The time meat requires salting depends upon the weight of it, and how much salt is used: and if it be rubbed in with a heavy hand, it will be ready much sooner than if only lightly rubbed.
N. B. Dry the salt, and rub it with the sugar in a mortar.
Pork requires a longer time to cure (in proportion to its weight) than beef. A leg of pork should be in salt eight or ten days; turn it and rub it every day.
Salt meat should be well washed before it is boiled, especially if it has been in salt long, that the liquor in which the meat is boiled, may not be too salt to make soup of. ([No. 218], &c. and [No. 555].)
If it has been in salt a long time, and you fear that it will be too salt, wash it well in cold water, and soak it in lukewarm water for a couple of hours. If it is very salt, lay it in water the night before you intend to dress it.
A Round of salted Beef.—(No. 7.)
As this is too large for a moderate family, we shall write directions for the dressing half a round. Get the tongue side.
Skewer it up tight and round, and tie a fillet of broad tape round it, to keep the skewers in their places.
Put it into plenty of cold water, and carefully catch the scum as soon as it rises: let it boil till all the scum is removed, and then put the boiler on one side of the fire, to keep simmering slowly till it is done.
Half a round of 15lbs. will take about three hours: if it weighs more, give it more time.