Part 5

Hams, Shoulders, Bellies and other cuts must be thoroughly chilled before they are put into pickle. From one to two days before being packed, depending upon the temperature, they should be hung up or laid on a rack in the cooler, in order to draw out all the animal heat that is in them and to make them firm and ready for packing. Packers, using ice machinery for cooling, can bring the temperature low enough during the warm weather to properly chill the meat; however, it must not be frozen. If the cooler in which meats are chilled is not cold enough to make the Hams, Shoulders, Bellies, etc., firm and solid in 48 hours, it is advisable to lay the meat on the floor over night and place crushed ice over it; this will harden the meat. Those using a common ice house can employ the crushed ice method, which is to spread the meat on the floor and throw cracked ice over the meat, allowing it to remain over night. It should always be remembered that if meat is put into brine soft and spongy, it will become pickle-soaked and in such condition will never cure properly. It will come out of the brine soft and spongy, and will often sour when in the smoke house. A great deal of meat spoils in curing only for the reason that the animal heat has not been removed before the meat is packed and placed in brine. When the animal heat is all out of the meat, the meat will be firm and solid all the way through. In order to get the best results, the inside temperature of Hams and Shoulders when packed, should not be over 36 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit. The meat should be tested with a thermometer made for this purpose before it is packed. Every curer of meat should have one. An illustration of same will be found on page 284.

OVERHAULING.

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When curing Hams, Shoulders, and all kinds of sweet-pickled meats in open vats, overhauling is a very important feature; it must be done at least four times during the curing period. When curing in closed up tierces, the tierces must be rolled at least four times during the curing period. Bellies must be overhauled at least three times while curing in open vats, and if cured in closed up tierces, they must be rolled at least three times during the curing period. This overhauling is very necessary because it mixes the brine and changes the position of the meat in such a way that the brine gets to all parts of it.

HOW TO BOIL HAMS.

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Heat the water to 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Then place the hams in the hot water and keep them in it from eight to nine hours, according to the size of Hams. Try to keep the water as near to 155 degrees as possible. By cooking Hams in a temperature of 155 degrees, very little of the fat will cook out of them and float on top of the water, and the Hams will shrink very little. When Hams or large pieces of meat are boiled for slicing cold, allow them to remain in the water until it is nearly cold, for by so doing the meat re-absorbs much of the nutriment which has been drawn out during the cooking process. Then put them in a cooler over night, so that they will become thoroughly chilled before slicing. Hams should never be cooked in boiling water, which is 212 degrees Fahrenheit, as this is so hot that most of the fat will melt and run out of them.

USING BRINE TWICE.

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The Pickle, in which Hams have been cured, but which is still sweet and not stringy or ropy, is the best brine in which to cure light bellies. Nothing need be added to it. It should be used just as it comes from the Hams. While brine in which Hams have been cured can be used once more for curing Breakfast Bacon, it should be remembered that it must not be used a second time for curing Hams or Shoulders.

ICE WATER.

Never use the drip water of melted ice from a cooler for making Pickle, as it contains many impurities, and therefore should never be used.

PUMPING MEATS.

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We highly recommend pumping Hams, Shoulders and other kinds of Cured Meats. It is a safeguard in Hams and Shoulders against shank and body souring, should they, through some carelessness, be insufficiently chilled all the way to the bone, and is a protection against sour joint, and insures a uniform cure. It is also of great advantage to pump Breakfast Bacon, Corned Beef, Dried Beef, Dry Salt Meats, etc. Packers and curers, who do not use a pump and the =Freeze-Em-Pickle= Process, are suffering losses from sour meats, which during a year’s business would mean a large profit to them.

There is a mistaken idea among many butchers and packers that pumping Hams and Shoulders is injurious to the meat. The facts do not warrant such a belief, as the best cured and the best flavored meats are those that have been pumped. When Hams and Shoulders are not pumped, it requires weeks for the pickle to penetrate through to the bone, which is the vital spot of a Ham or Shoulder. If the joints, tissues and meat around the bone are not wholly and thoroughly cured, the entire Ham or Shoulder is inferior and no good; because it furnishes a favorable seat for the development of the germs of putrefaction, which render the meat unfit for human food.

In order to always have a mild cure, sweet flavor at the joints, and uniform color, they should be pumped. Pumping with the =Freeze-Em-Pickle= Process is a safe-guard against shank and body souring; it gives the inside of a Ham or Shoulder a delicious flavor, a good color, and insures a uniform cure; it cures the joints and the meat around the bone thoroughly, and greatly reduces the period of curing. The secret and principal feature in pumping Hams and Shoulders, is to have the right kind of pumping brine. When common brine, or ordinary sweet-pickle is used for pumping, the Hams or Shoulders usually become pickle-soaked, and if the refrigerator under such conditions is not the very best, or if the Hams or Shoulders are not thoroughly chilled, the smallest degree of animal heat which may be remaining in them will start fermentation, causing the meat to sour next to the joints. It is, therefore, plain to be seen that pumping, under such conditions, instead of doing good, will in reality result in injury, and this is the reason why so many who have tried pumping meats have failed. On the other hand, when the pumping brine is made as shown herein, all of these objections are overcome, and the meat will not be pickle-soaked, nor will it become soft and flabby. The brine will be absorbed by the meat around the bone and joints so thoroughly as to leave no trace of it after the Ham is cured; it also gives the inside meat a fine red color, and a delicious flavor. Hams that have been pumped with =Freeze-Em-Pickle= and cured by the =Freeze-Em-Pickle= Process, will not dry up and become hard when fried or cooked; when sliced cold they will not crumble, but will slice nicely and have a delicate and pleasing flavor.

DIRECTIONS FOR PUMPING.

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One gallon of pumping brine is sufficient for pumping one tierce, or 285 lbs. of meat. Make the pumping brine as follows:

½ lb. of Freeze-Em-Pickle. 1 lb of Pure Granulated Sugar. 2 lbs. of Salt. 1 gal. of Water.

The sugar used must be Pure Granulated Sugar; yellow or brown sugar must not be used. When adulterated sugar is used, the brine becomes thick and would spoil the meat in two weeks. Stir the above thoroughly before using. As this will make a thick brine which is more than saturated, it will precipitate when left standing, therefore, when mixed in large quantities, it should be stirred occasionally. Meats should never be pumped with anything but a solution that is thoroughly saturated.

Pump the Hams or Shoulders just before they are packed, and if it is desired to rush the cure, pump them every time that the meat is overhauled. The pumping solution must be cold when pumped into the meat. Ordinarily, three insertions of the needle in the Hams are sufficient; once at the shank to the hock joint as shown at A, once to the thigh and along the bone, Fig. B., and once from the butt end to the joint under the hip bone and into the fleshy part, Fig. C. Solid lines show needle up to point of insertion and dotted line shows direction taken by needle after insertion. In a very heavy Ham as many as six insertions should be made, and the same with very heavy Shoulders. Three insertions of the needle into a medium size Shoulder are sufficient; one at Fig. D, one to the shoulder joint at Fig. E, and one under the blade from the end, or diagonally from the back of the shoulder toward the end at Fig. F. More insertions may be made without injury to the meat, but the above are all that are required for good results. One cubic inch of solution is enough for each insertion, and after withdrawing the needle, the hole must be squeezed shut with the thumb to prevent the solution from oozing out. Stir the solution well before starting to pump. The Pumper must be careful not to pump air into the meat. Never allow the Pickle to go below the end of sucker of pump.

USE ONLY PURE SUGAR

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It will be noted that, in all of our directions for the sweet pickling of meat, we lay great stress upon the importance of using only pure sugar, free from adulterations. The very best and purest of granulated sugar should always be used, if the best results are expected. Sugar, as is well known is a great nutrient and, as a food, possesses practically the same value as starch; it is however, much more readily digested. Therefore the use of pure sugar assists in making meat food products more digestible. In preparing a sweet brine, the one great object sought to be attained is that the brine shall have the highest possible penetrative quality. Any adulterant in the sugar tends to prevent the penetration of the sweet pickled brine and lessens its efficiency in proportion as adulterants are contained in the sugar. It is only by the use of pure granulated sugar that a well-keeping brine can be produced. Many adulterants, even though they are natural adulterants, resulting from lack of proper refining of the sugar, tend to create fermentation in the brine producing a slimy and ropy condition. As is well known to those best experienced in the sweet pickling of meat, ropy and slimy brine is almost always sure to cause meat to sour.

Impurities in sugar used for producing sweet pickle will prevent the proper coagulation of the albumen in the meat juices. Coagulation does and should take place in all well cured meat. The impurities and adulterants, in other words, positively counteract the effect of the curing agents in the brine. Therefore use only the best pure granulated sugar in making all sweet pickle. The general conditions for obtaining pure granulated sugar at the present day are very much improved over those of a number of years ago, prior to the passage of the Food and Drugs Act of 1906. For instance, you can form a good idea of the purity of your sugar by dissolving a quantity in water to make a fairly thick syrup, but not using more than the water will take up. Cork this tightly and place in a dark room over night. We have seen tests made in this way, which in twenty-four hours would show a deposit of blue coloring at the bottom of the bottle, and also a considerable quantity of insoluble salts. This comes from what is known as “bluing” the sugar, but where you purchase one of the well known manufacturers products marked, “pure granulated sugar”, these difficulties are seldom met with at the present time. There was a time also when sugar was frequently adulterated with crystallized glucose or as is commonly known “grape sugar.” This was a very serious adulterant from the view point of the sweet pickle curing of meat, as glucose tends to ferment in brine very quickly and consequently the brine would become ropy and slimy within a very short time. This resulted in sour and soggy hams, bacon, etc., so that the purchase of cheap sugar containing impurities was never a saving, but proved very costly to the manufacturer who was persuaded to purchase low grade sugar.

It has been a common practice with some butchers in preparing sweet pickle to use molasses or syrup. This method we strongly urge our friends not to adopt. The saving will be many times lost by meat which will have to be thrown away because of ropy, fermented and sour pickle. We cannot urge upon our friends too strongly that they use only pure granulated sugar. Not only from the standpoint of keeping sweet pickle brine in good, clean condition, but from the view point of flavor and thorough cure, the use of pure granulated sugar is absolutely necessary for producing the proper kind of finished meat food products.

Sugar is considered as a natural preservative, but it must be borne in mind that sugar is used in the sweet pickle method of curing meat, not only as a preservative, but also as a flavor. Pure sugar has the property of combining with the other curing agents and by its penetrative property carries the other curing agents into the cells of the meat tissue more thoroughly. This results in the uniform action of the curing agent, producing even flavored meat as a result of the cure. Another peculiar property of pure sugar is that by its combination with the salt used in the brine it has a great tendency to prevent fermentation, thus keeping a clean, clear, sweet, penetrative brine, which will do the largest amount of work with the smallest amount of material, in producing evenly cured meat. To sum up, we will state that pure granulated sugar should take the place of molasses, syrup or any other form of sweetener because it imparts a better flavor and assists in making the brine more penetrative, thus producing best results.

HANDLING CALVES’ STOMACHS OR RENNETS

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The calf’s stomach is divided into four compartments. The first one is known as the paunch; the second as the honeycomb stomach; the third is called the many-plies stomach and the fourth is known as the rennet bag.

The proper way to handle the rennet bag is to remove it from the balance of the stomach, turn it inside out, and clean with fresh water so as to remove the adhering contents. Great care must be taken not to scrape off or in any way remove the mucous membrane (by this is meant the many folds of thin skin) as this is the part of the stomach which has a market value. Of course the stomach must be gently and carefully washed to remove the undigested portions of food which may be contained therein, as otherwise it would very quickly decompose and become putrid. It would then be of no value whatever for any purpose. After cleansing them, dust the rennet bags all over with finely ground salt, and blow them up after having turned them inside out. Then hang them in a dry place in a current of air so that they will dry as quickly as possible.

ROPY OR STRINGY BRINE

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Occasionally brine that has been made with sugar will become ropy and thick like jelly, but yet will be somewhat stringy. This is called “Ropy Brine,” and can always be traced to either the use of unsuitable sugar or improper temperature of the curing room.

Yellow or brown sugar and glucose sugar will never do for curing meat. It must be Pure Sugar, and the Refined, Granulated Sugar is the best, because the impurities have been taken out.

However, even if Pure Granulated Sugar is used and the temperature of the Curing Room is too high, the brine is liable to turn “Ropy” anyway. It is, therefore, absolutely necessary for anyone who intends to cure meat in sweet brine not only to use the proper kind of sugar but also to cure in the proper temperature. Otherwise, the results will not be satisfactory, no matter what kind of a curing agent is used.

In buying sugar for curing purposes, it is advisable to order it from the wholesale grocers or from the manufacturer, and have it guaranteed to be Pure Granulated Sugar put up Especially for Preserving Purposes. This grade of sugar is on the market and is used for preserving fruits, and is the best kind of sugar to use for curing meats.

If brine has become ropy in a curing package and it is desired to use that package again, it is absolutely necessary to thoroughly scald out such package, and it is well to use =Ozo Washing= Powder for that purpose so as to prevent the possibility of fermentation. Otherwise, the unclean package will cause the fresh brine to turn “Ropy” even though it is made with the right kind of sugar and kept in the proper temperature.

BOILING THE BRINE

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Boiling the brine improves it some, but not enough to pay for the extra trouble it makes. We recommend boiling the water, if one has the time, as it purifies it. When there is reason to believe that the water is impure, or when it is known to be tainted with vegetable matter, the brine should always be boiled, and the impurities will then float on the surface, and can be skimmed off.

CLEANSING CURING PACKAGES

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All curing packages should be taken out of the cooler after the meat has been cured in them, and scalded and washed thoroughly clean with hot water and =Ozo=. Soda or Soda-ash may also be used, but we strongly recommend =Ozo=, which is a thoroughly reliable Washing Powder. When packages have been thoroughly cleaned, they should be put out in the sun and allowed to remain there for a day or two. The sun will thoroughly dry them and the fresh air will sweeten them.

SOME CAUSES FOR SOUR HAMS.

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Sour Hams are sometimes caused by hanging warm meat in the same room in which the meat is cured. This should never be done. The warm carcasses raise the temperature of the curing room, thus causing the brine to get too warm. Under such conditions the meat is liable to sour in the brine. Furthermore, the brine is liable to absorb the odors from the warm carcasses, which of course is very objectionable.

Many suppose that Hams sour from getting too much smoke, but such is never the cause, as Hams will not sour from over-smoke. Smoke aids to preserve Hams and cannot cause them to sour. When Hams sour in the Smoke House the cause must be traced to the fact that they are not properly and fully cured before going into the Smoke House, and the portion that has not been thoroughly cured, which is generally close to the bone, has not been reached by the brine. In many cases, souring comes from imperfect chilling of meat before putting it into the brine; then again, the meat may not have been overhauled at the proper time and with the frequency which good curing requires.

In order to prevent souring of Hams the various stages of curing must be carried out with the utmost care. In the first place, hogs should not be killed when overheated or excited, and after they have been scalded and scraped, they must be dressed as quickly as possible, washed out thoroughly with clean water and then split and allowed to hang in a well ventilated room until partly cooled off. They should then be run into a cooler or chill room as quickly as possible and the temperature should be reduced to 32 to 34 degrees Fahrenheit. They should be allowed to thus chill for 48 hours. When hogs are properly chilled after curing, the temperature of the inside of the Ham or Shoulder will not be more than several degrees higher than the cooler. After being thoroughly chilled, the Hams must undergo the various processes which will be found in other pages of this book which give directions for the curing of Hams and Shoulders. When these directions are closely followed, there will never be trouble from sour Hams.

HAMS AND SUPERIOR HAMS.

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There seems to exist some doubt in the minds of butchers as to whether one Ham can be cured to better advantage than another, basing their opinion upon the fact that all packers have two grades of Hams, one of which is called of superior quality. Doubt has been expressed as to whether one piece of meat taken from the hog will make any better pork than that taken from another. This doubt should not obtain and could hardly exist in the minds of anyone who has carefully investigated the modern methods of packing. If such a person were to stand by the side of a Ham trimmer in a packing house and examine each Ham as it comes from the trimmer, he would be at once convinced as to the error of his opinion. There would be noticed a vast difference in the quality of Hams, even in their fresh state. Many Hams are of very coarse grain, especially those that come from boars, stags and old sows, while many other Hams are large and too fat. Those that come from poor, scrawny hogs are too small and thin, and this differentiation exists regardless of the grade or the experience in buying different lots of hogs. Perhaps there is no animal which varies so much in quality and condition of meat as the hog, and he fully represents or reflects the quality of the food from which he is made, or the results of wise or unwise feeding. Furthermore, Hams will vary in quality even after they have been graded; some medium size Hams, which is the size usually picked for the finest cure, are of much better quality than others. This will be readily admitted when it is remembered that a Ham may be of proper weight, but it can also be too fat for its weight, it can be too lean, it can have a coarse thick skin, the meat can be coarse in grain or it may be properly graded as to size, but come from an old, worn-out sow. Under such circumstances, it is not only necessary to cull the Hams, but to recull them, until the different grades are divided as to quality.

A fourteen to sixteen pound Ham from a young barrow with a fine, thin, white skin which is not too fat or not too lean, and possessing a nice, fine grained meat is fully up to grade and is taken for the superior quality of Hams. Therefore, a Ham of this description is superior in quality even before it goes into the brine for curing, and it is very easy to understand that when such a quality of Ham is carefully cured, for just the proper length of time, it will be far better than the ordinary run of Hams. Furthermore, the quality of the Hams may be deteriorated in many ways. For instance, the fourteen to sixteen pound Ham is fully cured in from sixty to seventy days, but if a packer has put up a large quantity of better grade Hams which gives him a surplus, he will hold them in the brine from ten to twenty days longer after they have been fully cured, and if they are thus kept in the brine for this additional period, they may become too salty and their fine flavor is lost. Under such circumstances the Hams must be taken out of the brine and smoked, or must be stored in a low temperature for ten or twenty days longer, but the moment they are kept beyond the full curing time they are not as good as when taken out of the cure at the moment they are fully cured. Furthermore, if a large quantity of the superior quality of Hams have been smoked and they are not disposed of rapidly enough, they begin to lose in appearance, and must again be culled and sold with the cheaper grade of Hams. If they are kept in brine longer than is necessary, they must also go into the cheaper quality.