CURING MEATS
CURING CELLARS -- HAMS AND THEIR TREATMENT -- WILDER HAMS -- SHOULDER
MEATS -- BELLIES -- OVERHAULING MEATS -- FANCY BACON -- SHIPPING
AGES -- SECOND PICKLE -- DRY SALT MEATS -- CURING DRY SALT MEATS --
SMOKING DRY SALT MEATS -- BARRELED PORK -- CURING BARRELED PORK --
ENGLISH MEATS -- PIGS FEET -- PIGS TONGUES -- PIGS SNOUTS.
=Curing Cellars.=--Curing Cellars are pretty generally carried at a
temperature of 35° to 36° F., for sweet-pickled meats and 38° to 40°
F. for dry salted meats. At times the temperature in the foregoing is
lowered to 34° F., but not frequently.
_Vessels._--Formerly tierces were used almost entirely, but the trend
has been toward the use of vats or casks, uniform so far as possible
in capacity, since it tends to better standardization. The vats can be
taken out for airing, washing and sunlight, which is a prime requisite.
Dimensions of a standard vat are about as follows: For 1,500 pounds
capacity, 42 inches high, 42 inches in diameter at the head, 48 inches
in diameter at the bilge or center of vat. Thickness of stave one inch.
Heads 1¹⁄₂ inch yellow pine; five galvanized iron hoops, two inches
wide, made from No. 12 iron. Heads to be set flush with the chime, so
that the weight of the contents comes directly on the floor.
Vats of this kind seem to last indefinitely and are much cheaper to
handle than tierces, saving a large expense in coopering, and making
it possible to use the space in the curing houses to better advantage.
Cold storage houses should be sufficiently high under the joists, so
these vats can be double-decked, one setting on top of the other,
leaving about twenty inches of space. When handled in this manner the
space in the cellar is used to much better advantage with vats than
tierces.
Into a vat of the dimensions named, should be put 1,450 pounds of meat.
It will take practically sixty-eight gallons of pickle to fill the
vat on a basis of 21¹⁄₃ pounds of meat to be cured, to each gallon of
pickle.
=Hams and their Treatment.=--In the handling of product there is no
part of the animal that requires as close and skillful attention as
does the ham during the curing process. It is a thick, compact body of
meat and it takes considerable time to chill, it becomes tainted very
soon if not properly chilled. If the heat is removed, and the curing
agent does not reach the interior promptly, decomposition sets in.
As before stated the first chilling of the carcass has everything to
do with the curing of this meat. If hams are properly chilled in the
cooler, the balance of the process is comparatively simple. If they
are only partially chilled from lack of proper attention or because
of improper coolers, no curing agency will bring the hams out in a
satisfactory condition.
_Chilling._--In hog coolers properly operated, on light and medium
weight hogs, where a ham temperature of 33° to 35° F. is obtained,
hams can be packed directly into the vats or tierces. Heavy hams are
sometimes placed in a holding room for twenty-four hours and kept at a
temperature of 33° F. to thoroughly chill. Some curers prefer to shelve
all hams and to pump them before shelving.
_Meat Temperatures._--Each day’s cutting of hams should be tested
internally with a thermometer made especially for this purpose to
find the internal temperature. Light hams averaging from twelve to
fourteen pounds should run from 33° to 34° F., heavy hams from 35° to
37° F. Temperatures higher than those designated are not safe, from
a curing standpoint, and should be reduced to these points before
the hams can be safely cured. What is meant by “safely cured” is the
minimum percentage of sour, which should run less than one ham in 1,000
pieces. If previous directions as to refrigeration, handling, etc., are
followed closely this condition is possible.
_Pumping._--The use of a pump in curing hams is a requisite to
reasonably safe cure. A pump similar to that shown in Fig. 135 is
used, the pickle being inserted around the joint by means of a hollow
nickel needle. The needle is put in where the pickle is wanted, and
with one stroke of the pump the pickle is forced into the inside of the
ham. It is advisable to use a strong pickle, getting as much of the
curative properties as possible into the ham with a minimum amount of
water.
[Illustration: FIG. 135.--HAM PUMP.]
The pump illustrated is designed so that a measured quantity must be
thrown per stroke. It was formerly thought unwise to pump the selected
or fancy hams, but if the work be carefully done, whatever damage might
occur, is justified by the general results. In pumping hams care should
be used not to pump them heavy enough to burst the tissues, and to
get as much as possible of the ingredient pumped in around the stifle
joint, as this is the joint where decomposition sets in.
_Pumping Pickle._--Ham pumping pickle is usually quite a strong
solution. A good recipe is one gallon of 100° brine, to which is added
fifteen ounces of saltpetre (potassium nitrate) and fifteen ounces
sugar; in the same proportion for larger quantities.
The sugar has the effect of toning down the brash salt effect in the
meat, giving it a more palatable flavor, also to a certain extent it
aids in curing. The saltpetre aids in curing the meat, and gives it
a bright, attractive color. Meat which is cured without the use of
saltpetre has a dead appearance, and is very unattractive.
_Pumping Quantities._--Fancy hams should be pumped with one stick of
the needle pushed in from the shank end, delivering along the bone at
the stifle joint, using two strokes of the pump.
Regular hams should be pumped as above with an additional stick in the
stifle and one under the aitch bone, one in the butt of the ham, two
strokes per stick. Heavy hams, eighteen to twenty pounds, use three
strokes for each stick. Picnics or Californias should be pumped with
one stroke. Stick in shank, in blood vessel over blade-bone and under
blade-bone.
_Ham Curing Pickle._--Ham curing pickle varies among different curing
authorities. The use of freezers for storing fully cured meats is now
so general that the curing pickle, even for fancy hams, can be made
somewhat stronger with no serious saltiness resulting, provided the ham
is removed at about the cured age. Fancy hams, owing to the selection
and usually being of lighter weight are put in a medium pickle, with a
pickle of 78-degree density. To one-thousand gallons of 78-degree brine
add 250 pounds of sugar and 50 pounds of saltpetre, using 5 gallons
of solution per 100 pounds net weight of meat. The 78-degree pickle
referred to being the density of salt solution measured by a Salometer
test.
For standard hams use 78-degree pickle with 200 pounds of sugar and 65
pounds of saltpetre.
_Pickle Making._--For sake of uniformity it is best to have as large
vessels as possible for making pickle solutions, so as to minimize
the likelihood of error; storage vats should be provided, with coils,
through which refrigerated brine should be circulated for the purpose
of chilling the pickle to a uniform temperature, usually 35° F.
=Wilder Hams.=--A ham cure method advocated by Mr. Wilder was as
follows:
A very satisfactory method of handling hams, before beginning to pickle
is (providing the hogs have been properly chilled in the cooler for
from sixty to seventy-two hours), as soon as they are inspected and
graded, to spread them on the floor, piling them up carefully, shank
down, about 2¹⁄₂ to 3 feet high, salt each ham slightly with fine salt,
and let them lie packed over night in the cooler at a temperature of
from 36° to 38° F. The next day they are put into process of curing.
When hogs are properly chilled in a dry cooler, they come out more or
less dried, and the surface of the ham, as well as the rind, is not
sufficiently porous and open to absorb the pickle promptly, the meat
being cooler than the curing room. When, however, it comes in contact
with the fine salt, this causes moisture to form on the meat, which
opens up the pores, in which condition the ham readily absorbs the
pickle.
_Formula for Wilder Ham Pickle._--Inasmuch as the hams have been salted
on the floor, the pickle should carry correspondingly less salt in
curing. Otherwise the meat will be too salty. A 75-degree plain pickle
is as strong as should be used for hams thus handled.
To a tank holding 1,680 gallons, filled with 75-degree pickle, there
should be added:
475 pounds granulated sugar.
90 pounds saltpetre.
This makes a very safe and effective cure. The hams when being put down
should be pumped as follows:
Five stitch in the shank;
One on the shank joint;
One on the aitch bone;
One on top of the shank;
Two in the body;
making a total of ten stitches per ham. The meat should be overhauled
from one vat to another at the end of five days, second overhauling ten
days later, pumping at that time with three stitches:
One in the shank;
One in the body;
One in the aitch bone.
It adds greatly to the certainty of the cure of meats to be thus pumped.
_Wilder Sirup Curing._--The best flavored meats are produced with
sirup, instead of sugar, but meats handled in this way have not the
keeping qualities that meats have when cured with a granulated or light
sugar. The sirup also has a tendency to discolor the meat, making it
look less attractive, and this, coupled with its tendency to cause
fermentation, has made the curing of meat with sirup, in large concerns
at least, undesirable.
A formula for the use of sirup in a 1,500-gallon vat would be as
follows:
88 gallons sugarhouse sirup.
75 pounds saltpetre.
This will make a dark-colored pickle. Hams turned out in this manner
are of a very delicate flavor.
=Shoulder Meats Pickle.=--Shoulder meats are quite difficult to cure,
probably owing to the blood content, etc. The chilling is quite as
essential as for ham, and it is customary to use a stronger pickle,
as well as to pump the meat somewhat heavily. The pickle for shoulder
meats is to add to 1,000 gallons of 85-degree brine, 150 pounds of
sugar and 65 pounds of saltpetre.
=Bellies.=--Bellies cured in vats are a comparatively easily cured
product. The process being to simply put the requisite quantity of meat
in the cask and add the pickle. S. P. Bellies can be nicely cured in a
pickle of 70-degree strength with 150 pounds of sugar and 65 pounds of
saltpetre per 1,000 gallons.
=Overhauling Meats.=--Overhauling is the term used in cellars to
describe the process of transferring meat from one cask to another
to insure its being shifted so that all parts of the meat may be
equally exposed to the curing solution. It is a laborious task, but
a necessity, and perhaps one of the first processes to be neglected
in case of labor shortage. In most establishments its importance is
recognized to be of such magnitude that a record is kept of each cask
to see that the transaction is carried out. The following table gives
the periods at which the meats should be changed:
Fancy hams 5, 15 and 30 days.
Regular hams 5, 20 and 40 days.
Picnics 5 and 20 days.
Bellies 4 and 15 days.
=Fancy Bacon.=--This particular part of the animal is cured either in
dry salt or sweet pickle, according to the requirements of the trade
and the grade or quality of the meat. The highest class bacon used
in this country is generally “dry salt,” being specially handled and
prepared to make the most attractive appearance. A much sought for
point in bacon is to so prepare it that when fried it is of a light
color. The only way to obtain this color is to use less sugar in
curing, as it causes discoloration in cooking; but at the same time it
greatly adds to the flavor, hence curing by the dry salt method adds
to the looks. When it is cured in this way it should be dry packed in
air-tight boxes lined with galvanized iron, or other material, the meat
being put down with a fine salt combination, thoroughly mixed per 100
pounds of meat as follows:
2.75 pounds English salt.
1.25 pounds sugar.
3 ounces saltpetre.
The meat should be held in this cure about twenty days.
The meats are packed with the rind down uniformly, the salt being
spread between the layers, the top layer being put on with the rind up
and the box closed, keeping the air from it as much as possible; meat
must not be overhauled. It should be fully cured in twenty-five days.
Meat handled in this manner, as stated before, when fried cooks white;
it also has a very bright appearance when smoked. This is a delicate
cure and must be handled accordingly.
=Shipping Ages.=--The table on next page gives what is considered the
age, in days, at which different kinds and weights of sweet pickled
hams and sides are cured sufficiently to smoke; also at which different
kinds of barrel pork are cured sufficiently to be sold; also the cuts
which should and should not be pumped.
=Second Pickle.=--A wasteful practice in packing houses, is to throw
away pickle as soon as the meat is cured. A pickle which will show
78-degree strength, to which has been added five to seven degrees
of sugar, saltpetre, etc., making it 83 to 85-degree when used, if
tested after meats have been cured, will show a strength of from 52
to 58-degrees, the meat having absorbed the balance of the curative
ingredients. The remaining ingredients in this pickle are good when
purified--salt and sugar being the same under all conditions--hence
when meats are fully cured the pickle should be pumped into a vat, in
the bottom and sides of which are galvanized iron coils. Steam should
then be turned on these coils heating the pickle by the radiation from
the pipe.
SHIPPING AGES.--TIME REQUIRED FOR CURING.
========================+============+=======+=======+======
| Average wt.|Days to|Days to|
Product | lbs. | smoke | ship |Pumped
------------------------+------------+-------+-------+------
S. P. hams |10 and under| 30 | 30 | Yes
S. P. hams |10¹⁄₄-14 | 35 | 35 | Yes
S. P. hams |14 -18 | 50 | 50 | Yes
S. P. hams |18 -23 | 70 | 70 | Yes
S. P. hams |24 and over | 80 | 80 | Yes
S. P. hams skinned |14 -16 | 50 | 50 | Yes
S. P. hams skinned |18 and over | 70 | 70 | Yes
S. P. hams fancy |11 -13 | 60 | 60 | No
S. P. hams fancy skinned|14 -16 | 65 | 65 | No
S. P. hams export |10 -14 | 30 | 30 | Yes
S. P. hams export |14 -18 | 35 | 35 | Yes
S. P. California hams | 8 | 30 | 30 | Yes
S. P. California hams | 8 -10 | 35 | 35 | Yes
S. P. California hams |10 -14 | 50 | 50 | Yes
S. P. N. Y. shoulders |12 and under| 50 | 50 | Yes
S. P. N. Y. shoulders |13 and over | 55 | 55 | Yes
Bellies | 6 - 8 | 20 | 20 | No
Bellies | 8 -10 | 22 | 22 | No
Bellies |10 -12 | 25 | 25 | No
Bellies |12 -14 | 30 | 30 | No
Bellies |14 -16 | 35 | 35 | No
Bellies rib | ... | 25 | 20 | No
Bacon backs | ... | 30 | 30 | No
Belly pork | ... | ... | 15 | ...
Bean pork | ... | ... | 15 | ...
Loin pork | ... | ... | 15 | ...
Fat back pork | ... | ... | 15 | ...
Short cut pork | ... | ... | 15 | ...
S. P. pork trimmings | ... | ... | 15 | ...
Brisket pork | ... | ... | 15 | ...
------------------------+------------+-------+-------+------
After the pickle has been thoroughly boiled for an hour or so, it
should be allowed to settle, when the particles of grease, as well as
all the albumin drawn from the meat will rise to the surface in the
form of a thick heavy scum; this should be carefully skimmed off and
the pickle again boiled, when a second skimming is necessary, after
which it should be drawn off, cooled and sufficient fresh ingredients
added to give it its original strength, when it is as useful as new.
For instance, to a vat of 1,500 gallons of old pickle, 50-degree
strength, add:
200 pounds sugar,
38 pounds saltpetre.
=Dry Salt Meats.=--These are domestic cuts or those saleable in the
standard trade. They are distinct from English meats, described
subsequently.
_Short Ribs._--This is a regular Board-of-Trade cut and is quoted on
the market daily. The price of same is used as a basis of value for
other cuts of dry salt meats. Short ribs are made from the sides of the
hog between the ham and shoulder, having the loin and ribs in, and the
backbone removed. Graded usually as follows:
40 to 45 lbs. average.
45 to 50 lbs. average.
50 to 55 lbs. average.
55 to 60 lbs. average.
60 to 65 lbs. average.
Prices vary according to weight. This cut is known as “regular short
ribs” and is delivered on Board-of-Trade transactions.
_Hard Ribs._--These are the same as regulars, except that the backbone
is removed. This cut cannot be delivered on the Board-of-Trade without
removing of the backbone. This is a cut sold largely in the south and
is made out of the heaviest, roughest hogs.
_Short Clears._--These are the same as short ribs, but have the spare
ribs and backbone removed. They are cut square at each end and graded
as to average weight, same as short ribs.
_Short Clear Backs._--These are made from the backs of hogs with the
loin left in, the ribs and backbone removed. This cut is also known as
“lean backs” and “loin backs.” Values vary according to average weight
as follows:
14 to 16 lbs. average.
18 to 20 lbs. average.
20 to 25 lbs. average.
25 to 30 lbs. average.
_Extra Short Clears._--These are made from sides of hogs between the
ham and shoulders with the rib and loin taken out. They are sold on an
average from--
35 to 40 lbs. average.
40 to 45 lbs. average.
45 to 50 lbs. average.
_Extra Short Ribs._--These are the same cut as extra short clears, in
every respect, except that the spare ribs are left in the belly.
_Short Fat Backs._--These are made from back pork of prime hogs, being
free from lean and bone, properly squared on the edges. They are
generally quoted as follows:
10 to 12 lbs. average.
14 to 16 lbs. average.
18 to 20 lbs. average.
20 to 25 lbs. average.
25 to 30 lbs. average.
30 to 35 lbs. average.
35 to 40 lbs. average.
These cuts may be used for the domestic trade and are usually under
twenty-five pounds average in weight. The heavier backs are, however,
in general practice used mainly for the export trade.
_Long Clears._--These are made from the sides, hams being cut off,
backbone and ribs removed, shoulder blade taken out, the leg cut off
close to the brisket; being the entire side of the hog, with the ham
and the bones removed.
_Extra Long Clears._--These are trimmed the same as long clears, except
that the loin is cut out.
_Bellies._--These are cut with the sides squared and well trimmed on
all edges. They are cured in sweet pickle, plain pickle, or dry salt
and graded generally, as follows:
10 to 12 lbs. average.
14 to 16 lbs. average.
18 to 20 lbs. average.
20 to 25 lbs. average.
25 to 30 lbs. average.
_Regular Plates._--These are made from the end of the shoulder when
this is cut into California hams, and have half of the blade bone with
a facing of lean left on. The usual weight averages six to eight pounds.
_Clear Plates._--These are the same as regulars except blade bones are
never trimmed out.
_Dry Salt Butts._--This is a cut made from the fat cheek or jowl,
trimmed to average from three to four pounds each and is a uniform cut
of the hog.
[Illustration: FIG. 136.--LONG CLEAR.]
=Curing Dry Salt Meats.=--Dry salt meats, as the name implies, are
supposedly salted dry and piled to cure. Being mostly fat, which
contains but little moisture, and absorbs but little salt, the fat
portion, or cuts consisting principally of fat are easy to cure. Those
cuts which contain lean parts, bone or blood vessels need the most
careful attention. As a result all cuts of the latter type are pumped
by use of hollow needles through which brine solution is forced,
varying with the weight and with the cut. A hard rib is pumped more
than a short rib.
_Dipping._--The meats are usually passed through a dipping tub so as
to make the edges moist and cover the entire surface with salt; damp
salt being caused to adhere to the edges.
_Salt to be Used._--The salt usually used is known as No. 1 Fine or
Common salt, evaporated, rather than mined or ground salt.
[Illustration: FIG. 137.--EXTRA LONG CLEAR.]
_Pumping._--A standard pumping schedule, using an open point needle and
common type dry salt pump, would be as follows:
STANDARD PUMPING SCHEDULE.
Strokes
per
Products Points Point
Dry salt shoulders 4 2
Plates 2 2
Short ribs 7 1
Short clears 7 1
Rib bellies 4 4
Clear bellies 4 1
Hard ribs 10 1
Dry salt pumping pickle should be 100° brine using one pound of
saltpetre per gallon.
_Overhauling and Piling._--The sides are always piled hollow side up
so that pickle made by solution of moisture purging from the meat is
contained on the meats. The piles are overhauled at regular intervals
so as to insure the meats being subjected to salt at all points.
Overhauling should be made: first, eight to twelve days; second,
eighteen to twenty-five days; third, forty-five to fifty-five days.
Green meats should not be piled to exceed three and one-half feet in
height until the third overhauling when they can be stacked higher to
make room.
[Illustration: FIG. 138.--JOWL (DRY SALT BUTTS.)]
=Smoking Dry Salt Meats.=--The following table shows the age, in days,
at which dry salt meat should be cured in order to smoke safely; also
at which to ship safely; also the cuts that should and should not be
pumped:
TIME REQUIRED FOR CURING.
=====================+==============+=======+=======+======
| Average wt. |Days to|Days to|
Product | lbs. | smoke | ship |Pumped
---------------------+--------------+-------+-------+------
Extra short clears | ... | 25 | 15 | Yes
Short clears |45-55 | 50 | 40 | Yes
Extra short ribs | ... | 25 | 20 | Yes
Short ribs |45-50 | 55 | 55 | Yes
Short ribs |50-80 | 75 | 70 | Yes
Bellies |15-17 | 25 | 25 | Yes
Bellies |18-21 | 30 | 27 | Yes
Bellies |18-22 and over| 35 | 32 | Yes
Bellies fancy | 4- 6 | 20 | 20 | No
English bellies | ... | 15 | 20 | No
Shoulders | ... | 30 | 30 | Yes
Shoulders English | ... | 25 | 30 | Yes
Cumberlands | ... | 20 | 30 | Yes
Dublins | ... | 20 | 20 | Yes
Long cut hams | ... | 20 | 25 | Yes
Fat backs | ... | 20 | 25 | No
Jowl butts-- | | | |
10 days in brine} | ... | 20 | 20 | No
10 days in salt } | ... | | |
Backs | ... | 25 | 25 | Yes
Plates | ... | 10 | 10 | No
---------------------+--------------+-------+-------+------
Meats put into a smoke house before they are sufficiently cured develop
a condition known to the trade as “puffy,” which means that the meats
being insufficiently cured when submitted to the heat of the smoke
house, decompose and a gas forms which produces the condition referred
to.
In cold weather and by arrangement, meats are frequently shipped at
younger ages.
=Barreled Pork.=--Being usually cut and handled by the Cellar
Department, barreled pork is consequently described therewith.
_Mess Pork._--Regular Mess Pork is “made from sides of well fatted
hogs, split through or one side of the back-bone and equal proportions
on both sides, cut into strips of reasonably uniform width, properly
flanked and not back stripped.” The regular proportion of flank and
shoulder cuts must be included. The strips average about six inches
in width, and not over sixteen pieces may be packed in a barrel for
regular delivery. Mess Pork is made from rough and heavy packing hogs
and occasionally from heavy loin hogs. Mess pork packed between October
1 of one year and September 30 of the succeeding year is “new pork”
until January 1 of the following year, and is thereafter termed “old
pork.” Mess Pork made during December, January and February must have
been packed at least ten days before delivery, and that delivered
during the period from March to November, inclusive, must have been
packed at least thirty days before delivery to grade regular.
_For Mess Pork._--The hog is split through the center of the back-bone,
after the shoulders and hams are removed, about six inches wide, and
are packed 190 pounds to the barrel, but it is supposed to weigh 200
pounds when sold; the gain of pickle making up the difference in
weight. When it is six months old, it will, weigh more than 200 pounds,
and if repacked will make 104 to 105 barrels per 100 barrels when
packed, and should be repacked at 200 pounds. When a number of pieces
is not specified, mess pork is packed from eleven to fifteen pieces per
barrel.
Prime Mess Pork is made from the shoulder and side, containing the
back-bone and ribs, cut into square pieces of about four pounds each.
The shank is cut off close to the breast. In making this cut, the side
is split lengthwise, the back cut into about six pieces and the belly
into four. It is made from light packing hogs.
Extra clear pork is “made from the sides of extra heavy, well-fatted
hogs, the back-bone and ribs to be taken out, (the same as short clear
sides) the number of pieces in each barrel not to exceed fourteen, and
in all other respects to be cut, selected and packed in the same manner
as mess pork.”
Clear pork is “made from the sides of extra heavy, well-fatted hogs,
the back-bone and half the ribs next the back-bone to be taken out,
the number of pieces in each barrel not to exceed fourteen, and in all
other respects to be cut, selected and packed in the same manner as
mess pork.”
Loin clear pork is “made from the sides of medium-weight packing hogs,
the loin, back-bone and back ribs being removed and belly ribs left
in.” It consists of extra short ribs cut into strips, and is also known
as long-cut clear pork. The pieces average five inches in width.
_Belly Pork._--Regular belly pork consists of heavy, fat rib bellies
cut into five-inch widths and packed as plain-pickled pork in barrels
of fifty to sixty pieces. This pork is made from the same grade of
bellies as dry-salt rib bellies.
Brisket pork rib is made by cutting a five-inch strip from the brisket
end of heavy rib bellies (fourteen to twenty pounds average) and
packing like other barreled pork. The pieces average about four pounds
each. This cut is made only when it is desired to reduce the weight of
heavy bellies. Clear brisket pork is made in the same manner as the
above except the pieces are cut from clear bellies. Fancy clear pork
is a strip cut from the brisket end of fancy breakfast bacon bellies,
averaging one to one and one-half pounds per piece.
Lean belly pork consists of lean clear bellies, thirteen to fifteen
pounds average, cut into three pieces each and barreled in plain pickle.
_Back Pork._--Regular back pork (short cut mess, or family back pork)
is “made from the backs of well-fatted hogs, after bellies have been
taken off, cut into pieces of about six pounds each, and in all other
respects to be cut, selected and packed in the same manner as mess
pork.” This cut contains the loin, back-bone and back ribs, with
tenderloin out, and the pieces are cut six inches wide, averaging four
to six pounds.
Clear back pork is “made from the backs of heavy, well-fatted hogs,
after bellies have been taken off, and back-bone and ribs taken out,
cut into pieces of about six pounds each, and in all other respects to
be packed in the same manner as mess pork.” In other words, it consists
of short clear backs cut into strips about six inches wide, and is the
same as regular back pork with the rib removed. It is sometimes called
loin clear pork. The pieces average two to seven pounds.
Fat back pork or short cut clear pork is made from short fat backs by
cutting them into five-inch strips. The pieces average from two to
seven pounds and are packed like mess pork.
Ham butt pork (loin end or rump pork) consists of triangular pieces cut
from the ham end of short clear backs or sides and includes a portion
of the tail-bone. It is made when cutting short-cut harps and “English”
sides, or when it is desired to reduce the weight of heavy sides or
backs. It is packed in barrels, the pieces averaging three to four
pounds.
_Shoulder Pork._--Consists of the following products made from
shoulders and butts:
Extra prime pork is “made from heavy untrimmed shoulders cut into three
pieces, the leg to be cut off close to the breast, and in all other
respects to be cut, selected and packed in the same manner as mess
pork.” The pieces average about four pounds. This and the preceding cut
are not used as extensively as formerly.
Boston style butt pork is made from Boston style butts averaging four
to seven pounds, packed in plain pickle.
Bean pork or clear butt pork is made from the jowl or fat cheek of the
hog, cut square, trimmed smooth and averaging three to four pounds,
packed in plain pickle.
_Spareribs._--Consist of the ribs trimmed from the carcass or side with
as little lean as possible. They are termed “full-sheet,” “half-sheet”
and “back-bone” spareribs according as they are cut from full sides,
bellies or backs respectively. They are essentially a fresh pork
product and are sold in retail markets especially in fall and winter,
for which purpose “half-sheet” ribs are principally used. They are
packed in limited amounts in sweet pickle at times when the demand for
fresh spareribs is dull; dry-salt spareribs are taken from dry-salt
sides and bellies when making them into clear cuts after curing.
=Curing Barrel Pork.=--Barreled or plain-pickled pork is packed in
plain salt brine in tight barrels (eighteen feet × twenty inches) at
200 pounds net weight of cured pork per barrel (355 pounds gross). The
strength of brine is varied somewhat according to the cuts of pork
and their destination. The regulation of the Chicago Board of Trade
governing standard barreled pork (except prime mess) is as follows:
“Between October 1, and the last day of February, inclusive, 190 lbs.,
and between March 1st and September 30th, inclusive, 193 lbs., of green
meat--shall be packed in each barrel, with not less than forty pounds
of coarse salt and barrel filled with brine of full strength; or forty
pounds of coarse salt and in addition thereto fifteen pounds of salt
and barrel filled with cold water.” Standard prime mess pork is packed
twenty pounds salt and twelve ounces of saltpetre per barrel, otherwise
as above.
=English Meats.=--There is, at times, a demand in England for American
pork products, and the English cuts, as well as their methods of
curing in many cases, vary from the American methods on account of
the natural fat hardness due to feeding and breeding, and to the fact
that the English market is supplied chiefly from Denmark, Ireland and
Holland, except as to the pigs raised locally. The result is that the
cure of English meats is quite mild owing to non-exposure and prompt
consumption. These conditions make it requisite that much care be taken
in the production of meats shipped England.
_Pumping._--It is usual to pump English meats with a pumping pickle of
saturated brine, containing three ounces of saltpetre to the gallon. In
pumping Cumberlands (Fig. 139) and shoulders, pump into the blood vein
and under the blade, using one and one-half to two ounces of pickle in
each place, and exercising care to lodge the pickle near the bone and
away from the fat on the side of the meat.
In pumping long cut hams, use ham pumping pickle and pump in the same
manner as described for fancy hams.
_Salting._--Imported English salt is invariably used. There are a
number of standard brands, but the endeavor is to obtain a salt free
from lime or magnesia compounds. The quantity should be exact.
[Illustration: FIG. 139.--CUMBERLAND CUT.]
[Illustration: FIG. 140.--LONG CUT HAM.]
[Illustration: FIG. 141.--MANCHESTER HAM.]
[Illustration: FIG. 142.--STAFFORDSHIRE HAM.]
[Illustration: FIG. 143.--YORKSHIRE SIDE.]
On meats not overhauled not less than four and one-half nor more than
five and one-half pounds of salt to the one-hundred pounds on all cuts
excepting long cut hams, should be used. On the latter from five to six
pounds of salt per one-hundred pounds of meat should be applied. In the
summer months the maximum amounts heretofore described should be used.
On meats overhauled used three to three and one-half pounds of salt per
one-hundred pounds when putting down, and three pounds per one-hundred
pounds when overhauling. Rub salt in well under the sides of shanks of
shoulders, and use plenty on the top of shanks of both.
[Illustration: FIG. 144.--STAFFORDSHIRE SIDE.]
[Illustration: FIG. 145.--DUBLIN CUT.]
_Rubbing Side and Pockets._--In salting sides, salt the heaviest on the
shoulder and along the loin, rubbing the edges of all cuts carefully,
seeing that the salt adheres to all parts of the meat before it is
piled, for if there are places where there is no salt on the meat, it
will discolor and eventually become slippery and in bad condition.
In stuffing the pockets of long clears and long ribs, do not use more
than one and one-half times the amount of salt on the same area of
shoulder or loin. Too much salt used in the pockets of the sides gives
the meat a burned salty appearance and condition.
[Illustration: FIG. 146.--ANTWERP BACK CUT.]
In rubbing the salt into the pockets be careful to put the salt into
every part, otherwise meat will spoil in places missed.
Bellies require less salt, the fixed rule being 42%. They are not
usually overhauled but are frozen at cure, if shipping is deferred.
[Illustration: FIG. 147.--SQUARE EXPORT SHORT RIB.]
_Color._--A great deal depends upon the color of English meats. The
trade demands a bright, attractive appearance in same and considerable
saltpetre is necessary. Four ounces of saltpetre to the 100 pounds of
meat on cuts weighing from three to five pieces per 100 pounds, to as
high as six ounces per 100 pounds on smaller cuts, should be used. The
salt and saltpetre should be thoroughly mixed before applying.
[Illustration: FIG. 148.--WILTSHIRE SIDE.]
_Piling._--Use extra care to pile meats closely and exclude the air,
for they will not develop a desirable color when they are exposed to
the air. After the meats are all piled evenly, the edges should be gone
over, and any exposed parts covered with a fine sprinkling of salt.
Sides are piled so as to make a cup of the hollow portion with a
tendency for the pickle to drain slightly toward the back. Hams are
piled shank down on an angle of about 45°.
[Illustration: FIG. 149.--SQUARE SHORT CLEAR.]
_Overhauling._--English middles weighing from twenty-three to thirty
pounds average, and long cut hams from twelve to fourteen pounds
and heavier, should be overhauled at from eight to twelve days old,
salting them as before described. Do not overhaul English meats unless
necessary in order to hold them after they are cured.
SHIPPING AGE.
=====================+========+==========+==========
| |Oct. 15 to| March 1
|Average | March 1 |to Oct. 15
Product |wt. lbs.| Days | Days
---------------------+--------+----------+----------
Bellies | ... | 15 to 25 | 15 to 25
Boneless backs | ... | 15 to 25 | 15 to 25
Cumberlands | 20-24 | 20 to 25 | 20 to 25
Cumberlands | 24-30 | 20 to 25 | 25 to 30
Cumberlands | 30-40 | 25 to 30 | 25 to 30
Long clears |under 30| 20 to 25 | 20 to 25
Long clears |over 30| 20 to 25 | 25 to 30
Dublins and long ribs| ... | 20 to 25 | 20 to 25
Long cut hams | 10-14 | 20 to 25 | 20 to 25
Long cut hams | 14-18 | 25 to 30 | 25 to 30
---------------------+--------+----------+----------
_Shipping Ages._--The table on the preceding page shows the ages at
which English meats can be safely shipped during seasons from October
15 to March 1, and from March 1 to October 15.
These ages for shipping should be followed closely, but when necessary
the following exception may be made without detriment.
From October 15 to March 1, shortest shipping age may be reduced five
days.
_Boxing Meats._--Meats to be packed in borax, cured as above, should be
put in a plain cold pickle 100-degree strong, then scraped on the skin
side and wiped with cloths wrung out of hot water. If the meats are old
and have a slippery appearance, they should be scrubbed with a brush
in warm pickle and wiped afterwards. They should then be rubbed in
borax with the rind placed upon a grating and the surplus borax brushed
off the skin side of the meat, using a fine brush for so doing. It is
customary to use from five and one-half to six and one-half pounds of
borax per 300 pounds of meat. Meats to be packed in salt should not be
washed. The skin and edges of the meat should be thoroughly scraped
and then rubbed in fine salt before being put in the boxes. Meats are
nailed under heavy pressure so as to exclude all the air possible.
_Wiltshires._--Singed Wiltshires, a cut which was revived during the
“Great War,” are made from hogs suitable for Cumberlands. Weights vary
by averages. The hogs are singed during slaughter, cured in plain
pickle, and shipped on ten days’ pickling, packed in dry salt.
LONG CUT HAMS AND CUMBERLAND TESTS.
=======+===================+========+========+==================+=====
Av. wt.| | | | |
live | Average | |Per cent| |Per
hogs, | weight |Per cent|Cumber- | Per cent |cent
lbs. | cuts, lbs. | hams | lands | miscellaneous |total
-------+-------------------+--------+--------+------------------+-----
| | | |{P. S. lard 9.86}|
190 |{Long cuts 16-18}| 18.37 | 40.43 |{Raw leaf 3.59}|73.97
|{Cumberlands 36-42}| | |{Trimmings 1.92}|
| | | | |
| | | |{P. S. lard 7.42}|
168 |{Long cuts 14-16}| 18.66 | 39.17 |{Raw leaf 3.30}|70.47
|{Cumberlands 32-38}| | |{Trimmings 1.92}|
| | | | |
| | | |{P. S. lard 8.48}|
136 |{Long cuts 12-14}| 18.45 | 37.48 |{Raw leaf 3.38}|69.34
|{Cumberlands 24-28}| | |{Trimmings 1.55}|
-------+-------------------+--------+--------+------------------+-----
_Test._--This test may be of service. It shows the percentage of yields
of different weight hogs made into long cut hams and Cumberlands, also
average weights.
=Pig Feet.=--Usually only the front foot is used as it is a better
shaped foot to prepare than the hind foot. The hind feet are more or
less disfigured and out of condition by having the gam strings opened
in order to hang the hog on the sticks. The hind foot being used
largely for making a low grade of glue. It can, however, be used in
boneless pig’s feet.
_Preparation._--The feet are scalded, after which the hoofs are removed
and the feet are shaved and cleaned, put into a plain salt pickle,
90-degree strong by salometer test, and to this pickle should be added
six ounces of saltpetre to each 100 pounds of feet. The feet should be
left in this curing pickle for from six to eight days, or until they
show a bright red appearance when cooked. If this red appearance does
not extend clear through the feet after being cooked, it shows that
they are not fully cured. They should not be left in the pickle longer
than necessary to fully cure them for if heavily salted it has the
effect of making them break in the cooking water.
_Cooking._--After properly cured in the salt pickle the feet should be
cooked in a wooden vat (an iron vat discoloring them) provided with a
false bottom about six inches above the bottom, so that the direct heat
from the steam pipe does not come in contact with the feet. The water
should be brought to a temperature of 200° to 206° F. and held at this
temperature until the feet are sufficiently cooked. The water should
never be brought to the boiling point, as the feet will become badly
broken, which greatly injures their appearance.
After the feet are sufficiently cooked and thoroughly chilled in cold
water, they should be put into a white wine vinegar pickle 45-degree
strong, it being preferable to pack feet which are to be used at once
in open vats in a refrigerated room held at a temperature of 38° to
40° F. Where feet are to be held for some months before using it is
advisable to put them into barrels or tierces after filling the tierces
with vinegar of 45-degree strength. The packages should be stored in a
temperature 40° F. When held this way it will be found that the feet
have absorbed a great deal of the vinegar and a very marked increase
in weight is obtained. There should be a gain of from 10 to 15 per cent
in weight at the end of three months.
_Tests._--Prepared pig’s feet at certain seasons of the year are
difficult of sale and there are times when it pays better to tank them
or use them for glue purposes. The following tests on rough uncleaned
fore and hind feet will show the yield when tanked. Percentages in
tests are correct. The prices are those ruling at the time tests were
made:
TEST ON TANKED PIGS FEET.
Total weight of front feet tanked 1,070 pounds cooked in tank five
hours at forty pounds pressure:
Sixty pounds hock meat, 5.61 per cent, at 3c per pound $ 1.80
Prime steam lard, 138 pounds, 12.90 per cent, at $9.35 per
cwt. 12.90
Tankage (dry basis), 125 pounds, 11.68 per cent, at $17.50
per ton 1.09
------
Total $15.79
Gross value, $1.47 per cwt.
Weight hind feet to tank, 996 pounds, cooked in test tank
five hours, with forty pounds pressure:
Prime steam lard, 163 pounds, 16.37 per cent, at $9.35
per cwt. $15.24
Tankage (dry basis), 13.76 per cent, at $17.50 per ton 1.19
------
Total $16.43
Gross value, $1.62 per cwt.
The following tests show costs, in detail, of pig’s feet put up in
different sized packages, costs being figured at the regular Chicago
market prices at the time these tests were made:
TEST ON 483 PIECES OR 500 POUNDS PIGS FORE FEET.
_Debit:_
Cost of 500 pounds pigs fore feet at 1¹⁄₈c per pound $5.63
Shaving, hand and machine, 32c per 100 pieces 1.55
Pulling toes, 5c per 100 pieces .24
Counting, pickling and cooking .20
Splitting, 2c per 100 pounds .10
Miscellaneous labor .10
Fifty-five pounds salt at ¹⁄₄c per pound .14
Two pounds saltpetre at 5c per pound .10
Administrative expense at 47c per 100 pounds on 300 pounds
produced 1.41
-----
Total $9.47
_Credit:_
Pigs feet oil, 18 pounds at $5.60 per cwt. $1.00
Pigs feet bones, 58 pounds at ³⁄₄c per pound .43
Pigs feet trimmings, 13 pounds at 1¹⁄₄c per pound .13
------
Total $1.56
Total net cost of 300 pounds of prepared feet 7.91
Cost per pound, including administrative expense, $0.026.
Green weight, 500 pounds; cleaned weight, 450 pounds; split weight,
300 pounds.
=Pig Tongues.=--Various uses are made of this piece of meat. They are
very extensively used in canning factories where they are put up and
known as “lunch tongue”; they are also used in different kinds of
sausage, and are put up to quite an extent in vinegar pickle. When
handled in the latter manner the following suggestions are of practical
value.
The tongues after being trimmed should be cured in a 75-degree plain
salt pickle using three ounces of saltpetre to 100 pounds of tongue.
After the tongues are fully cured, which will require from eight to
twelve days, they are scalded, the outer surface of the tongue being
scraped off. In some instances the scalding is done before the tongues
are put in the pickle. Either way is proper. After being scraped and
cleaned they are cooked as desired and afterward pickled in a white
wine vinegar pickle of 45-degree strength. The following tests will
show the cost of tongues packed in different sized packages, the cost
being determined by the cost of meat and supplies at the time tests
were made:
TEST ON 1,000 PIECES, OR 910 POUNDS PIG TONGUES.
_Debit:_
910 pounds pig tongues, at 6¹⁄₄c per pound $56.88
Scraping at 15c per 100 pieces 1.50
Counting, cooking, etc., three hours at 18c per hour .54
Trimming at 5c per 100 pieces .50
Miscellaneous labor .20
Administrative expense, 47c per 100 on 560 pounds produced 2.63
------
Total $62.25
_Credit:_
Green weight, 910 pounds; cooked weight, 560 pounds;
shrinkage, 38 per cent.
Trimming 112 pounds at 1¹⁄₂c 1.68
------
Net cost $60.57
Cost per pound, 10⁴⁄₅c; cost handling per cwt., including
administrative expense, $0.665 per 100 pounds finished.
COST OF ONE BARREL PIG TONGUES PACKED AT 190 POUNDS NET.
190 pounds pig tongues at 10⁴⁄₅c per pound $20.52
One barrel .78
Packing, one-half hour at 17¹⁄₂c per hour .09
Pickle, ten gallons at 2¹⁄₂c per gallon .25
Coopering, one-sixth hour at 25c per hour .04
Spices, 2c .02
Miscellaneous labor .03
------
Total cost per barrel $21.73
_Formula for Export Hog Tongue Pickle._--There is at times quite a
demand for fresh pig tongues in Liverpool and other foreign points,
in which case the trade demands that they arrive there without being
salt-cured. The following formula will be found very valuable for
this purpose and also point out how to carry tongues without salting
them, when it is desired to do so: Use 116 pounds of boracic acid,
fifty-eight pounds of borax, twenty-nine pounds of fine salt and seven
and one-quarter pounds of saltpetre.
The method of mixing is as follows: The boracic acid and borax are
put into a vat containing sixty gallons of water. The vat should be
connected with steam supply so that it can be brought to the boiling
point, cooking same slowly and stirring it well for half an hour. The
salt and saltpetre is then added and should be stirred until thoroughly
dissolved. After the solution has been allowed to cool, add sufficient
cold water to give it a strength of 21 degrees by salometer test. Chill
the solution to a temperature of 38° F. The tongues should be trimmed
and thoroughly chilled, it being essential that they are in perfect
condition. They should then be packed in a tierce, after which the
tierce is filled with the preservative. Tongue should be shipped in
refrigerator cars where the temperature is not allowed to go above 38°
F.
=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.