Pork. — The Pig brings the list of the five sorts of
Butcher’s Meat to a close. Five sorts are generally reckoned,
but, strictly speaking, there are only three, as Beef and Yeal,
Mutton and Lamb, are only the same animal at different
ages.
In England Pigs should be dairy-fed, if possible home-fed,
or fed by some trustworthy farmer. Poi’k should only be eaten
when there is an B in the month, as it is unwholesome in warm
weather. Too much care cannot be taken in the choice of
Pork, nor can it be too thoronghly cooked. Pigs are infested
with parasites, and are liable to terrible diseases ; these
diseases often begin with the measles in early life, and are too
apt to end in the swine-fever which necessitates compulsory
slaughter and immediate burial in quick lime. The lean part
of Pork should be pinky-white, pale in colour, and close-
grained ; the fat should be white and firm, and absolutely free
from any little lumps or “kernels.” Porkers ought never to be
fattened, and should be not more than a year old when killed.
If the skin or “ rind ” of Pork is thick it shows that the pig is
too old. Pork should be eaten when quite fresh, and the joints
should be small. The loin can be roasted or fried in chops ;
if roasted, the skin should be left on and scored in regular
stripes of about a quarter of an inch wide, using the point of a
sharp knife, before the joint is put down to the fire. If this is
not done the skin or “ crackling ” will blister and become too
hard to cut. A loin of Pork weighing seven pounds should be
roasted for three hours. The spare-rib, or neck, is roasted,
and eaten cold with mustard, or made into cutlets. The leg is
PORK
169
slightly salted, and then simmered very slowly ; at least four
hours will be required, and the water must be carefully
skimmed. Parsnips are eaten with boiled Pork. The usual
weights of these joints are : Loin, five pounds to seven pounds ;
Leg, nine pounds ; Spare-rib, six pounds. The head of the pig
can be made into Brawn, or the cheeks may be slightly salted,
and boiled. Sausages are made of the fat and lean of Pork,
and are generally put into the prepared intestines of the pig.
Pigs for Bacon and Hams are older than Porkers. A Black
Berkshire pig makes excellent Bacon at only sixteen months
old, but this is not the case with other breeds. Bacon is an old
word, used all over Northern Europe for the back and sides of
a pig when salted. In choosing Bacon the lean should be pink
and the fat white ; for if the lean is brownish-red and the fat
yellow the Bacon is sure to have been over-salted, and may
even be “ rusty ” or stale.
Tastes vary much as to the size of Hams ; some people like
the smallest they can get, others prefer a York Ham weighing
twenty-five or thirty pounds, and others again like to eat a
Westphalian and an English Ham of equal sizes together. The
peculiar flavour of a Westphalian Ham is due to the smoke of
a fire of juniper branches, in which it is hung for three weeks.
Monsieur de Saint Simon never forgot the taste of the little
Spanish Hams which he had tasted once at Lerma, near Burgos,
in the north of Spain. The pigs lived upon the flesh of vipers.*
Nowadays the Hams of the little black pigs which live upon
the rattlesnakes so abundant in North Carolina are considered
to be a special delicacy.
Page 112
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Pork. — The Pig brings the list of the five sorts of Butcher’s Meat to a close. Five sorts are generally reckoned, but, strictly speaking, there are only three, as Beef and Yeal, Mutton and Lamb, are only the same animal at different ages.
In England Pigs should be dairy-fed, if possible home-fed, or fed by some trustworthy farmer. Pork should only be eaten when there is an R in the month, as it is unwholesome in warm weather. Too much care cannot be taken in the choice of Pork, nor can it be too thoroughly cooked. Pigs are infested with parasites, and are liable to terrible diseases ; these diseases often begin with the measles in early life, and are too apt to end in the swine-fever which necessitates compulsory slaughter and immediate burial in quick lime. The lean part of Pork should be pinky-white, pale in colour, and closegrained ; the fat should be white and firm, and absolutely free from any little lumps or “kernels.” Porkers ought never to be fattened, and should be not more than a year old when killed. If the skin or “ rind ” of Pork is thick it shows that the pig is too old. Pork should be eaten when quite fresh, and the joints should be small. The loin can be roasted or fried in chops ; if roasted, the skin should be left on and scored in regular stripes of about a quarter of an inch wide, using the point of a sharp knife, before the joint is put down to the fire. If this is not done the skin or “ crackling ” will blister and become too hard to cut. A loin of Pork weighing seven pounds should be roasted for three hours. The spare-rib, or neck, is roasted, and eaten cold with mustard, or made into cutlets. The leg is
PORK
slightly salted, and then simmered very slowly ; at least four hours will be required, and the water must be carefully skimmed. Parsnips are eaten with boiled Pork. The usual weights of these joints are : Loin, five pounds to seven pounds ; Leg, nine pounds ; Spare-rib, six pounds. The head of the pig can be made into Brawn, or the cheeks may be slightly salted, and boiled. Sausages are made of the fat and lean of Pork, and are generally put into the prepared intestines of the pig.
Pigs for Bacon and Hams are older than Porkers. A Black Berkshire pig makes excellent Bacon at only sixteen months old, but this is not the case with other breeds. Bacon is an old word, used all over Northern Europe for the back and sides of a pig when salted. In choosing Bacon the lean should be pink and the fat white ; for if the lean is brownish-red and the fat yellow the Bacon is sure to have been over-salted, and may even be “ rusty ” or stale.
Tastes vary much as to the size of Hams ; some people like the smallest they can get, others prefer a York Ham weighing twenty-five or thirty pounds, and others again like to eat a Westphalian and an English Ham of equal sizes together. The peculiar flavour of a Westphalian Ham is due to the smoke of a fire of juniper branches, in which it is hung for three weeks. Monsieur de Saint Simon never forgot the taste of the little Spanish Hams which he had tasted once at Lerma, near Burgos, in the north of Spain. The pigs lived upon the flesh of vipers.* Nowadays the Hams of the little black pigs which live upon the rattlesnakes so abundant in North Carolina are considered to be a special delicacy.