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Mince Meat for Pie

Pour into a large saucepan six quarts cold water and place in it nine pounds lean, raw rump of beef; put the saucepan on the fire, and when it comes to a boil thoroughly skim the scum from the surface and then allow it to boil for two hours. Remove the pan from the fire, lay it on a table, then with a fork take up the beef, lay it on a dish and let thoroughly cool off. Strain the broth through a sieve into another saucepan. Have three pounds of fresh beef suet, carefully remove all the sinews and then add it to the broth; place the saucepan on the fire and let boil until the suet is thoroughly dissolved, which will take about five minutes; add two pounds of well-stoned and finely chopped Malaga raisins and let the whole boil for five minutes; then add twenty fine, sound, medium-sized, peeled, cored and finely chopped apples and let cook again for five minutes. Remove the pan from the fire, transfer the contents into a vessel and let thoroughly cool off.

Chop the beef up very fine, then place it in a vessel, adding three-quarters of a pound finely chopped-up candied citron, pouring over it half pint good brandy, and let soak for six hours. Boil in a saucepan for one minute two quarts good cider, then lay it aside to cool off. Now transfer the contents of the two vessels to a large saucepan, adding one pound powdered sugar, one pound well-cleaned currants, half pint molasses and the cooled-off cider, and with the wooden spoon mix the whole well together for three minutes. Season with three ounces salt and quarter of an ounce black pepper. Place the saucepan on the fire, stir at the bottom with the wooden spoon until it is thoroughly heated, but do not allow it to boil. Remove it from the fire, transfer the whole into a vessel and let it thoroughly cool off. Then grate in the rind of four fine, medium-sized, sound lemons, squeezing in the juice also and adding half ounce ground cloves, half ounce ground cinnamon, half ounce ground allspice, half ounce grated nutmeg and half pint good brandy. Mix the whole well together for five minutes. Then transfer it into a large stone jar, tightly cover and lay in a cool place. The above preparation will keep in perfect condition for any length of time, even as long as six months. N. B. Nowadays excellent mincemeat is sold by all responsible grocers, and should it prove somewhat difficult to prepare it in your own house it can be obtained at said grocers.