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Show HOME CURING OF HAMS By MRS. W. C. HUTCHINSON. There is no other product of the farm to which the owner points with greater pride than to his abundance of well cured hams, one of the daily essentials for the table, and if the ham i6 well cured and well cooked, we certainly have one of the most appetizing dishes which can be set before us This edible need not be limited to the farmer alone, those of the city may enjoy, equally with him. by purchasing pur-chasing tho slaughtered hogs, or hams of the butchers, then, using a good method of sugar curing. It Is economy to those In the city, and a profit to the farmer should ho j place his home cured hams on the market; there is always a ready sale, and they bring a much better price lhan the packers meat or the ordinary ordi-nary enlt ham Should we decide to market our own j ' home-made,'' "sugar-cured" hams, there would be a very great demand for them Each year we are compelled to refuse a number of would-be purchasers. pur-chasers. To all Interested In the sugar-cured method of preparing It, we give the following recipe. For 1 000 pounds of meat, take 40 pounds of common salt, ten pounds of Orleans sugar, four pounds black pepper, three pounds Baltpeter, half pound cayenne popper. Mix thoroughly, thorough-ly, then rub one-half of the mixture on the meat, let it lie two weeks, and then rub on the remainder, after which let it lie four weeks, then hang and Btnoke. As soon as the animal heat is out of I ih rnaat annlv first half, carefullv covering skin and flesh side alike, and well over hock bono The extra expense over salted meat is small and 1 think about equal to other oth-er methods of curing, the amount of labor la-bor required for first application Is very little more than ordinary salting, and for second, requires one, man about one hour If you wi6h to cure smaller quantities, time and labor will be In proportion Do not think the quantity of the preparation too small when mixed, for although It may look so, yet It Is an abundance As this is put on the meat, each ham Is placed separately upon a platform, plat-form, there to await the second application, appli-cation, when it Is again placed for the four weeks, after which w hnng and smoke for four days from wood Are, not being partial to hickory wood By this time the meat is firm and dry, and it is wrapped In newspapers, then placed in sacks made of denim, or other strong material and hung in a cool dark place. We have used this recipe for IB years, have never had a ham spoil and have never tasted better hams. |