Before proceeding with the subject of pork I will draw the "hotel butcher's" attention to the subject of his pickling, and as in some parts of the country the hotel keepers raise their own pigs and desire their cooks to use up every part of it to advantage I will give the receipts of bam pickles.

Many butchers prepare their brines in a way as simple as it is DEFECTIVE. They are content to dissolve a certain quantity of salt and saltpetre in cold water. THIS BRINE DOES NOT PRESERVE, and must not be used for delicate meats.

Put into a boiler and let boil for ten minutes 6 gallons of water, 21 pounds of salt, 6 pounds of sugar, 2 pounds of saltpetre, stir well during cooking, then empty out the brine and all that remains undissolved, allow to become quite cold, then add a quarter of a pound of mixed whole spices; rub the meat with powdered saltpetre and salt, place in the brine tub, pour over the brine. This brine is excellent and can be used for all kinds of meat, and notably for meat where special brines are not indicated.

Boil as in the preceding 5 gallons of water, 8 pounds of white salt, 2 pounds of gray salt, 2 1/2 pounds of sugar, 2 1/2 pounds of saltpetre; allow to cool, flavor with 1/4 pound of whole spices.

Boil and cool as above 10 gallons of water, 50 pounds of white salt, 4 pounds of gray salt, 4 1/2 pounds of saltpetre, 5 pounds of sugar, flavor with 1/2 pound of spices.

In some Italian provinces an excellent brine is prepared, composed of 1 1/4 gallons each of Barola wine and water, 8 pounds of white salt, 1/2 pound of gray salt, 1/4 pound of saltpetre, flavored with thyme, bay leaves, basil, savory, and juniper.

In Westphalia the hams are pickled with a brine made with, 2 1/2 gallons of water, 8 pounds of salt, 2 pounds of sugar, 1/2 pound of saltpetre, 2 ounces of spices tied in a muslin bag.

For Bayonne hams, the following brine is used, 1 1/4 gallons each of good red wine and cold water, 8 pounds of white salt, 2 pounds of gray salt, 2 ounces of saltpetre, and a flavoring of sage, rosemary and lavender.

There are two principal processes for salting meats: the wet process and the dry. Both have their merits, and their combined use offers advantages. THE WET PROCESS consists in steeping meats in a brine for some time, according to the thickness of the pieces of meats; it is carried out by the big packing companies, where the system of curing has reached a most perfect condition. THE DRY PROCESS: place the meats on the salting table, powder them with fine saltpetre, rub well into the meat, rub afterwards with gray salt (sea salt). Arrange them one beside the other in such a way that they will not get out of shape, then cover evenly with white salt; this operation is renewed every two or three days until the salt has been well soaked into the inside of the flesh, a result which is obtained in from one to four weeks, according to the size of the pieces. This process is generally carried on by salt meat exporters.

By the wet process the necessary salt flavor is obtained, inasmuch as they are immersed in brine more or less salted. With the dry process, on the contrary, the meats coming into immediate contact with the salt are impregnated too strongly.

This difference in result is easily explained through the action of the salt. In both methods this condiment clears out the aqueous portions of the blood in the tissues and thus preserves the meat from taint. With dry salting it is pure salt which saturates the meats. In the wet process the brine, which acts like salt, being a solution of it, impregnates in a much less degree the flesh, as it is so much weaker being in solution. If the wet process is used, nothing must be done until after the meats are thoroughly chilled, which is not often complete (according to temperature) before twelve to eighteen hours. If this precaution is neglected, and the warm meats were heaped into a brine tub, not only would they become unshapely, but they would become hot and ferment, the inevitable consequence of which would be their corruption and that of the brine.

With the dry process the meats can be salted immediately after slaughter, which is favorable to the success of the operation. In fact, it is known by the reason of its chemical composition, meat tends to decomposition as soon as the animal ceases to live, and it is therefore apparent that the less advanced is the tainting, the greater is the success of the salting.

Pickling Of Rolled Hams

Choose hams that are not very fat, bone and trim them, pickle in brine for two weeks, wash in fresh water for an hour or so, brush the hams, beat with a mallet so as to make them round and uniform, tie with string, dry them in the air, then smoke them. When these hams are dry they can be served raw, but usually they are served cooked.