The new Annie Dennis cook book

To one hundred pounds of meat, allow seven pounds of salt, five pounds of brown sugar, two ounces of saltpeter and half ounce of baking soda. Boil the ingredients in four gallons of water until all are melted. When the liquid is cold skim carefully. Rub the meat on all sides with red pepper ; pour the liquid over it and let it remain covered, in a cool place, for eight weeks. Then hang it to dry for a day or two and smoke a week. If liked, dip in the pepper tea (mentioned in general directions) and canvas. Sugar-Cured Ham, No. 2 After all animal heat is out, trim the hams (or shoulders either), nicely cutting off about four inches of the hock or lower joints. Rub each piece with tolerably fine salt, and pack tight in a barrel that will hold brine; m.ake a sweet pickle by using one and onehalf gallons of good syrup, or its equivalent (twelve pounds) of brown sugar and six ounces of saltpeter, to forty gallons of water, with salt enough added to make the pickle float an egg. Let it boil until the scum rises, skim, set away until thoroughly cool, then pour it over the meat. Keep the meat well under the brine. The meat should remain in pickle from five to six weeks, according to temperature. When the hams are taken out, rinse in clear water and hang up to dry, and smoke with any good, hard, sound wood — hickory wood is best. You will never lose a ham if the above is followed to the letter, and better hams you never ate. Virginia- Cured Ham For eighty pounds of pork take three pints of salt, four ounces of saltpeter, two ounces of black pepper, two pounds of brown sugar; pulverize thoroughly together. Rub this well into the meat three times a week, and if all the mixture is not used in these rubbings, give it four, or continue until all is used. After fifteen or twenty days smoke with hickory wood as long as is considered necessary. Sausage To every twelve pounds of meat take three tablespoonfuls of salt, three of black pepper, six of sage and a teaspoonful of red pepper. Grind the meat through the mill, then mix in the seasoning thoroughly. Let remain half an hour, then grind again and stuff. Hang up in a dry, cool place. It is best not to link the sausages, as they dry more quickly when not linked. After they hang a week or ten days, or until the skins are dry, take them down, rub well with meal and place in a wooden box with brown paper between each layer. Sausage may be kept fresh for any length of time if fried, placed in jars, and covered with the drippings, or if they are not sufficient, making up the deficiency with melted lard. Keep the jar well covered, in a cool place. Pickled or Corned Beef Boil four ounces of saltpeter in twelve gallons of water. Have ready one hundred pounds of beef cut in nice pieces for roasting. Dip each piece in the boiling saltpeter water, let remain one minute, then lay out to cool. When all have been dipped, add to the water nine pounds of salt, half gallon of molasses, five pounds of brown sugar, two ounces of pearlash. Boil well and skim; let get perfectly cold. Pack the beef in a barrel, pour the cold pickle over it, and place weights on the beef to keep it well under the brine. Ready for use in three weeks. This keeps well. Seasoning for Sausage Meat