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Vinegar, Pickles, and Pickling: Liquid

Pickling Liquid for Meat.-A full barrel, if properly packed, will contain about 200 pounds of meat and will require from 6 to 8 gallons of pickle. The proportions of salt, saltpeter, and sugar recommended are about as numerous as the various authorities. But as these antiseptics do their work separately, the proportion is not essential, provided the pickle is strong enough. To prepare a standard pickling liquid, place in a large kettle 8 gallons of pure soft cold water, to which add 14 to 16 pounds of pure salt, 4 to 6 ounces of saltpe- "Pour Over it the Pickling Liquid." ter, about 6 pounds of good brown sugar, or about 3 pounds of the sugar and an equal bulk of good New Orleans molasses. To which may be added 2 to 6 ounces of pure baking soda. Place the whole over a slow fire and bring to a boil with very gentle heat, removing the scum as it rises so as to have the liquid clear before it boils. After the pickle has been clarified, remove from the fire. Cover to keep out the dust and let stand until it becomes cold.

To Pack Meat. - Scald thoroughly the inside of the tubs or barrels by pouring into them boiling water and washing down the sides with a swab ۱ of clean cloth tied to the end of a stick or clean mop handle. Cover the bottom of the cask with common salt inch or more in depth. Pack the meat in layers as tightly as possible with common salt sprinkled between them and, when packed, pour over it the cold pickling liquid through cheese cloth until the barrel is full.

Place on top a loose cover of wood, previously scalded, small enough to slip inside of the barrel and rest on the meat. Lay on this a stone or other heavy weight, to keep it below the surface of the pickle, and be sure that the pickle does not evaporate so as to leave the meat exposed to the air. Otherwise it will rust. The above is a general method to which the following favorite recipes may be added to show the manner in which the proportions may be changed according to the experience of different individuals. But all of these are tested recipes.

Pickle for Beef. -Dissolve in 8 gallons of soft water 20 pounds of coarse fine salt, 8 ounces of saltpeter, and 4 pounds of coarse brown sugar.

Bring to a boil with very gentle heat, skimming constantly. This quantity is sufficient for one full barrel, or 200 pounds of beef, if properly packed.

Or prepare in a similar manner a pickle containing 14 pounds of coarse fine salt, 2 ounces of saltpeter, 2 ounces of Cayenne pepper, 3 pints of New Orleans molasses, 2 pounds of brown sugar, and 12 gallons of soft water.

Or 10 pounds of salt, 1 ounce of saltpeter, 2 pounds of brown sugar, and 6 gallons of soft water.

Or 12 pounds of salt, 4 pounds of brown sugar, 4 ounces of saltpeter, 8 gallons of soft water, and 4 ounces of potash.

Or 2 quarts of coarse fine salt 31 quarts of molasses, 2 teaspoonfuls of saltpeter, and 8 gallons of soft water.

Pickle for Beef.-Any of the above pickles may be used.

Or for a full barrel of beef, or 200 pounds, dissolve in 8 gallons of pure soft water 10 ounces of coarse fine salt, 4 ounces of saltpeter, 3 pints of New Orleans molasses, and 2 pounds of brown sugar. Place over a slow fire and bring to a boil, skimming constantly.

Or 15 pounds of salt, 2 pounds of sugar, 6 ounces of saltpeter, and 2 ounces of baking soda in 8 gallons of soft water.

Salting Meat.-Another method of curing meat is to rub or pack it with a mixture of salt, sugar, and saltpeter, but without water, thus allowing the meat to form a brine by means of its own juices. If the brine which forms is allowed to drain from the meat, it is said to be dry-salted.

Or if the meat is packed in a tight receptacle, and the brine is allowed to remain over it, it is said to be wetsalted.

To salt beef or pork, first remove all bones. Rub the pieces, especially the cut surfaces, with a mixture of 1 pound of salt, 1 ounce of saltpeter, and 1 ounce of sugar. Use pressure enough to rub the salt thoroughly into the grain of the meat. Let stand 24 to 48 hours. Again rub with the same mixture, sprinkling common salt freely between the layers. Cover also the top thickly with salt, and put over all a heavy weight-the heavier the better.

Or for a barrel, or 100 pounds of beef, prepare a mixture of 4 quarts of coarse fine salt, 4 pounds of brown sugar, and 4 ounces of saltpeter.

Rub thoroughly into the meat. Let stand 48 hours to drain, turning occasionally, and pack in layers under a heavy weight, sprinkling the above mixture between but without the addition of water. If a scum rises it should be taken off with a skimmer and a little fine salt sprinkled over the surface.

Or for the same quantity of beef, prepare a mixture of 6 quarts of coarse fine salt, 4 pounds of light "A" or coffee sugar, 6 ounces of soda, and 4 ounces of saltpeter. Cure in all respects as above.

Rusty or Tainted Meat. If meat has been properly drained to free it PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 697 from blood, the pickle boiled and clarified, the barrels scalded, and the meat kept under the pickle by means of a suitable weight, it should keep indefinitely. But it is quite customary, as a precaution, to pour off the pickling liquid on the approach of summer, say in April, in temperate climates. Again bring it to a boil, with the addition of about pound of salt to each gallon of pickling liquid, and when cold, once more pour it over the meat through a cheesecloth strainer. But this is said to harden the beef and injure its flavor.

It is believed that if the meat is properly cured, this will not usually be found necessary.

If the meat should become tainted, pour off the tainted pickle and discard it. Rinse the meat with clear water and wash out the barrel with a strong solution of lime water or wood ashes. If the barrel is much tainted, it may be well to fill it with this solution and let stand overnight.

Afterwards scald with boiling water.

Rub the meat in a mixture of saltpeter and sugar, and pack it between layers of charcoal. Finally, pour over it fresh pickling liquid, prepared as above, strong enough to float an egg.

Or mix 12 pounds of powdered charcoal, 10 pounds of common salt, and 4 pounds of saltpeter. Cover the bottom of the cask with a layer of this mixture, rub each piece with the same, and sprinkle it freely between the layers of meat. By either of these methods all traces of taint can be removed. The charcoal can be rinsed off with clear water.

Red Pickling Liquid for Meat.- To impart a fine red color to meat and to improve its flavor, dissolve in 8 gallons of pure soft water 8 pounds of bay salt, 8 pounds of common salt, 6 pounds of brown sugar, 1 pound of saltpeter, 8 ounces of bruised pimento, 5 ounces of bruised black pepper, and 2 ounces of grated nutmeg. To Improve Corned Beef. The quality of corned beef can be improved by immersing the pieces for half a minute by the watch, in boiling water before pickling. This is in accordance with the well-known practice of immersing beef that is to be boiled for the table in hot water in order to harden the surface, and cause the meat to retain its natural juices. Similarly this method tends to make corned beef more tender and juicy than otherwise. To effect this result first drain the meat to free it from blood, rinse it in clear water.