Rub each tongue well with brown sugar and saltpetre; have ready an earthen crock or wooden vessel; put into it a layer of salt, then a tongue, then a layer of salt, and so on till they are all in; after they have been in three days, remove them and put the tongues which were in the bottom of the vessel on top: they will make their own pickle.
TO BOIL HAM.
If a ham is old and hard, it should soak over night; if not, wash it well, and put it down in plenty of cold water: the water should be well skimmed while boiling.
TO BOIL A STUFFED HAM.
Make incisions in the ham with a knife; have ready some mint chopped fine, with which fill them; then boil for five or six hours; trim, but do not skin it.
TO BAKE A BOILED HAM.
First, boil till done; then skin and trim it; spread the yolk of egg over, then sprinkle with finely rolled cracker, and put in the oven for a few minutes; or, you may boil, skin it, and ornament with black pepper: a ham will keep much better, and will retain the juice, if the skin is not taken off.
TO CURE HAMS AND SHOULDERS.
Cut up your hogs, take out the chine from the neck to the tail, cut the hams, shoulders, and middlings; have some finely powdered saltpetre; rub a tablespoonful in each ham for some minutes, then rub it well with salt and brown sugar; let them lie on a board some distance apart for three days, to draw off the blood; have a molasses barrel; sprinkle the bottom with salt and put in your hams with the skins down; sprinkle with salt, and so on till you have the barrel full; make a strong pickle that will bear an egg; pour over them, cover, and let them remain in pickle for five weeks, then hang them up with the hock down to preserve the juice. The shoulders will not require to be in pickle so long; it is not necessary to put saltpetre on the middlings; the jowls will be ready to hang up in two weeks, shoulders and middlings in four: they should be smoked but three times a week till done; if smoked too much, they will be hard. Before the weather gets warm, take them down and rub well with hickory ashes.