The finest grained beef is the best, the flesh is of a fine red, and the fat a light cream color, but not yellow; the fat, too, is solid and firm. The lean of mutton should be of a red color, and the fat white. The lean of veal should be of a light color and the fat white. The skin of pork should be of a light color, and if young it is tender. The fat should appear firm. A tender goose is known by taking hold of the wing and raising it; if the skin tears easily, the goose is tender, or if you can readily insert the head of a pin into the flesh, it is young. The same remarks will bold good with regard to ducks. Young chickens may be known by pressing the lower end of the breast bone; if it yields readily to the pressure they are not old, for in all animals the bones are cartilaginous when young. The breast should be broad and plump in all kinds of poultry, the feet pliable, and the toes easily broken when bent back.

46. Beef A-La-Mode

A round of beef is the best for this purpose. With a sharp knife cut incisions in the meat about an inch apart, and within one inch of the opposite side, season it with pepper and salt according to the size of the piece of meat.

Make a dressing of butter, onion, and bread crumbs, in the proportion of a pint of crumbs, one small onion finely chopped, and an ounce of butter, with pepper and salt to the taste, fill the incisions with the dressing, put the meat in a pot, with about a pint of water, and cover it tightly. Let it simmer six or eight hours.

Some stick in a few cloves, and those who are fond of spice add allspice. When the meat is done, dish it up and thicken the gravy with a little flour. Let it boil once, and serve it. This is excellent when cold.

47. Beef Steaks

Scrape some fine sirloin steaks, wipe them with a clean cloth, heat the bars of your gridiron, grease them, and put your steaks over clear coals.

Turn them frequently by placing a dish over them, and then quickly turn them, holding the dish in one hand and the gridiron in the other. In this manner you will preserve the gravy. When done, season them with pepper and salt; baste them well with butter, and add two table spoonsful of water, with a little salt. Send them to the table hot.

48. Fried Beef Steak

Season your steaks with salt and pepper, and fry them in hot lard. When done, dish them, add a little flour to the fat they were fried in, pour in a little water, and season with pepper and salt to the taste; give the gravy one boil and pour it over.

49. Smothered Steak

Take one dozen large onions, boil them in very little water until they are tender.

Pound and wash a beef steak, season it with pepper and salt, put it in a pan with some hot beef dripping, and fry it till it is done. Take it out, put it on a dish, where it will keep hot. Then, when the onions are soft, drain and mash them in the pan with the steak gravy, and add pepper and salt to the taste. Put it on the fire and as soon as it is hot, pour it over the steak and serve it.

50. Baked Beef, And Yorkshire Pudding

Rub salt on a nice piece of beef, put it on bars, which should fit your dripping pan, set it in the oven, with a gill of water in the pan, and when it is half clone, make the pudding in the following manner:

Beat four eggs very light; the yelks in a pan, the whites in a broad dish. When the yelks are thick stir in a pint of milk, and as much flour as will make a batter, but not a thick one. Then stir in the whites which must be whisked very dry;.do not beat the batter after the white is in; lastly stir in a tea spoonful of dissolved carbonate of ammonia. Take out the meat, skim all the fat off the gravy, pour in the batter and replace the meat; put all into the oven again, and cook it till the pudding is done. You should make batter enough to cover your dripping pan about half an inch deep. When the meat is dished, cut the pudding in squares, and place it round the dish, the brown side up.

53. Beef Stewed With Onions

Cut some tender beef in small pieces, and season it with pepper and salt, slice some onions and add to it, with water enough in the stew-pan to make a gravy; let it stew slowly till the beef is thoroughly done, then add some pieces of butter rolled in flour to make a rich gravy.

Cold beef may be done in the same way, only the onions must be stewed first and the meat added. If the water should stew away too much put in a little more.

54. Stewed Beef's Kidney

Clear the kidney of all the fat, cut it in two, and with a sharp knife cut out the fibre which runs through the middle of it. Lay it in a sauce-pan with a very little water and a little salt, cover it close and let it stew till it is perfectly tender, then take it up and cut it in small pieces, season it with pepper, and more salt if requisite, and return it to the stew-pan; let it stew till there are about two spoonsful of gravy remaining in the stew-pan, then add a piece of butter and a little flour. Let it boil once and serve it.

55. Fried Beef's Kidney

Clean all the fat off the kidney, cut it open and take out the fibre which runs through it; put it in a stew-pan with a very little water and some salt, and cook it till it is tender; then season it with pepper and more salt if required, flour it and fry it in hot lard, add a little flour and water to make the gravy.

Or, you may broil instead of frying it, after it has been parboiled.

56. Corned Beef

One hundred pounds of beef, Six pounds of coarse salt, Two ounces and a half of saltpetre, One pound and a half of sugar, Four gallons of water.

Mix the above ingredients together and pour over the meat. Cover the tub closely.