PORES. Small spaces existing between the atoms of bodies; also distinct apertures through leaves or membranes, from which perspiration and vapors pass.
The flesh of swine, after being cut for use, called pork. In cutting it should be done with reference to the use for which it is Intended. Inthe great pork packing establish ments the cutting and curing has special refer ence to the particular markets to which it is to be sent, and even including the particular form of the hams, shoulders, bacon, and pickled pork.
i Thus in hams, sometimes the hip bone is removed at the socket, or left entire. The shank is left long, to the hock joint, or cut well up to the ham. So with the shoulder, it may be cut square, back of the shoulder blade, and the neck, or trimmed rounding. The bacon pieces may embiace the entire side from ham to shoulder, or the flank piece may be separated from the back piece. Sometimes the tips of the ribs are left in, but generally the whole of the ribs are taken out and the backbone always. In making pickled pork, whole hog pork contains two hams, two shoulders, the side meat, chops and feet. Mess pork is the side meat containing the bone, clear pork is the side meat containing no bone. Another grade of clear pork is made by taking the flank, or lower half of the side for bacon, and the upper half or back for barreling, after being divested of the hone. In putting up pork for home consumption, the chops, shoulders, hams and flank pieces of the side meat should be used for smo king, and the back pieces of the side meat bar reled. The shoulders and hams should be trim med close, and the hip bone removed from the ham at the socket joint. All the bone should be removed from the bacon and pickling pieces, since these, as well as the scrap pieces from the hams and shoulders, are more etonomically used fresh. than otherwise; the lean and fat scraps, may be used for sausage, and the bones with the meat adhering, in whatever way may suit the taste. With the backbone the large loin muscle should be removed, since this lean strip is not good salted, from the excess of salt it takes up. Fat pork will not become over salt. From forty to fifty pounds of salt will cure a barrel, but if double this quantity is used no harm will ensue, but the undissolved salt will remain good in the barrel. The layers should be placed in regu larly, the skin side next the barrel, the whole packed as firm as possible, with plen of the ty best coarse salt between each layer. Then fill the barrel with pure water, soft water preferably, the. meat to be kept entirely covered with the brine, kept cool and there is no danger of spoil ing. The bony and other pieces that remain for eating fresh may be kept for a long time by packing in a barrel with snow, or even by hang mg on the north side of a building, where they may be kept frozen. Hams, shoulders and bacon must be so cured that they will be only seasoned enough for use, without freshening, (a part of the preservative process being smoking). This may be done by making a pickle of salt, salt petre and sugar or molasses, and immersing the meat therein for two or three weeks, the pieces having been previously rubbed with salt and allowed to drain for two or three days. The proper proportion for a pickle of beef and hams should be as follows: Make a brine that will bear up an egg so it will show a section the size of a ten cent piece. Then to each 100 pounds of
hams or shoulders to be cured, add six ounces saltpetre, and two pounds of sugar. In immerse the meat after it has been rubbed with salt and laid to drain two days. The hams will be fit for smoking in from two to three weeks, according to size, though they may lie a month without injury. Before smoking, drain dry, and rub the whole thoroughly with black pep per. Hams intended for boiling, may be pre pared by this recipe. For broiling the follow ing recipe is one of the best we have ever used, since by this process the fat as well as the lean will be found superior: The hams are to be laid regularly on a platform and rubbed with salt, and allowed to drain for two days, being careful not to place one on another. Each fif teen or sixteen pounds of ham will require one pound of New Orleans brown sugar, two ounces of pulverized saltpetre, and half a pound of coarse salt pulverized. Rub the flesh and end of shank with one-third of the saltpetre and cover with sugar about one-quarter of an inch thick. In five days rub the skin briskly with sugar, and the flesh side with another third of the saltpetre mixed with three parts of sugar and one of salt, on the seventh day repeat the process. In three days more rub again with half sugar and half salt and repeat in seven days. Let the ham lie for five or six days, clean the. flesh side and rub with New Orleans molasses as long as the meat will absorb it, the idea being to saturate the ham with sugar and molasses, using only salt enough to 'flavor it; when cured through, rub with black pepper. Hang the hams in the smoke house and dry with gentle heat for a week, and then smoke with a green hickory fire smothered with sawdust of the same, or of bur oak; clean corn cobs also make an excellent smoke. If the smoke house is so constructed that the smoke can be admitted at the top so much the better. The temperature of the house should never be above eighty or eighty-five degrees, and the meat should not freeze either before or after smoking. The smoking, og drying (for the meat should be dried rather than smoked), may continue until the skin assumes a light chestnut hue, when fully cured and dried, put them in mus lin bags well sewed and whitewashed to guard against flies. Beef may be cured in the same manner, and mutton hams as well, but in this case little or no smoke should be used, but simply a heat of about eighty degrees. It •may be objected that this is an expensive method. Very true, but the pleasure of eating the dela ciouriaroiled slices will fully warrant the cost. A common plan of dry salting is to use salt and saltpetre in the proportion of one pound of the former to one ounce of the latter. Rub with salt and drain for three days, then warm the mixture just so it can be borne by the hand, and rub every three days until the meat is cured to the bone, packing in a hogshead, box, or other con venient place, each time the rubbing is per formed, placing the under pieces on top. When cured, dean and rub with ground black pepper, and dry, smoke, and preserve as before directed. If wanted very nice, add half a pound of sugar to each pound of salt, rubbing in the sugar at the second handling before using the salt. In dry salting it is quite essential that the salt used be rubbed on hot.