less on an average than fifteen per cent.

on the weight of the fresh pork.

COLLARED PIG'S FACE (a Breakfast or Luncheon Dish).

823. INGREDIENTS.

--1 pig's face; salt.

For brine, 1 gallon of spring water, 1 lb.

of common salt, 1/2 handful of chopped juniper-berries, 6 bruised cloves, 2 bay-leaves, a few sprigs of thyme, basil, sage, 1/4 oz.

of saltpetre.

For forcemeat, 1/2 lb.

of ham, 1/2 lb.

bacon, 1 teaspoonful of mixed spices, pepper to taste, 1/4 lb.

of lard, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley, 6 young onions.

[Illustration: PIG'S FACE.

] _Mode_.

--Singe the head carefully, bone it without breaking the skin, and rub it well with salt.

Make the brine by boiling the above ingredients for 1/4 hour, and letting it stand to cool.

When cold, pour it over the head, and let it steep in this for 10 days, turning and rubbing it often.

Then wipe, drain, and dry it.

For the forcemeat, pound the ham and bacon very finely, and mix with these the remaining ingredients, taking care that the whole is thoroughly incorporated.

Spread this equally over the head, roll it tightly in a cloth, and bind it securely with broad tape.

Put it into a saucepan with a few meat trimmings, and cover it with stock; let it simmer gently for 4 hours, and be particular that it does not stop boiling the whole time.

When quite tender, take it up, put it between 2 dishes with a heavy weight on the top, and when cold, remove the cloth and tape.

It should be sent to table on a napkin, or garnished with a piece of deep white paper with a ruche at the top.

_Time_.

--4 hours.

_Average cost_, from 2s.

to 2s.

6d.

_Seasonable_ from October to March.

THE WILD AND DOMESTIC HOG.

--The domestic hog is the descendant of a race long since banished from this island; and it is remarkable, that while the tamed animal has been and is kept under surveillance, the wild type whence this race sprung, has maintained itself in its ancient freedom, the fierce denizen of the forest, and one of the renowned beasts of the chase.

Whatever doubt may exist as to the true origin of the dog, the horse, the ox, and others, or as to whether their original race is yet extant or not, these doubts do not apply to the domestic hog.

Its wild source still exists, and is universally recognized: like the wolf, however, it has been expelled from our island; but, like that animal, it still roams through the vast wooded tracts of Europe and Asia.

TO DRESS PIG'S FRY (a Savoury Dish).

824. INGREDIENTS.

--1-1/2 lb.

of pig's fry, 2 onions, a few sage-leaves, 3 lbs.

of potatoes, pepper and salt to taste.

_Mode_.

--Put the lean fry at the bottom of a pie-dish, sprinkle over it some minced sage and onion, and a seasoning of pepper and salt; slice the potatoes; put a layer of these on the seasoning, then the fat fry, then more seasoning, and a layer of potatoes at the top.

Fill the dish with boiling water, and bake for 2 hours, or rather longer.

_Time_.

--Rather more than 2 hours.

_Average cost_, 6d.

per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons.

_Seasonable_ from October to March.

TO MELT LARD.

825. Melt the inner fat of the pig, by putting it in a stone jar, and placing this in a saucepan of boiling water, previously stripping off the skin.

Let it simmer gently over a bright fire, and as it melts, pour it carefully from the sediment.

Put it into small jars or bladders for use, and keep it in a cool place.

The flead or inside fat of the pig, before it is melted, makes exceedingly light crust, and is particularly wholesome.

It may be preserved a length of time by salting it well, and occasionally changing the brine.

When wanted for use, wash and wipe it, and it will answer for making into paste as well as fresh lard.

_Average cost_, 10d.

per lb.

BOILED LEG OF PORK.

826. INGREDIENTS.

--Leg of pork; salt.

_Mode_.

--For boiling, choose a small, compact, well-filled leg, and rub it well with salt; let it remain in pickle for a week or ten days, turning and rubbing it every day.

An hour before dressing it, put it into cold water for an hour, which improves the colour.

If the pork is purchased ready salted, ascertain how long the meat has been in pickle, and soak it accordingly.

Put it into a boiling-pot, with sufficient cold water to cover it; let it gradually come to a boil, and remove the scum as it rises.

Simmer it very gently until tender, and do not allow it to boil fast, or the knuckle will fall to pieces before the middle of the leg is done.

Carrots, turnips, or parsnips may be boiled with the pork, some of which should be laid round the dish as a garnish, and a well-made pease-pudding is an indispensable accompaniment.

_Time_.

--A leg of pork weighing 8 lbs.

, 3 hours after the water boils, and to be simmered very gently.

_Average cost_, 9d.

per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons.

_Seasonable_ from September to March.

_Note_.

--The liquor in which a leg of pork has been boiled, makes excellent pea-soup.

ANTIQUITY OF THE HOG.

--The hog has survived changes which have swept multitudes of pachydermatous animals from the surface of our earth.

It still presents the same characteristics, both physical and moral, which the earliest writers, whether sacred or profane, have faithfully delineated.

Although the domestic has been more or less modified by long culture, yet the wild species remains unaltered, insomuch that the fossil relics may be identified with the bones of their existing descendants.

ROAST GRISKIN OF PORK.

827. INGREDIENTS.

--Pork; a little powdered sage.

[Illustration: SPARE-RIB OF PORK.

] [Illustration: GRISKIN OF PORK.

] _Mode_.

--As this joint frequently comes to table hard and dry, particular care should be taken that it is well basted.

Put it down to a bright fire, and flour it.

About 10 minutes before taking it up, sprinkle over some powdered sage; make a little gravy in the dripping-pan, strain it over the meat, and serve with a tureen of apple sauce.

This joint will be done in far less time than when the skin is left on, consequently, should have the greatest attention that it be not dried up.

_Time_.

--Griskin of pork weighing 6 lbs.

, 1-1/2 hour.

_Average cost_, 7d.

per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ from September to March.

_Note_.

--A spare-rib of pork is roasted in the same manner as above, and would take 1-1/2 hour for one weighing about 6 lbs.

[Illustration: BACON FOR LARDING, AND LARDING-NEEDLE.

] LARDING.

828. INGREDIENTS.

--Bacon and larding-needle.

_Mode_.

--Bacon for larding should be firm and fat, and ought to be cured without any saltpetre, as this reddens white meats.

Lay it on a table, the rinds downwards; trim off any rusty part, and cut it into slices of an equal thickness.

Place the slices one on the top of another, and cut them evenly into narrow strips, so arranging it that every piece of bacon is of the same size.

Bacon for fricandeau, poultry, and game, should be about 2 inches in length, and rather more than one-eighth of an inch in width.

If for larding fillets of beef or loin of veal, the pieces of bacon must be thicker.

The following recipe of Soyer is, we think, very explicit; and any cook, by following the directions here given, may be able to lard, if not well, sufficiently for general use.

"Have the fricandeau trimmed, lay it, lengthwise, upon a clean napkin across your hand, forming a kind of bridge with your thumb at the part you are about to commence at; then with the point of the larding-needle make three distinct lines across, 1/2 inch apart; run the needle into the third line, at the further side of the fricandeau, and bring it out at the first, placing one of the lardoons in it; draw the needle through, leaving out 1/4 inch of the bacon at each line; proceed thus to the end of the row; then make another line, 1/2 inch distant, stick in another row of lardoons, bringing them out at the second line, leaving the ends of the bacon out all the same length; make the next row again at the same distance, bringing the ends out between the lardoons of the first row, proceeding in this manner until the whole surface is larded in chequered rows.

Everything else is larded in a similar way; and, in the case of poultry, hold the breast over a charcoal fire for one minute, or dip it into boiling water, in order to make the flesh firm."

ROAST LOIN OF PORK.

829. INGREDIENTS.

--Pork; a little salt.

[Illustration: FORE LOIN OF PORK.

] [Illustration: HIND LOIN OF PORK.

] _Mode_.

--Score the skin in strips rather more than 1/4 inch apart, and place the joint at a good distance from the fire, on account of the crackling, which would harden before the meat would be heated through, were it placed too near.

If very lean, it should be rubbed over with a little salad oil, and kept well basted all the time it is at the fire.

Pork should be very thoroughly cooked, but not dry; and be careful never to send it to table the least underdone, as nothing is more unwholesome and disagreeable than underdressed white meats.

Serve with apple sauce, No. 363, and a little gravy made in the dripping-pan.

A stuffing of sage and onion may be made separately, and baked in a flat dish: this method is better than putting it in the meat, as many persons have so great an objection to the flavour.

_Time_.

--A loin of pork weighing 5 lbs.

, about 2 hours: allow more time should it be very fat.

_Average cost_, 9d.

per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ from September to March.

FOSSIL REMAINS OF THE HOG.

--In British strata, the oldest fossil remains of the hog which Professor Owen states that he has examined, were from fissures in the red crag (probably miocene) of Newbourne, near Woodbridge, Suffolk.

"They were associated with teeth of an extinct _felis_ about the size of a leopard, with those of a bear, and with remains of a large cervus.

These mammalian remains were found with the ordinary fossils of the red crag: they had undergone the same process of trituration, and were impregnated with the same colouring matter as the associated bones and teeth of fishes acknowledged to be derived from the regular strata of the red crag.

These mammaliferous beds have been proved by Mr. Lyell to be older than the fluvio-marine, or Norwich crag, in which remains of the mastodon, rhinoceros, and horse have been discovered; and still older than the fresh-water pleistocene deposits, from which the remains of the mammoth, rhinoceros, &c. are obtained in such abundance.

I have met," says the professor, in addition, "with some satisfactory instances of the association of fossil remains of a species of hog with those of the mammoth, in the newer pliocene freshwater formations of England."

TO DRY PIGS' CHEEKS.

830. INGREDIENTS.

--Salt, 4 oz.

of saltpetre, 2 oz.

of bay-salt, 4 oz.

of coarse sugar.

_Mode_.

--Cut out the snout, remove the brains, and split the head, taking off the upper bone to make the jowl a good shape; rub it well with salt; next day take away the brine, and salt it again the following day; cover the head with saltpetre, bay-salt, and coarse sugar, in the above proportion, adding a little common salt.

Let the head be often turned, and when it has been in the pickle for 10 days, smoke it for a week or rather longer.

_Time_.

--To remain in the pickle 10 days; to be smoked 1 week.

_Seasonable_.

--Should be made from September to March.

_Note_.

--A pig's check, or Bath chap, will take about 2 hours after the water boils.

PIG'S LIVER (a Savoury and Economical Dish).

831. INGREDIENTS.

--The liver and lights of a pig, 6 or 7 slices of bacon, potatoes, 1 large bunch of parsley, 2 onions, 2 sage-leaves, pepper and salt to taste, a little broth or water.

_Mode_.

--Slice the liver and lights, and wash these perfectly clean, and parboil the potatoes; mince the parsley and sage, and chop the onion rather small.

Put the meat, potatoes, and bacon into a deep tin dish, in alternate layers, with a sprinkling of the herbs, and a seasoning of pepper and salt between each; pour on a little water or broth, and bake in a moderately-heated oven for 2 hours.

_Time_.

--2 hours.

_Average cost_, 1s.

6d.

_Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 persons.

_Seasonable_ from September to March.

PIG'S PETTITOES.

832. INGREDIENTS.

--A thin slice of bacon, 1 onion, 1 blade of mace, 6 peppercorns, 3 or 4 sprigs of thyme, 1 pint of gravy, pepper and salt to taste, thickening of butter and flour.

_Mode_.

--Put the liver, heart, and pettitoes into a stewpan with the bacon, mace, peppercorns, thyme, onion, and gravy, and simmer these gently for 1/4 hour; then take out the heart and liver, and mince them very fine.

Keep stewing the feet until quite tender, which will be in from 20 minutes to 1/2 hour, reckoning from the time that they boiled up first; then put back the minced liver, thicken the gravy with a little butter and flour, season with pepper and salt, and simmer over a gentle fire for 5 minutes, occasionally stirring the contents.

Dish the mince, split the feet, and arrange them round alternately with sippets of toasted bread, and pour the gravy in the middle.

_Time_.

--Altogether 40 minutes.

_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons.

_Seasonable_ from September to March.

TO PICKLE PORK.

833. INGREDIENTS.

--1/4 lb.

of saltpetre; salt.

_Mode_.

--As pork does not keep long without being salted, cut it into pieces of a suitable size as soon as the pig is cold.

Rub the pieces of pork well with salt, and put them into a pan with a sprinkling of it between each piece: as it melts on the top, strew on more.

Lay a coarse cloth over the pan, a board over that, and a weight on the board, to keep the pork down in the brine.

If excluded from the air, it will continue good for nearly 2 years.

_Average cost_, 10d.

per lb.

for the prime parts.

_Seasonable_.

--The best time for pickling meat is late in the autumn.

THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE HOG.

--A singular circumstance in the domestic history of the hog, is the extent of its distribution over the surface of the earth; being found even in insulated places, where the inhabitants are semi-barbarous, and where the wild species is entirely unknown.

The South-Sea islands, for example, were found on their discovery to be well stocked with a small black hog; and the traditionary belief of the people was that these animals were coeval with the origin of themselves.

Yet they possessed no knowledge of the wild boar, or any other animal of the hog kind, from which the domestic breed might be supposed to be derived.

In these islands the hog is the principal quadruped, and the fruit of the bread-tree is its principal food, although it is also fed with yams, eddoes, and other vegetables.

This nutritious diet, which it has in great abundance, is, according to Foster, the reason of its flesh being so delicious, so full of juice, and so rich in fat, which is not less delicate to the taste than the finest butter.

TO BOIL PICKLED PORK.

834. INGREDIENTS.

--Pork; water.

_Mode_.

--Should the pork be very salt, let it remain in water about 2 hours before it is dressed; put it into a saucepan with sufficient cold water to cover it, let it gradually come to a boil, then gently simmer until quite tender.

Allow ample time for it to cook, as nothing is more disagreeable than underdone pork, and when boiled fast, the meat becomes hard.

This is sometimes served with boiled poultry and roast veal, instead of bacon: when tender, and not over salt, it will be found equally good.

_Time_.

--A piece of pickled pork weighing 2 lbs.

, 1-1/4 hour; 4 lbs.

, rather more than 2 hours.

_Average cost_, 10d.

per lb.

for the primest parts.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

THE ANTIQUITY OF THE HOG.

--By what nation and in what period the hog was reclaimed, is involved in the deepest obscurity.

So far back as we have any records of history, we find notices of this animal, and of its flesh being used as the food of man.

By some nations, however, its flesh was denounced as unclean, and therefore prohibited to be used, whilst by others it was esteemed as a great delicacy.

By the Mosaic law it was forbidden to be eaten by the Jews, and the Mahometans hold it in utter abhorrence.

Dr. Kitto, however, says that there does not appear to be any reason in the law of Moses why the hog should be held in such peculiar abomination.

There seems nothing to have prevented the Jews, if they had been so inclined, to rear pigs for sale, or for the use of the land.

In the Talmud there are some indications that this was actually done; and it was, probably, for such purposes that the herds of swine mentioned in the New Testament were kept, although it is usual to consider that they were kept by the foreign settlers in the land.

Indeed, the story which accounts for the peculiar aversion of the Hebrews to the hog, assumes that it did not originate until about 130 years before Christ, and that, previously, some Jews were in the habit of rearing hogs for the purposes indicated.

PORK PIES (Warwickshire Recipe).

835. INGREDIENTS.

--For the crust, 5 lbs.

of lard to 14 lbs.

of flour, milk, and water.

For filling the pies, to every 3 lbs.

of meat allow 1 oz.

of salt, 2-1/4 oz.

of pepper, a small quantity of cayenne, 1 pint of water.

_Mode_.

--Rub into the flour a portion of the lard; the remainder put with sufficient milk and water to mix the crust, and boil this gently for 1/4 hour.

Pour it boiling on the flour, and knead and beat it till perfectly smooth.

Now raise the crust in either a round or oval form, cut up the pork into pieces the size of a nut, season it in the above proportion, and press it compactly into the pie, in alternate layers of fat and lean, and pour in a small quantity of water; lay on the lid, cut the edges smoothly round, and pinch them together.

Bake in a brick oven, which should be slow, as the meat is very solid.

Very frequently, the inexperienced cook finds much difficulty in raising the crust.

She should bear in mind that it must not be allowed to get cold, or it will fall immediately: to prevent this, the operation should be performed as near the fire as possible.

As considerable dexterity and expertness are necessary to raise the crust with the hand only, a glass bottle or small jar may be placed in the middle of the paste, and the crust moulded on this; but be particular that it is kept warm the whole time.

_Sufficient_.

--The proportions for 1 pie are 1 lb.

of flour and 3 lbs.

of meat.

_Seasonable_ from September to March.

THE FLESH OF SWINE IN HOT CLIMATES.

--It is observed by M. Sonini, that the flesh of swine, in hot climates, is considered unwholesome, and therefore may account for its proscription by the legislators and priests of the East.

In Egypt, Syria, and even the southern parts of Greece, although both white and delicate, it is so flabby and surcharged with fat, that it disagrees with the strongest stomachs.

Abstinence from it in general was, therefore, indispensable to health under the burning suns of Egypt and Arabia.

The Egyptians were permitted to eat it only once a year,--on the feast of the moon; and then they sacrificed a number of these animals to that planet.

At other seasons, should any one even touch a hog, he was obliged immediately to plunge into the river Nile, as he stood, with his clothes on, in order to purify himself from the supposed contamination he had contracted by the touch.

LITTLE RAISED PORK PIES.

836. INGREDIENTS.

--2 lbs.

of flour, 1/2 lb.

of butter, 1/2 lb.

of mutton suet, salt and white pepper to taste, 4 lbs.

of the neck of pork, 1 dessertspoonful of powdered sage.

_Mode_.

--Well dry the flour, mince the suet, and put these with the butter into a saucepan, to be made hot, and add a little salt.

When melted, mix it up into a stiff paste, and put it before the fire with a cloth over it until ready to make up; chop the pork into small pieces, season it with white pepper, salt, and powdered sage; divide the paste into rather small pieces, raise it in a round or oval form, fill with the meat, and bake in a brick oven.

These pies will require a fiercer oven than those in the preceding recipe, as they are made so much smaller, and consequently do not require so soaking a heat.

_Time_.

--If made small, about 1-1/2 hour.

_Seasonable_ from September to March.

SWINEHERDS OF ANTIQUITY.

--From the prejudice against the hog among the ancients, those who tended them formed an isolated class, and were esteemed as the outcasts of society.

However much the flesh of the animal was esteemed by the Greeks and Romans, yet the swineherd is not mentioned by either the classic writers or the poets who, in ancient Greece and Rome, painted rural life.

We have no descriptions of gods or heroes descending to the occupation of keeping swine.

The swineherd is never introduced into the idyls of Theocritus, nor has Virgil admitted him into his eclogues.

The Eumaeus of Homer is the only exception that we have of a swineherd meeting with favour in the eyes of a poet of antiquity.

This may be accounted for, on the supposition that the prejudices of the Egyptians relative to this class of men, extended to both Greece and Italy, and imparted a bias to popular opinion.

TO MAKE SAUSAGES.

(_Author's Oxford Recipe_.

) 837. INGREDIENTS.

--1 lb.

of pork, fat and lean, without skin or gristle;

1 lb.

of lean veal, 1 lb.

of beef suet, 1/2 lb.