convenient, a rough and ready plan is to make a wood fire on which you strew either juniper berries or juniper wood, hang the ham to be smoked to the inside of the bop of a hogshead and then turn the whole over the fire, keeping in the smoke till the ham is smoked. Where, however, the curing of MEAT, &c., TO CERE. 147 bacon, ham, &c., is much practised, it is easy enough to provide oneself at a relatively small cost, with a most convenient little smoking apparatus of which we give an illustration. (Fig. 3.) This smoking- cupboard is one approved by M. Gouffe, and could easily be copied by any local workman. It can, of course, be made to any scale, but a very convenient size for the use of a small household is 4ft. 6in. high, and 3ft. deep, and wide ; this box should be lined with sheet iron throughout, and be fitted with iron rods across, by which the articles to be smoked can be hung from hooks. The door should be carefully fitted, as it must close hermetically to ensure the keeping in of the smoke. The whole box should be raised about 20in. from the ground, on either wooden or iron legs ; an iron pan or pot about 5in. deep, and pierced with holes, raised on a trivet, should be placed under the box to contain the fuel ; the smoke from this is conveyed into the smoking cupboard by means of a small flue or pipe about 2~in. in diameter, fitt ed to the metal cover of the fuel pot as shown in the illustration. This flue is slipped through a hole in the bottom of the cupboard cut to fit it exactly, so as not to waste the smoke. Another similar flue is fit- ted to the top of the cupboard, to carry off the smoke into the open air, or into a chimney. The method of using this cupboard is as follows : put into the fire- pot a layer of charcoal embers (braise), and over this a layer of oak, elm, or other hard wood sawdust and wood shavings, to about one and a half inches in depth, and on this lay three or four bay leaves, a few sprays of thyme, and eighteen or twenty juniper 148 PICKLES AND PRESERVES. berries. Leave the meat in the cupboard for seven to eight days, carefully making up the fire, and re- newing the aromatics every two days. In preparing a fire for smoking, use shavings and logs of oak, beech, elm, &c., and when these are well alight cover them with a thick layer of tan or oak bark, and on this burn periodically dry herbs, berries, and brown sugar. Being so closely covered in, this fire-pot be- comes essentially a slow combustion stove, and main- tains a steady even fire. This sized cupboard will accommodate two hams or so comfortably. Where space is not a great consideration, as in the country, it is very convenient to give up some small room for the purpose of a drying chamber. Any airy place free from damp, and facing north, will answer for this, only remember to have all the windows fitted with very close wire gauze to keep out the flies. Of course this is not a sine qua non, but it is an im- mense convenience, as the pork can be hung here either before or after smoking as may be needed ; moreover, such a room allows of making various kinds of excellent sausages seldom seen in England.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

convenient, a rough and ready plan is to make a wood fire on which you strew either juniper berries or juniper wood, hang the ham to be smoked to the inside of the top of a hogshead and then turn the whole over the fire, keeping in the smoke till the ham is smoked. Where, however, the curing of bacon, ham, &c., is much practised, it is easy enough to provide oneself at a relatively small cost, with a most convenient little smoking apparatus of which we give an illustration. (Fig. 3.) This smokingcupboard is one approved by M. Gouffe, and could easily be copied by any local workman. It can, of course, be made to any scale, but a very convenient size for the use of a small household is 4ft. 6in. high, and 3ft. deep, and wide ; this box should be lined with sheet iron throughout, and be fitted with iron rods across, by which the articles to be smoked can be hung from hooks. The door should be carefully fitted, as it must close hermetically to ensure the keeping in of the smoke. The whole box should be raised about 20in. from the ground, on either wooden or iron legs ; an iron pan or pot about 5in. deep, and pierced with holes, raised on a trivet, should be placed under the box to contain the fuel ; the smoke from this is conveyed into the smoking cupboard by means of a small flue or pipe about 2~in. in diameter, fitted to the metal cover of the fuel pot as shown in the illustration. This flue is slipped through a hole in the bottom of the cupboard cut to fit it exactly, so as not to waste the smoke. Another similar flue is fitted to the top of the cupboard, to carry off the smoke into the open air, or into a chimney. The method of using this cupboard is as follows : put into the firepot a layer of charcoal embers (braise), and over this a layer of oak, elm, or other hard wood sawdust and wood shavings, to about one and a half inches in depth, and on this lay three or four bay leaves, a few sprays of thyme, and eighteen or twenty juniper berries. Leave the meat in the cupboard for seven to eight days, carefully making up the fire, and renewing the aromatics every two days. In preparing a fire for smoking, use shavings and logs of oak, beech, elm, &c., and when these are well alight cover them with a thick layer of tan or oak bark, and on this burn periodically dry herbs, berries, and brown sugar. Being so closely covered in, this fire-pot becomes essentially a slow combustion stove, and maintains a steady even fire. This sized cupboard will accommodate two hams or so comfortably. Where space is not a great consideration, as in the country, it is very convenient to give up some small room for the purpose of a drying chamber. Any airy place free from damp, and facing north, will answer for this, only remember to have all the windows fitted with very close wire gauze to keep out the flies. Of course this is not a sine qua non, but it is an immense convenience, as the pork can be hung here either before or after smoking as may be needed ; moreover, such a room allows of making various kinds of excellent sausages seldom seen in England.

The "Queen" cookery books: Pickles and Preserves