FoodNet

A manual of home-making

1919

Page 355

Presented as published in 1919. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Bkin the hog's heart, remove the eyc^ and the brain, and apht the head Ihrrjugh tlic midline, or flown the center of th(* forehead and the nose. Usually the jowk arc removed ami salted. Put the head pieces int/O a cooker^ a^ld enough water to cover the meat, and Ixiil the whole until the mejit parts ctnne rt>adily frcim ttic hone. lieuKive the meat, separate it from the bone.H, and chop it finely. Remove the liquid from the keltic and save it for further x\m\ After the meat is choppe<l, return it to the kettle, pour on enoui^h of the htjuid to rover the meat, and allow it t-o cook for ten or fifteen nunutes. While this final crniking is taking plaoe, sca^^n the mixture witii siitlt and pepper to suit the taste* Put the cooked meat ami the liquid that remainn int^ jan», PADB, or a eold-meat press, place a meight on top, and allow the meat to coo!. It wdl then be solid and can be sBcofl and eaten immefdiately. Lard Is made from the fat of the ho^ carcass. Tliree g;rftdes of lard are obtainetl from three parts of the body: the be«t grade, leaf lard, is made from the leaf, or layer of fat lying inside the abdonunal wail; the seoond grade is made from tlie buckH, the sides, and the pieces trimmed from the various cuts; the third and pvxjre;<t grade is made from the in- testinal, stomach, anrl pluck fats. The last is much strf^nger than the other two and t^hould not be mixetl with them. On the farm the first two gratles are usually made tfygether^ anti sometime** all three are niMle t47gether. Cut the fat into bit.^ about I inch square, and trim out all particles of meat as they give an unpleasant bumcil flavor to the lard and are the first to scorch if the kettle beoomes U^o hot. Put the pieces of fat inio a kettle, antl atld a little water, not more than a quart, to keep the fat from burning until some of the lard lias melted. Keep the kettle hot until the cracklings are brown and rise to the top. Skim off the emcklings, an<l prexs out the lard that remains in them. Draw otT the melted lanl, and add a httle baking-8oda to help whiten it. The lard should be stirred w^hile it is cooling, in onlcr to make it aa white as possible. Curing hcef. Beef is not so commonly riirod as pork; hut when eomed it takes the p!are of fresh beef tluring periods of the year when fresh lieef does not keep well, anfl also offers a method of pre* serving part of the meat until it is needed and thus saving a 628 A MANUAL OF HOME-MAKINO waste or loss of meat, since it is impossible for one fmaa^ to use an entire beef carcass in the fnssh state. Dried beef < mands a high price on the market. It also offers a meCliol of pi^e^ervinp; ineal for future use. Jerkeil beef is niade in tlu! dwr regions of i he Wctst. The climate of the eastern states mi I dry enough nor warm enough to cure it successfully, aad not so palatable us dried beef. CORNED BEEF Method I. Since corned beef is u;*e<! for practicmlly the on fresh bcH^f, oiib' wholcsimK' untainleil meat should he UMd fior llii purpose. Nutu rally, the choicer the meat that b put tnto thm pmkki the bolter will Up the meat thut Ofjrnij^ <iiit. The cbc^aper attm ot fcrtl are (irilinarily um^'A for ci^rning, heruuse the choicer cuts on; more pclalaUi in a fresh eonditinfi. PLafe, flank, .shoulder, chuck, oraos ribe^ mud Paa$ are mrxst commonly iisr*«l for coming,