874. Beef Potted

Take three pounds of lean beef, salt it two or three days with half a pound of salt and half an ounce of saltpetre, divide it into pieces of a pound each and put it into an earthen pan just sufficient to contain it; pour in half a pint of water, cover it close with paste and set it in a slow oven for four hours. When taken from the oven pour the gravy from it into a basin, shred the meat fine, moisten it with the gravy poured from the meat, and pound it thoroughly in a marble mortar with fresh butter until it becomes a fine paste; season it with black pepper and allspice, or cloves pounded, or nutmeg grated; put it in pots, press it down as close as possible, put a weight on it and let it stand all night; next day, when quite cold, cover it a quarter of an inch thick with clarified butter, and tie it over with paper.

875. Beef Potted

Take some lean beef, rub it with salt and salt-petre, let it lie three or four days, then cut in pieces, and boil it, then beat it to a powder, mixing with it some fat, add spice, put it in pots, and pour butter over it.

876. Beef Potted Like Venison

Take a whole thin flank of beef, pull off the inward skin, and cut it across and across, particularly in the thickest parts, lay it for six hours in pump water, take as much salt-petre as the quantity of an egg, mix with about two pounds of white salt, and rub it well into the meat; then sprinkle upon it nearly a pint of wine vinegar, and then let it lie for three or four days, turning and rubbing it once a-day, then rinse it out of the brine with a pint of claret, and season it with cloves, mace, and nutmeg, white and Jamaica pepper, of each a quarter of an ounce, bake all together with savory, thyme, sage, and the rind of a lemon shred together, and then well rubbed into the cuts and slashes on the inside; then bind it up with tape, and lay it in a long pot; put in the claret, and lay the skins at the top to save it, then bake it.

How To Grow Old

When birds are sent a long way they often smell so bad that they can hardly be borne, from the rankness of the butter; by doing them in the following way they will be as if only fresh done. Set a large saucepan of clean water on the fire, when it boils take off the butter at the top, then take the fowls one by one, throw them in the saucepan of water half a minute, take one out and dry it well inside and out, do so till they are all done, scald your pot clean; when the birds are quite cold season with mace, pepper, and salt, according to taste, put them down close in a pot, put clarified butter over them.

878. Char Potted

Cleanse them, cut off their fins, tails, arid heads, and lay them in rows, in a long baking pan; first season them with pepper, salt, and mace: when done let them stand till cold, pot them; and pour clarified butter over them.

879. Cheese Potted

Take three pounds of Cheshire cheese, and half a pound of the best butter, beat it in a mortar, a large glass of sack, half an ounce of mace beaten and sifted, mix it well, pot it, pour clarified butter over it.