Part 14

Ans.--Shipment of 500 lbs. Freeze-Em-Pickle, which you ordered by mail, went forward today. We beg to inform you that this product complies with requirements of all Pure Food Laws and is perfectly legal to use everywhere. We know that you will be highly pleased with Freeze-Em-Pickle. The Freeze-Em-Pickle process of curing meat gives it a uniform bright red color and a sweet sugar cured flavor and enables it to retain all of its albumen. It also prevents the meat from drying up and hardening when fried or cooked, or from crumbling when sliced up after being cooked. It may be used in the brine, or it can be sprinkled dry over the meat before it is packed for storage. See our directions for using it.

MAKING SOAP FROM RENDERED FAT

_Question.--C. J. B. writes: Can you give me a formula for making soap? I have a surplus stock of rendered fat that I would like to convert into soap._

(_Copyrighted by B. Heller & Co.; Reprint Forbidden._)

Answer.--We will give a very good formula for making soft soap and hard soap.

To 20 pounds of clear grease or tallow take 17 pounds of pure white potash. Buy the potash in as fine lumps as it can be procured and place it in the bottom of the soap barrel, which must be water-tight and strongly hooped. Boil the grease and pour it boiling hot upon the potash then add two large pailfuls of boiling hot water; dissolve 1 pound of borax in 2 quarts of boiling hot water and stir all together thoroughly. Next morning add 2 pailfuls of cold water and stir for half an hour; continue this process until a barrel containing 36 gallons is filled. In a week, or even in less time, it will be ready for use. The borax, and also one pound of rosin, can be turned into the grease while the grease is boiling.

Soap made in this manner is a first-rate article, and has a good body. The grease must be tried out, free from scraps, ham rinds, bones, or any other similar kind of matter; then the soap will be as thick as jelly, and almost as clear. To make soft soap hard put into a kettle four pailfuls of soft soap, and stir in it by degrees about one quart of common salt. Boil until all the water is separated from the curd, remove the kettle from the fire and draw off the water with a siphon (a yard or so of rubber hose will answer); then pour the soap into a wooden form in which muslin has been placed. For this purpose a wooden box sufficiently large and tight, may be employed. When the soap is firm turn out to dry, cut into bars with a brass wire and let it harden. A little powdered rosin will assist the soap to harden and give it a yellow color. This must be added in the kettle when the soap is boiled. If the soft soap is very thin, more salt should be added.

WHY BOLOGNA DRAWS WATER WHEN IT IS BOILED

_Question.--J. B. writes: I again write you for information. When I boiled my bologna the meat drew water. I added the water the second time I ground the meat. Why did the meat draw water while the sausage was being boiled?_

_I am glad to say that your advice in reply to my last letter enabled me to completely overcome the trouble I had with my corned beef. I am now using the galvanized iron tank as you recommended, and have discarded my old corned beef barrel. I will further say that since I began using your products, that I am selling three times as much sausage as I formerly did. I am greatly pleased with all the goods that I have bought from you._

(_Copyrighted by B. Heller & Co.; Reprint Forbidden._)

Answer.--There are three principal reasons for meat drawing water while the bologna is being boiled. The first is that you probably “killed” the meat in the grinding of it, by your knife not being sharp enough, or that your meat soured in the grinding of it by the meat not being cold enough. If you desire to work in some water while grinding the meat, use chipped ice instead of water. The ice will keep the meat cool and stiff, and the meat will not quash, or mash down. The use of ice will prevent the meat from getting warm.

Another cause for bologna drawing water while being boiled is that you have heated the bologna too hot while it was in the smokehouse, or you are boiling bologna at too high a temperature. Boiling bologna at 160 degrees Fahrenheit would hardly spoil it, but we recommend boiling bologna at 155 degrees Fahrenheit.

Possibly you boil the bologna too long. When you take your bologna out of the cooking water do you pour cold water over them? This also has a bearing on the case. Watch carefully all of the above points and you will not have any more trouble. Refer to our book.

OLD BARRELS INFECTED WITH GERMS WILL CAUSE ROPY BRINE

_Question.--W. & Sons write: Can you advise us about our corned beef pickle? We made it according to directions given in your book, “Secrets of Meat Curing and Sausage Making.” But our brine gets “ropy” as you call it. We use pure cane sugar. We keep our cooler at 38 to 40 degrees Fahr., and are at a loss to know what is the cause of our trouble. Please advise us in this matter._

(_Copyrighted by B. Heller & Co.; Reprint Forbidden._)

Answer.--Ropy brine can come about even when pure cane sugar is used in curing. This condition is caused by germs which develop in the brine and cause the brine to thicken. You will find that the barrels which contain your brine are infected with germs. The best way to get rid of these germs is to first empty the barrels; then put the barrels into a vat and boil them. Also scrub the barrels inside and outside. For this purpose they should be rinsed with boiling water to which has been added Freeze-Em, 4 ounces to each gallon, and afterwards a last rinsing with our Ozo washing powder, or soda, in the water that you use for washing the barrels. After the barrels are thoroughly washed and rinsed with cold water, they should then be put out of doors where the sun can shine upon them and in them for several days before they are again used and placed in the cooler.

Barrels in which corned beef is cured should be made of hardwood. If you are using a syrup barrel or a molasses barrel, you will find that the pores of the wood have become filled with syrup or molasses, which causes the brine to become thick. We think this is the cause of your trouble.

The best barrels to use are tierces that are made of oak, such as lard is shipped in by the packers. The wood of these tierces becomes saturated or filled with lard, and the lard prevents the brine from penetrating or soaking into the wood. Be sure that whatever barrels you use are made of hardwood, and not of white wood or other soft wood, of which many kinds of barrels are made.

HOW TO MAKE FERTILIZER FROM BEEF BLOOD

_Question.--J. E. P. writes: Please tell me how to utilize and handle beef blood so as to make fertilizer out of it. I am killing from ten to fifteen head of cattle each week, and thus have quite a quantity of blood._

Answer.--Blood in a packing house is handled as follows: It is first drained from the killing floor into vats and when the vats are filled, live steam is turned on and the blood is boiled until congealed. It is then put in large powerful presses and all the water pressed out, the congealed blood remaining in the press cloth. From the presses it is put through a fertilizer dryer and then is known as dried blood.

Where you only kill 10 to 15 head of cattle a week, it would not pay you to dry the blood in this way. A very fine fertilizer, however, can be made from the blood either for your own use or to sell by boiling the blood in a kettle over a fire or else putting it into a tank and blowing live steam in it; then separate from the water as best you can and mix with black earth, spreading it out thin in the sun to dry. The boiled blood should be mixed with about its own weight in black earth. This makes a wonderful fertilizer and ought to bring you many extra dollars.

ICE VS. ICE MACHINE IN SMALL PLANTS

_Query.--F. S. writes: “I would like to know if an ice machine can be had small enough for a retail meat market and would it be profitable to take the place of an ice box? If you can do so, please give me this information and where I can get the ice machine. Ice here for a summer’s use will cost about $75.”_

Ans.--You state that the cost of ice for the summer season in your market would be about $75.00; therefore, it will not pay you to put in an ice machine, as the cost of operating such a machine for an ice-box would be a great deal more than $75.00 for the season. For instance, if you could obtain electric power or a gas engine for operating the ice machine, you could figure on using at least $7.50 to $10.00 a month for power alone. In addition to this, you would have the expense of repairs and the wear and tear on the machinery, also the cost of ammonia and the interest on your investment. For a small plant, it is always cheaper to use ice for an ice-box, when it is possible to secure the ice at a reasonable figure.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POTATO FLOUR AND BULL-MEAT BRAND SAUSAGE BINDER?

_QUERY.--J. G. Co. writes: Will you kindly state the difference between your Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder and Potato Flour, as we have received several circulars from you on Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder and have always been using potato flour heretofore, and if you will explain to us the difference, and if your Bull-Meat Sausage Binder is better for us, we will be glad to use it._

Answer.--The difference between Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder and Potato Flour is this, potato flour is made from potatoes and the absorbing properties of a pound of potato flour or potato starch are much less than you would imagine. If you will take a gallon of water and put into this water one pound of potato flour and let it stand for one hour, all the Potato Flour will have settled to the bottom and you can pour off the gallon of water and then weigh the pound of potato flour and you will be surprised that it will weigh less than two pounds, it will have taken up less than one pound of water. Also make a test by putting one pound of Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder in a gallon of water and you will find that the pound of Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder will have absorbed almost the entire gallon of water. You can easily see by making this test the difference in the action of the flours when used in different kinds of sausage. When Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder is used it helps to hold the fat and then when the sausage is fried it looks different and tastes different than sausage made with potato flour. Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder absorbs fat and juice in the meat and tends to hold it in the meat and it does not fry out so readily. If you will try the Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder and make a test, you will prefer it to potato flour.

CAUSE OF BOLOGNA DRAWING WATER AND BEING SHORT GRAINED.

_Query.--J. L. B. writes: “Will you kindly answer the following questions: First, What is the cause of bologna drawing water while being cooked? Second, What is the cause of short grain bologna?”_

Ans.--We do not exactly understand your first question and cannot tell whether you mean that moisture draws out of the Bologna or whether water draws into the Bologna. As a rule, when the Bologna is cooked, especially in water that is too hot, it will shrink very much, become dry and crumble and break up. This effectually answers your second question also. The trouble you are experiencing is due to your method of making Bologna, which is not exactly right. In the first place good Bologna cannot be made without the use of a binder like our Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder. A binder and absorbent of this kind causes the meat to hold together. It also makes the juices of the meat remain in the Bologna. When Bologna does not properly bind, it shrinks up and gets watery inside.

This is owing to the fact that the meat does not hold together properly and the water, instead of being absorbed right into the meat as it should be, gets between the small particles of meat and separates them. If you use our =Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder= and follow the methods set forth in our book, “Secrets of Meat Curing and Sausage Making,” you will never have any trouble from your Bologna breaking up or getting crumbly or watery, as you call it.

CAUSE OF LARD FOAMING WHEN USING LARD PURIFIER.

_Query.--W. & Son write: “Will you kindly tell us what, in your opinion, accounts for our lard foaming after treating it with your B. Heller & Co.’s Lard Purifier when placed in the frying pan? Our customers are complaining about this feature, although the lard is nice and satisfies them in every other respect.”_

Ans.--The complaint which your customers make concerning the foaming and spluttering of the lard is in all probability due to the fact that all the water was not separated from the lard after treating the lard. Whenever lard is treated with our Lard Purifier, it must be heated hot enough and allowed to stand long enough so that all the water separates and settles out to the bottom. If this is always done, the lard will not splutter when used in the frying pan.

IMITATION BULL-MEAT-BRAND SAUSAGE BINDER.

_QUERY.--G. W. writes: “I find that I have been imposed upon by a salesman with a binder which is claimed to be Bull-Meat Binder. Owing to the fact that I have not been able to get satisfactory results from the use of it, I have examined the package closely, and find that the labels are not the same as yours. I enclose a rough drawing of what this label is like and would like to know if the goods are of your manufacture. It doesn’t act like your Bull-Meat Binder and I have had very poor success with it: in fact, so very poor that I have sent it back to the jobbers and told them that I could not use it.”_

Answer.--You most certainly received an imitation of Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder. The very fact that the preparation you received failed to give satisfaction =was=, in itself, sufficient to convince you that you had been imposed upon, as Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder always produces excellent results. Your idea of examining the label is the proper one. Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder is not only a Binder but also an Absorbent. It has its Flavoring Qualities as well as its tendency to Bind and Blend the Juices of the Meat, thus absorbing those constituents that enables Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder to give sausage such a Delicious and Superior Flavor. When purchasing our goods in the future, we would ask you to kindly examine them closely upon their receipt to see that you are receiving the Genuine and nothing but the Genuine. In this way it will not be necessary for you to spoil a lot of Sausage in order to find out that you have been imposed upon by irresponsible imitators who try to pirate our goods. Never use any goods shipped you until you have examined them closely to see that the name of B. Heller & Co. and no other is upon the label.

HOW TO CONSTRUCT A MODERN SMOKE HOUSE.

_Query.--The S. P. Co. asks: “Would you kindly tell us, and we will gladly pay you for the information, how to construct a modern, up-to-date smokehouse?”_

Ans.--We will be very glad indeed to tell you all about this subject without charging you any fee. We are always glad to tell customers or prospective customers how they can profitably conduct their business and make money. As you are located in California, where the weather is always warm, the building of a smoke house becomes simple, because the smoke house will not sweat like it does in a climate where the weather gets cold in winter. Here in the Middle West, or farther East, it is more difficult to get a good color on meats smoked in a smoke house in winter. One of the principal points to be considered in laying out your plans is to get the proper height, and the higher you build your house and the less floor space it occupies, the better will be your results. An 8×10 or an 8×12 foot house gives the best results. In this you could put an arch about nine or ten feet from the ground, and under the arch smoke your fresh sausage and above it smoke the meat. In this way the heat and smoke used for the sausage would also be utilized for smoking the bacon and hams and none would be wasted. If you build the way we have indicated be sure and put ventilators right above the arch so that cold air can be let into the smoke house during the real hot weather. If your fire gets too hot, you can feed cold air to the interior chamber, and if your smoke house is tall you can create a good draught and will soon get up a circulation which will cool the air so that the meat will not shrink too much. A smoke house built for simply two tiers of meat, that is, two rows, is better than one built wider. The walls of your smoke house can be built either of brick or wood, whichever you prefer, brick being the safer of the two. If you do not intend to smoke fresh sausage but only bacon and hams, it is unnecessary to put in an arch. In that case simply construct some iron bars about eight feet above the fire and on top of these put a heavy iron screen, so in case any hams should fall that they do not fall into the fire. Of course, you know that many smoke houses catch on fire and burn up, due to not having an iron screen above the fire and by meat falling directly into the fire.

PREVENTING PORK SAUSAGE FROM SOURING IN WARM WEATHER

QUESTION.--W. G. F. writes: “I make my own sausage, using your Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder and your Sausage Seasoning. My sausage is good when it is fresh-made, but it soon becomes sour in warm weather. What can I do to prevent this trouble?”

(_Copyrighted by B. Heller & Co.; Reprint Forbidden._)

Answer.--The best and easiest way to overcome the difficulty you report about your fresh pork sausage souring in warm weather is to use our “A” Condimentine. In making your sausage, for each 100 pounds of meat add ¾ to 1 pound of Heller’s “A” Condimentine. This will prevent fresh pork sausage from turning gray and souring for from eight to ten days, according to the temperature in which the sausage is kept.

“A” Condimentine will keep pork sausage in condition, so that it may be shipped, if necessary, for a considerable distance and still retain its own natural color. Your sausage maker will find this method of keeping fresh pork sausage from souring for a reasonable length of time in warm weather of great advantage and save you from severe losses. “A” Condimentine is legal to be used under the National and all State Pure Food Laws. The sausage does not have to be labeled to show the presence of “A” Condimentine. We will be pleased to have you try out our recommendation for retarding fresh pork sausage from souring and report to us your success at an early date.

IS FREEZE-EM PICKLE LEGAL TO USE?

_Query.--W. K. I am a butcher and sausage maker, and also cure a great many hams and bacon. I have used a good bit of your Freeze-Em Pickle and am well pleased with it, and I wish to ask if it can be used with safety under the new pure food laws. That is, the new state food law. The man I have been getting Freeze-Em Pickle from says “Yes” and the States Attorney says “No,” so I write you and would like to have you explain the situation and oblige._

Ans.--Replying to your recent favor it affords us pleasure to advise you that =Freeze-Em-Pickle= does comply with the requirements of your new state food law, and that you need have no fears in continuing its use. In fact, =Freeze-Em-Pickle= complies with the requirements of all the state food laws, as well as with the regulations under the National Pure Food Law, and it is being used all over the U. S. It is evident that the State’s Attorney confuses =Freeze-Em-Pickle= with the preservatives which are prohibited under your new state law. All antiseptic preservatives, for the purpose of keeping fresh meat fresh and meat food products in a fresh condition, are positively prohibited under your new state food law. =Freeze-Em-Pickle= does not come in this class. The ingredients of which =Freeze-Em-Pickle= is composed have not been ruled against by any of the pure food laws. We are pleased to hear your praise of =Freeze-Em-Pickle=, although this is the universal report we get when it is properly used. We enclose a circular concerning its use, which you may not have seen, and this will give you further information concerning the manufacture of Bologna and Frankfort Sausage, Corned Beef, etc. We also enclose circular concerning our Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder, which is unquestionably the best Binder on the market. This also complies with the pure food law. So does our Vacuum Brand Garlic Compound and our Prepared Sausage Seasoning, and Red and White Konservirungs-Salt. We will be pleased to hear from you whenever we can be of further service to you.

ADVICE TO A PACKER WHO WAS DECEIVED.

N. & W. complain that a firm to whom they gave an order for 25 pounds of Freeze-Em Pickle and a barrel of Bull-Meat Sausage Binder, sent them 25 pounds of an inferior substitute and a barrel of flour which was an imitation of Bull-Meat Sausage Binder. The firm states that they did not know very much about how the label of Freeze-Em Pickle looked and, therefore, did not notice the fraud until after they had used some of the imitation. They ask what they should do about it.

Ans.--Return the goods to your jobber, even though you have used half of them, inform him that you will not pay for the goods on the ground that you did not order them, but had ordered B. Heller & Co.’s goods, and that you will in future buy your goods from such firms as will send you what you want and order. This is a simple remedy for the trouble which you have.

ADVANTAGES OF STEAM-JACKET KETTLE IN RENDERING LARD.

_Query.--C. W. F. asks: Is there any advantage in rendering lard in a steam-jacket kettle?_

Ans.--There is. Both a caldron and a steam-jacket kettle work well. The best lard is made in one or the other. A steam tank in which the fat is put, and the steam turned right into it, will not produce as good lard as either the caldron or the steam-jacket kettle. The steam mixes right with the lard and the latter therefore contains a large amount of moisture and the lard does not keep well. Another disadvantage is that water used in the boiler is not always pure. If the boiler is not cleaned once a week the water will have a bad smell. Steam made from this water and turned into lard can not be expected to improve its flavor, even though it should not actually harm it. Those who kill large numbers of hogs usually have a steam tank for making steam rendered lard and a steam-jacket kettle for making their finer brands of kettle rendered lard.

SEASONING FOR SAUSAGES.

_Query.--T. U.: Will you please send me a copy of your book, “Secrets of Meat Curing and Sausage Making.” I have always used the following seasonings in my sausage: Pepper, summer savory and sage, and would like to know if you can recommend anything to me which will give the sausage a better flavor than these spices will. Any information you can give me in the seasoning of sausage will be very much appreciated._