  For salt pork, one of the first considerations is a clean barrel, which can be used over and over again after yearly renovation. A good way to clean the barrel is to place about ten gallons of water and a peck of clean wood ashes in the barrel, then throw in well-heated irons, enough to boil the water, cover closely, and by adding a hot iron occasionally, keep the mixture boiling a couple of hours. Pour out, wash thoroughly with fresh water, and it will be as sweet as a new barrel. Next cover the bottom of the barrel with coarse salt, cut the pork into strips about six inches wide, stand edgewise in the barrel, with the skin next the outside, until the bottom is covered. Cover with a thick coat of salt, so as to hide the pork entirely. Repeat in the same manner until the barrel is full, or the pork all in, covering the top thickly with another layer of salt. Let stand three or four days, then put on a heavy flat stone and sufficient cold water to cover the pork. After the water is on, sprinkle one pound best black pepper over all. An inch of salt in the bottom and between each layer and an inch and a half on top will be sufficient to keep the pork without making brine. When it is desired to pickle pork by pouring brine over the filled barrel, the following method is a favorite: Pack closely in the barrel, first rubbing the salt well into the exposed ends of bones, and sprinkle well between each layer, using no brine until forty-eight FIG. 16. BOX FOR SALTING MEATS. RENEWING PORK BRINE.Not infrequently from insufficient salting and unclean barrels, or other cause, pork placed in brine begins to spoil, the brine smells bad, and the contents, if not soon given proper attention, will be unfit for food. As soon as this trouble is discovered, lose no time in removing the contents from the barrel, washing each piece of meat separately in clean water. Boil the brine for half an hour, frequently removing the scum and impurities that will rise to the surface. Cleanse the barrel thoroughly by washing with hot water and hard wood ashes. Replace the meat after sprinkling it with a little fresh salt, putting the purified A HANDY SALTING BOX.A trough made as shown at Fig. 16 is very handy for salting meats, such as hams, bacon and beef, for drying. It is made of any wood which will not flavor the meat; ash, spruce or hemlock plank, one and a half inches thick, being better than any others. A good size is four feet long by two and one-half wide and one and one-half deep. The joints should be made tight with white lead spread upon strips of cloth, and screws are vastly better than nails to hold the trough together. |
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