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Vinegar, Pickles, and Pickling: Beef

Potted Beef.-Cut 3 pounds of lean beef into pieces weighing about of a pound each and sprinkle over them a mixture of pound of table salt and ounce of powdered saltpeter.

Let the beef lie in this pickle 2 or 3 days, turning the pieces occasionally.

Remove the meat from the pickle, place it in a stone jar or pan covered, if convenient, with a little beef gravy or just enough cold water to prevent burning. Put an earthenware plate over it and bake in a slow oven for about 4 hours, or until the meat is very tender and falls away from the bones. Remove the meat from the gravy. Shred or chop it fine, moisten it with the gravy and pound it in a marble mortar or otherwise with a little fresh butter to a very fine paste. Season to taste with pepper, allspice, nutmeg, mace, , or cloves. Or add, if desired, Cayenne, Tabasco, curry powder, or anchovies, mustard, or other condiment, according to taste. Press tightly in small crocks or jars, or in fruit jars.

When cold, pour over the tops of the jars melted lard or butter to a thickness of inch, and cover with a layer of cotton batting tied tightly on any cover that will exclude the air.

Pressed Beef. - Or select about 5 pounds of cheap beef that would otherwise be too tough to cook, including about of a pound of beef fat. Cover with a mixture of pound of salt and ounce of saltpeter and let stand for a couple of days turning it now and then, and rubbing brine into it. Rinse in clear water and boil until it falls from the bones, taking care that when boiled down, the gravy will be as thick as possible.

Remove the beef from the gravy with a skimmer and chop fine. Allow the gravy to cool. Take off the cake of fat, and dissolve ounce of gelatin in the gravy with gentle heat. Spice to taste. Stir in the chopped meat.

Pack in jars under a weight and pour melted lard or butter over the top to the depth of 4 inch or more. If carefully preserved from the air, this will keep for a considerable time at ordinary temperatures, and may be sliced and eaten cold without further cooking.