Pig Snouts.
—These consist of the snout of the hog together with the upper lips and front part of the nose. During preparation they are handled very much in the same manner as pig’s feet. They are first shaved and cleaned, afterward scalded, removing the outer skin or membrane of the nose. Then they are cured, using a 90-degree plain salt pickle and adding thereto three ounces of saltpetre to 100 pounds of snouts. After they are fully cured, which will require from five to eight days, they should be cooked in a wooden vat to the desired degree of tenderness after which they are chilled in cold water and pickled in white wine vinegar of 45-degree strength. The following tests show the cost of preparing pig snouts in different sized packages:
TEST ON 1,060 PIECES, OR 1,000 POUNDS PIG SNOUTS.
| Debit: | |
| Cost of 1,000 pounds pig snouts at 2¹⁄₂c per pound | $25.00 |
| Shaving at 40c per 100 pieces | 4.24 |
| Labor, trucking, cooking, inspecting, pickling, etc. | 1.10 |
| 100 pounds salt at ¹⁄₄c per pound | .25 |
| Two pounds saltpetre at 5c per pound | .10 |
| Administrative expenses, 47c per 100 pounds on 610 pounds production | 2.87 |
| Total | $33.56 |
| Credit: | |
| Trimmings, 90 pounds at 2c per pound | 1.80 |
| Net cost | $31.76 |
| Cost per pound, 5¹⁄₅c; cost of handling, administrative expense, 85⁶⁄₁₀c per cwt. | |
| Green weight, 1,000 pounds; cleaned weight, 900 pounds; cooked weight, 610 pounds. | |
CHAPTER XXIII.
LARD, COMPOUND AND GREASES
Historical — Quantity and Quality — Neutral Lard — Kettle Rendered Lard — Prime Steam Lard — Refined Lard — Bleaching Lard — Filter Press — Lard Roll — Lard Packing — Compound Lard — Cottonseed Oil — Refining Crude Oil — Deodorizing Cottonseed Oil — Pressing Temperatures — Lard Oil — Treatment for Lard Grease.
Historical.
—The refining of lard in packing houses is comparatively recent, and many people will be surprised to know that even the largest packers only added lard refining to their business within the past twenty-five to thirty years. Previous to that time lard refineries were operated by independent firms, who bought their supply of prime “steam” lard, converting it into the different grades in their own establishments. In the natural evolution of the business this branch was taken up by the packers.
Before the advent of present methods, lard refining consisted in pressing from the lard about 30 to 40 per cent lard oil, sold for lubricating and lighting purposes, etc., and mixing the stearine with straight lard, making a high grade pure lard. At this time the method of bleaching in all lard refineries was accomplished by the use of caustic soda, pearl ash, lime, alum, or other substances, the principal ingredient, being caustic soda. The underlying principle is that alkali, used in proper proportion, saponified the acid in the lard. This process, however, is a thing of the past.