To every gallon of cold water, put a quart of rock salt, an ounce of
salt-petre, quarter of a pound of brown sugar--(some people use
molasses, but it is not as good)--no boiling is necessary. Put the beef
in the brine. As long as any salt remains at the bottom of the cask it
is strong enough. Whenever any scum rises, the brine should be scalded,
skimmed, and more sugar, salt and salt-petre added. When a piece of beef
is put in the brine, rub a little salt over it. If the weather is hot,
cut a gash to the bone of the meat, and fill it with salt. Put a heavy
weight on the beef in order to keep it under the brine. In very hot
weather, it is difficult to corn beef in cold brine before it spoils. On
this account it is good to corn it in the pot when boiled. It is done in
the following manner; to six or eight pounds of beef, put a tea cup of
salt, sprinkle flour on the side that is to go up on the table, and put
it down in the pot, turn the water into the pot after the beef is put
in, boil it a couple of hours, then turn in more cold water, and boil it
an hour and a half longer.