Secrets of meat curing and sausage making / how to cure hams, shoulders, bacon, corned beef, etc., and how to make all kinds of sausage, etc. to comply with the pure food laws

by B. Heller & Co.

Warm carcasses of meat should never be put into a cooler where meat is being cured in open vats, as the cold pickle will absorb the impure animal heat, and odors which these carcasses give off. Never allow sour pickle of any kind to remain in the curing room, as cold brine or water will absorb all foreign odors. To demonstrate this, take a glass of cold water, set it on a table next to a glass of tainted brine, and cover both with a bucket or pan; allow them to remain over night, and the next morning the cold water will have the same odor as the tainted brine. This will easily prove how meat can be tainted when curing in open tierces or vats, if anything sour or spoiled is in the cooler; therefore, curing rooms must be kept as clean as possible.

HOW LONG BRINE SHOULD BE USED
(Copyrighted by B. Heller & Co.; Reprint Forbidden.)

The length of time that brine should be used depends entirely upon the quantity of brine that you have in the barrel and the amount of meat that you put in each week. When the meat is packed solid it takes about 5 gallons of brine to each 100 pounds of meat. On the other hand if you put 25 gallons of brine in a tierce in which you place but a few pieces of corned beef from time to time as the meat accumulates your brine would be sufficient to cure 500 pounds of meat; if the barrel was nice and clean, the meat in good condition when put in the brine, and generally speaking conditions are favorable it will cure a great deal more than 500 pounds.

The brine may be used until it begins to get thick and show foam on the top; then of course it is advisable to make a new brine, at the same time washing the tierce out thoroughly.

DRY SALT MEATS.

Short Ribs (Regular) are made from the sides of the hog, between the Ham and Shoulder, having the loin and ribs in, and backbone removed.

Extra Short Ribs are made from the sides of the hog, between the Ham and Shoulder, with loin taken out, but belly ribs left in.

Short Ribs (Hard) are made from the sides of the hog, between the Ham and Shoulder, having the loin, ribs and backbone in.

Short Clears are made from the sides of the hog, between the Ham and Shoulder, having the loin in, and ribs and backbone removed.

Extra Short Clears are made from the sides of the hog, between the Ham and Shoulder with loin and all bones taken out.