Head Cheese.
Have the head split down the face, remove the skin, ears, eyes and brains, and cut off the snout; wash thoroughly and soak all day in cold salted water; change the water and soak over night, then put on to cook in cold water to cover. Skim carefully and when done so the bones will slip out, remove to a hot pan, take out every bone and bit of gristle, and chop the meat with a sharp knife as quickly as possible, to keep the fat from settling in it. For 6 lbs. meat allow 2 tablespoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, a little cayenne, ¼ teaspoon clove and 2 tablespoons sage. Stir the meat and seasoning well together and put into a perforated mold or tie in a coarse cloth, put a heavy weight on it and let it stand till cold and firm. The broth in which the meat was cooked may be used for pea soup, and the fat, if clarified, may be used for lard.—[R. W.
Cut the head up in suitable pieces to fit the receptacle you wish to boil it in, first cutting off all pieces that are not to be used. If too fat, cut off that, too, and put with the lard to be rendered. Take out the brains and lay them in a dish of cold water, then put the head on to boil till tender. Be sure to skim well. When it begins to boil, cook till the meat is ready to drop off the bones, then take up, remove all bones or gristle and grind or chop, not too fine; put in salt, pepper and cloves to taste, also sage if liked, mix all well together, heat it all together, and pour in a cloth, which is laid in a crock, tie it up tight and put on a weight, to press it. Next day remove the cloth and the head cheese is ready for the table. Skim the fat off the liquor the head was boiled in and set aside for future use. Heat the liquor to a boil and stir in nicely sifted corn meal. After salting, take up in crock and let it get cold, then cut off in slices and fry a nice brown. Nice for breakfast.—[Mrs. A. Joseph.
Pig’s Head.
English Brawn: Cut off the hearty cheek or jowl, and try it out for shortening. Saw the pig’s head up in small pieces, carefully removing the brains, snoot, eyes, jawbones or portions of teeth sockets. (It is surprising with saw and a keen, sharp-pointed knife how much of the unpleasant pieces of a pig’s head can be removed before it is consigned to the salt bath.) Soak all night in salt and water, drain in the morning and set over the fire to boil in slightly salted water. Place the tongue in whole also. When the flesh leaves the bone, take out and strip all into a wooden chopping bowl, reserving the tongue whole. Skin the tongue while warm. Chop the head pieces fine, add pepper, salt, powdered sage to suit taste. Pack all in a deep, narrow mold and press the tongue whole into the middle of the mass. Weight down and set away all night to cool. Keep this always in a cold place until all is used, and, as usual, use a sharp knife to slice.—[Aunt Ban.
To Keep Hams and Shoulders.
We pack them for a few days with a sprinkle of dry salt, then lift and wipe dry (both barrel and meat), repack and cover with brine, which may be prepared thus: To 16 gals. brine (enough to carry an egg) placed in a kettle to boil add ¼ lb. saltpeter, 3 pts. syrup molasses and a large shovel of hickory ashes tied in a clean saltbag or cloth; boil, skim and cool.—[Mrs. R. E. Griffith.
To prepare smoked ham for summer use: Slice the ham and cut off the rind. Fill a spider nearly full, putting the fat pieces on top. Place in the oven and bake. When partly cooked, pack the slices of hot ham closely in a stone jar and pour the meat juice and fat over the top. Every time that any of the meat is taken out, a little of the lard should be heated and poured back into the jar to keep the meat fresh and good. Be very careful each time to completely cover the meat with lard.—[Marion Chandler.