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Curing Meats

When necessary to wash meats, it should be done as hurriedly as possible, as the water will extract the juices of the meat. Beef, when just cut from a quarter, should not be washed: it is only necessary to wipe it with a clean, dry cloth.

When meat is frozen, it should be put in cold water to thaw, and cooked as soon as possible, or it will lose its sweetness.

In selecting beef, choose that of a fine grain, smooth, bright red color, and white fat. The sixth, seventh and eighth ribs are the choicest cuts for roasting. The bones must be removed and the meat rolled, and use the bones for soup. Veal, when fresh and good, is firm and dry, joints stiff, with kidneys ccvered with fat. Veal should be dressed as soon as practicable after killing. The flesh of good mutton or lamb is of a dark red, with the fat firm and white. Lamb, when fresh killed, is pale red; if the neck veins are not of a blueish tint, the meat is not good. When roasted, the meat should be covered with the caul, as the fat that drips from that in roasting preserves the moisture of the meat.

Pork is not considered wholesome, particularly in warm weather; it is much better in winter. Pork and veal should be well cooked. If the meat of pork is young, the lean will break on being pinched; the skin will be smooth and thin. If kernels should be found in the fat, reject the meat. Venison is a delicious and healthful dish when properly cooked; it should always be a little underdone, using few spices and herbs. Venison is not good until it hangs fully one month in order to ripen.