This process is generally conducted in so negligent and rough a
manner――excepting at Yarmouth and Lowestoft――that a little advice
on the subject may not be out of place. As the barrels are emptied
of their contents, the largest fish should be picked out from the
rest, and pickled separately, for otherwise the consumer gets the
finest herrings hardly tasting of salt, and most likely in a state of
decay, while the small ones are so much oversalted, as to be scarcely
eatable. As the fish generally come to hand far from clean, they
should be washed by means of round baskets agitated in tubs of salt
and water, and turned into separate pickling vats, which should have
false bottoms in them, perforated here and there with holes, taps also
being introduced to let off the pickle when required. The safest and
best method is to make use of _saturated solutions_ of salt, which
are made by adding twenty-nine pounds of common salt to seventy-one
pounds of water. The herrings will float in this pickle, but must be
totally immersed by battens of wood laid on the top of them, and held
down by little bags of salt, which, being gradually dissolved, will
maintain the strength of the solution, which is always lessened as the
fish imbibe the muriatic property thereof, and all pickles of this
description are weaker at the surface than at the bottom, and may in
this way be rectified. (See Note, No. 4.) As to the length of time
the fish should remain in the pickle, that depends whether they came
to hand with coarse salt scattered amongst them, at the sea coast, a
precaution necessary in hot weather; a good criterion is when the fish
begin to be stiff or rigid while being handled, but to try one or two
cooked is certainly a sure proof. Pure _fresh_ water must never be
added or made use of in this process after salt has been imbibed, or
the heads will all be broken when putting them on the spits. When salt
enough, run off the brine, and shortly commence putting your fish on
the rods, and hang them up in a current of air, then remove them to
your chimney, and smoke them with
Oak lops 2 parts
Beech chips 2 parts
Fern or grass turfs 2 parts
When they have been smoked enough, return them to the air currents, as
they keep much better on the rods until wanted. If a constant and full
smoke has been kept up, twelve hours will be sufficient for the smaller
fish, and sixteen to eighteen hours for the large ones. They are not
intended to keep good more than four or five days, but in perfection
should be eaten the day after being cured.