The "Queen" cookery books: Pickles and Preserves

Hams, to Pickle. — To each ham, if large, allow lib. bay salt, \\oz. saltpetre, and loz. black pepper, and pound and mix all these well together. Rub the ham very hard with this mixture, and let it lie in it for four days, turning and rubbing it daily ; then pour over it l|-lb. of treacle, and let it stand for a month, turning, basting, and rubbing it daily. Now lift it out, soak for twenty-four hours, then dry it carefully, sew it up in coarse cloth and hang it up to dry. This kind of ham requires no soaking before use. This is an excellent recipe, but for a hot or damp climate the following is better: lib. salt, lib. very dark sugar, 2oz. bay salt, l^oz. of saltpetre, and a gill each of ale and vinegar, with a little pepper. Keep it for a month or six weeks in pickle. These are both well-tested family recipes. (a la Ude). — Rub the hams well with salt and leave them to drain for three days. Throw this brine away, and have ready a fresh one made by mixing together for each 141b. ham, l-^oz. saltpetre, 6oz. to 7oz. coarse salt, £lb. coarse sugar ; lay the hams in the trough skin downwards, and rub them thoroughly with this mixture, being sure every part gets its share ; after three days of this treatment, pour over each ham a pint of vinegar, and keep it turned, basted, and well rubbed daily for a month ; then smoke them for a month, hanging them rather high in the chimney lest the fat should melt, which it is apt to do when pickled in this way. (It may be observed that a flitch of bacon may be pickled by this recipe, and is particularly good, and keeps a long time, as the vinegar preserves it.) Hams pickled in this way are better baked than boiled, and at any rate must be cooked very gently and not overdone. The pork must be of first-rate quality. Hams, to Pickle ( Italian fashion). — Mix together two quarts of Barolo wine (a rough red vin du pays , of the Burgundian type), three quarts cold water, 61b. coarse salt, nearly lib. bay salt, and about 6oz. saltpetre. Dissolve this all well, and when cool add to it an aromatic infusion as described above ; then use it as in the preceding recipes. In Westphalia they boil together six quarts of water, 71b. of salt, nearly 21b. of sugar, lOoz. saltpetre, and 4oz. aromatic herbs, tied up in a piece of muslin ; when cold, strain and use. Bor Bayonne hams, make a pickle with two quarts good sound red Drench wine, three quarts cold water, 3|lb. of common salt, lOoz. bay salt, 5oz. saltpetre, and an infusion of rosemary, sage, and lavender. Hams, to Pickle (old Yorkshire way). — Rub two or three hams well with a mixture of half a peck of salt, ^oz. sal prunella, 2oz. saltpetre, and 41b. coarse sugar. Then lay them in a tub, covering them with the rest of the mixture. Let them he in this for three days, then take them out and let them hang for twentyfour hours at least. Meantime prepare a pickle with enough water to cover the hams thoroughly, and sufficient salt to float an egg ; boil, skim, and strain this, and steep the hams in this when cool, for a fortnight. Pig’s cheeks are prepared in just the same way as either bacon or ham. The rest of the head, with the tongue and the pettitoes, are salted for a few days, then used for brawn.