Home Meat Curing Made Easy

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THE FAMOUS OF H O M E MEAT CURING

PUMPING Mix Tender-Quick with water and pump the rich TenderQuick pickle along the bones as illustrated. Complete pumping and curing directions on pages 24 to 27.

CURING Morton's Sugar-Cure strikes in from the outside curing toward the center . . . . and imparts rich smoke flavor.

MEAT

T

MAKES

H A T is why a woman always decides first on what meat she is going to serve, and then plans the other foods to go with it. Somehow it is the meat t h a t whets your appetite and makes the whole meal seem more interesting and full of flavor. M e a t is good for you. Good meat, properly cooked, is nutritious and digestible. Doctors and nutrition experts recommend meat as a basic p a r t of the daily diet of every normal person. M e a t is the old s t a n d b y and, notwithstanding changing fads and fancies, it remains as always the one article in our diet around which all other foods center. While meat is used as the main dish in meals day after day, it never becomes monotonous because of the tremendous variety of interesting, appetizing ways in which it m a y be served. There is practically no loss or waste. A juicy, well cooked roast is delicious when first served. T h e next day appetizing cold slices are just as welcome. Later, the last scraps m a y be turned into delightful leftover dishes, meat pie, hash, etc. Is it any wonder t h a t practically everybody likes good meat, and plenty of it? N a t u r e provides our desire for meat. Therefore, it is natural t h a t meat plays such an i m p o r t a n t part in keeping the h u m a n machine in order. M e a t provides energy, strength, and vigor. Printed in U. S. A.

THE

MEAL

We live in a country where people produce and enjoy eating good meat. T h e agricultural and grazing advantages of the United States have resulted in the highly developed growth of our pork, livestock, and poultry industries. These advantages have helped us to produce well finished meat animals. Consequently, we have formed a taste for high quality meat. Along with more scientific methods of breeding and raising f a r m animals, have come improved methods of home curing and meat preservation. M a n y of these advances have been due to the efforts of our agriculture colleges, our county and home demonstration agents, extension workers, schools of vocational agriculture and the practical projects of the national 4-H Clubs. These improved methods have been m a d e possible through scientific research and the great improvement of materials and ingredients for curing and preserving meat. H o m e meat curing, sausage making, and canning are no longer m a t t e r s of guesswork, and no longer hard or uncertain jobs. This book will help you know and understand meat curing more thoroughly t h a n you ever have before, and by detailed pictures and explanation help you do a far more efficient job of butchering, trimming, curing and cooking home prepared meat products. Copyright, 1940, by Morton Salt Company

G

OOD things to eat! T h a t is the heritage of every farm family—the finest vegetables and fruit, the richest milk, the sweetest butter and the highest quality meat animals. These are only a part of the abundance that helps make up the good things to eat that every farm family can enjoy. With improved methods of curing, preserving, and canning all of the quality food products of the farm can be prepared at the proper season and put away for future use. There is no surer way to set a better table or to save money on meat than through home curing and canning. The finest hogs, beef, and lamb are grown on the farm. To convert these quality meat animals into the finest hams, bacon, sausage, corned beef, cured lamb and a variety of other delicious cured meats depends a lot on how you handle the job of butchering and curing. Meat of high quality, with a rich full-bodied flavor is always worth a premium and it is just as easy to cure high quality meat as it is to turn out low quality. Get the most out of the meat animals you raise and butcher. The kind of curing job

you do determines the table value of the finished meat. There is no mystery about meat curing and it is easy to do the job right as long as you understand the basic principles of what should be done, why it should be done, and how to do it. A convenient working place, the right kind of tools and equipment, a definite guide to follow, and the highest quality curing ingredients will help you do the job in an orderly, easy, and efficient manner. Without a definite guide it is hard for anyone to remember all of the different steps in butchering and curing that help make the work easier. The purpose of this book is to bring to you a guide that you can follow. Instead of hundreds of words being used to describe the different steps, this is done largely in pictures, which tell the story clearer than words alone could possibly do. The meat curing and sausage making scene pictured above is typical of the modern, efficient method of preparing the family's meat supply. Morton's Sugar-Cure, Tender-Quick, Sausage Seasoning and meat pump help make the work easier and safer, and make possible a variety of superior hams, bacon and sausage.

Planning for Butchering

B

U T C H E R I N G and curing m e a t should be given the same t h o u g h t and preparation as any other i m p o r t a n t work on the f a r m . Beginning with the warm carcass of a freshly butchered hog or other m e a t animal, up to t h e time you are ready to cook t h e m e a t weeks or m o n t h s later, you are dealing with a valuable and perishable food product. Strict attention to correct methods, cleanliness in handling the meat, the proper tools and equipm e n t are all very important. There is a certain "timeliness" or "know h o w " connected with doing a n y important work, and this applies especially to m e a t curing. This means doing the right thing at t h e right time and knowing why it should be done. Indifferent methods, or lack of proper attention to i m p o r t a n t details never helps you to turn out high quality, cured meats t h a t keep well. A shed or building properly equipped for the job, a small pen along side for penning up hogs before

t h e y are butchered, a h a n d y water heating arrangement with scalding vat, a heavy table, a convenient means of swinging the carcass with a block and tackle, heavy single trees and gambrel sticks, and a good set of butchering tools make up the initial equipment t h a t will help you do the job easily, quickly, and efficiently. A good set of butchering tools should consist of a sticking knife, skinning knife, boning knife, butcher knife, steel, cleaver, bell scrapers, meat saw, and meat hooks. Additional instruments t h a t are very useful are a m e a t p u m p , meat curing thermometer, and meat needle, for sewing rolled cuts. D o n ' t leave your butchering and curing preparations until the last minute. By planning ahead of time and having a convenient, well equipped place for doing the work, and by following the methods shown in this book, you will travel the easier road and, also, the safer road toward better cured meat.

BUTCHERING P O R K

P

O R K is t h e most popular m e a t on the farm. I t can be prepared in m a n y different ways and is easy to cure and to keep over long periods of time. Pork is our most nutritious meat and produces a higher percent of edible m e a t products t h a n any other meat animal. There is no section of the country where hogs cannot be profitably grown for the home m e a t supply. Hogs reproduce faster and in greater numbers t h a n any other m e a t animals and most efficiently convert grain and other feeds into edible m e a t products.

T h e following table shows the weight of the different cuts from a 225 lb. and 250 lb. hog. I t also shows what percent of the carcass the different cuts represent. Live weight Chilled carcass weight Dressing Yield

225 Pounds 170 Pounds 75.5 Per Cent

250 Pounds 194 Pounds 77.8 Per Cent

Weight (pounds)

Percentage of Carcass

Ham Bacon (clear) Picnic shoulder Boston Butt Loin Spareribs Neck bone Head and Jowls Feet Sausage Trimmings.. Fat Back Clear Plate Leaf Fat Cutting Fat. . .

31 .72 18 .26 14 .22 11 .68 25 .70 3 .84 2,.48 14 .02 4 .84 4 .16 15..16 4.,80 6. 46 11. 80

18 .71 10 .75 8 .38 6 .88 15 .16 2,.27 1 .46 8 .25 2,.86 2,.45 8,.88 2..80 3 .80 6. 96

34 .34 20 .46 15 .98 13 .66 30 .16 4 .24 3 .14 16 . 24 5 .00 4 .36 18 .56 5..72 6..26 13 92

17..68 10 51 8. 21 7..03 15 .53 2..19 1 .61 8..38 2..58 2..25 9..46 2. 93 3 21 7. 15

Total Fat Yield Rendered Lard

38.,22 28. 67

22. 50 16. 88

44. 46 33. 35

22. 80 17. 10

Weight (pounds)

Percentage of Carcass

Selection of Hogs for Butchering High quality m e a t with a sweet, rich, fullbodied flavor is always worth a premium, and hogs t h a t produce this kind of m e a t should be the only ones butchered and cured for home use. Good meat, of course, depends upon m a n y factors, and one i m p o r t a n t factor is the kind of hogs butchered. T h r i f t y , properly fattened hogs, weighing from 180 to 250 lbs. and from eight to ten m o n t h s old are the best ones for home butchering. Hogs of this size are more easily handled and the m e a t chills out more quickly. T h e y produce medium weight cuts which are more suitable for the average family, and medium weight cuts will cure quicker and more uniformly t h a n heavier cuts. Medium weight hams, shoulders, and bacon are finer in texture and flavor and are of better quality t h a n those from older, heavier hogs. N o n - t h r i f t y shoats, or heavy 400 to 600 lb. hogs do not produce the best t y p e of meat for home curing. Also, it costs more to produce each pound of m e a t in heavier hogs t h a n in lighter ones.

Care of Hogs Before Butchering When does m e a t curing s t a r t — a f t e r the m e a t is cut up and salted down, or before the hogs are killed? Of course, the actual curing starts when the meat is salted down, but, more broadly speaking, the result of the cure begins with the live hog because the quality of the finished m e a t depends a lot on how the hogs were handled when butchered, bled, cleaned, and chilled. Thousands of hams, shoulders, and bacon sides t h a t could just as easily have been high quality meat are often low in quality. Also, actual souring has been brought about through improper butchering. T h e prevention of meat spoilage and also the foundation of quality

meat begins with the handling of the live hog. For this reason the wise thing to do is to practically start curing the meat at the time the hogs are killed—which, of course, means to do every step in the butchering and curing job properly. Hogs t h a t are to be butchered should be confined in a small pen for two or three days before butchering and for 24 hours prior to killing should not be given any food b u t should have plenty of fresh water. Hogs should never be butchered when they are over-heated, excited, or fatigued, b u t should be perfectly quiet and rested. When the body t e m p e r a t u r e is above normal the meat easily becomes feverish and this is especially true of large or fat hogs or hogs butchered in warmer sections. I t is very difficult to properly chill m e a t t h a t was in a feverish condition when butchered and meat t h a t is not properly chilled cannot be properly cured. Also, this same feverish condition of the meat can easily be the direct cause of souring or taint. T h e primary cause of low quality meat and meat spoilage is due to allowing the natural forms of bacteria to develop and multiply. The different natural bacteria which are present in the blood and tissues of live hogs must be prevented from multiplying and held in check until the meat has taken the cure. M e a t curing is a race between these different types of bacterial action and the curing action of the Salt and other curing ingredients. If the natural types of bacteria are allowed or encouraged to multiply through a feverish condition in the meat, brought about by improper handling of the hogs, or by improper bleeding and chilling, taint or souring can easily start before the meat is actually p u t in cure. I t has been proved t h a t keeping hogs quiet and off feed for a day before butchering will reduce the natural forms of bacteria t h a t are present in the blood and tissues, also the job of cleaning is made much easier when the stomach contains a minimum a m o u n t of food. Hogs should be quiet before butchering and handled quietly when butchered, and care should be exercised not to bruise them in any way. Keeping them off feed for 24 hours be-

fore butchering, b u t giving them plenty of water helps reduce the animal heat and improves the flavor of the meat. T h e i m p o r t a n t factors in butchering and curing meat in order to have high quality meat without souring or t a i n t are as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Hogs that are quietly handled. A thorough bleed. Quick and efficient chilling. Cleanliness in handling the meat. Proper application of the Salt. Overhauling during the cure. Proper washing, drying, and wrapping.

Sticking is the Best Method of Killing T o butcher by sticking only is the most practical, efficient method of killing hogs, and also the most humane. I t is best not to stun or shoot a hog before sticking. With hogs in a small pen and a block and tackle with hoisting arrangement nearby, loop a chain around one hind leg and draw the hog backward through the gate of the pen and u p

for swinging. T h e chain should be looped between the hock and the hoof in order not to bruise the h a m shank. T h e most satisfactory bleed can be secured when a hog is swung head downward when stuck. If an arrangement for swinging the hog is not convenient, then roll the hog on its back and stick on the ground. One m a n stands straddle of the hog and holds the forefeet while the other holds the chin down and sticks. Whether the hog is stuck from a hanging position or on the ground, the principle and method of sticking are the same. T h e diagram below shows the principle of proper sticking. A short incision is made in the throat in front of the point of the breast bone. With the point of the knife against the under side of the breast bone as shown in position No. 1 in the diagram, the knife is inserted to position No. 2. This severs the large branching vein

and artery which lie immediately beneath the point of the breast bone. T h e knife movement is m a d e downward and forward. Finishing the stick, as shown in position No. 3, keep the knife squarely in the center when sticking and do not twist it. If the knife is twisted, it will result in shoulder sticks and necessitate heavy trimming when the carcass is cut up. T h e knife should not be inserted too far back 8

or it will enter the chest cavity which will cause internal bleeding and blood clots.

Do Not Try to Stick the Heart Very often when sticking hogs someone will m a k e an effort to stick the heart. This should not be done as the heart should be left uninjured in order t h a t it m a y continue to function properly and p u m p out the blood as rapidly as possible. T o reach the heart the sticking cut would have to be made very deep, which is almost sure to result in internal bleeding. To prevent internal bleeding the sticking should merely sever the large vein and artery well in front of the heart. A quick and thorough bleed is one of the foundation steps in p u t t i n g up high quality meat and too much emphasis cannot be placed on the importance of a good bleed. Shooting or stunning before sticking should always be avoided unless the hog is very wild. A good bleed is difficult to obtain when hogs are stunned or shot.

makes scalding easier but eliminates the chance of setting the hair. It is good practice to scald the head first while the hind legs are dry, then reverse the hog and place the hook in the lower jaw and scald the hind quarters. Where a large number of hogs are to be butchered and scalded at the same time a water heating tank with a fire underneath will be found very convenient as more t h a n one hog can be scalded at once.

Scalding Good equipment helps make the job easier, and a part of the equipment should be a scalding tank with a fire pit underneath for heating the water, and a heavy table for scraping alongside the tank. Where this type of tank is not available the next best arrangement is to heat the water in a large open kettle and use a barrel for scalding. The barrel should be set at about a 45° angle at one end of the scraping table, or if a hoist is available the barrel may be set upright under the hoist to save lifting. Plenty of hot water at a temperature of about 150° and a little lye or wood ashes added make scalding easier. In very cold weather water should be about 160°. Keep the hog moving while in the water and remove as soon as the hair slips readily. By using a good thermometer you can always know when the water is at the correct temperature, which not only

Scraping Bell scrapers are the most satisfactory tools for scraping hogs. A good quality bell scraper pays for itself in work and time saved m a n y times over. The head and feet should be scraped first as these parts cool quickly. The scraping strokes should be made with the lay of the hair and it will come off easier. As soon as the hair is removed, pour some hot water on the carcass and place the bell of the scraper flat against the skin and move the scraper in a rotary fashion. This will massage out much of the dirt and scurf from the skin. A stiff bristle or wire brush is handy in cleaning up the carcass. Remove stray bristles with a little hot water and sharp knife or singe.

W o r k i n g out T e n d o n s M a k e a deep cut up the center of the hind legs from the foot toward the hock. I n each

incision three tendons will be found. Work these out with the fingers and hook over the gambrel stick or over the hooks in a short singletree. A block and tackle or chain hoist for swinging hogs makes butchering much easier. After swinging, wash the carcass clean with hot water and scrape. Then wash with cold water. Before making any of the cuts or opening the carcass be sure t h a t all knives are clean and well scalded. Butchering tools t h a t are dropped should be rescalded before using.

Removing the H e a d Removing the head first gets it out of the way and is an aid to rapid chilling. I t also permits the complete drainage of blood from the carcass. M a k e a cut just above the ears at

the first joint of the backbone and all the way across the back of the neck. Sever the gullet and windpipe to let the head drop, then pull down on the ears and continue the cut around the ears to the eyes and then to the point of the jaw bone. This lets the head come free but leaves the jowls on the carcass. T h e head should be washed and trimmed as soon as possible. This method of taking off the head is very practical. I t makes a neater job and helps get a better chill.

Scoring the Belly

Splitting the Breast Bone

Score the belly by making a slight incision from a point between the hams to the sticking cut in the throat, b u t be careful and do not cut through the belly wall. Now place the knife in the sticking cut at the t h r o a t with the point against the backbone. C u t upward, using the knife as a pry to split the breast bone and divide the first pair of ribs. This is pictured in the center illustration above. Be careful in splitting the upper portion of the breast bone not to cut into the stomach. This portion is thin and the stomach lies immediately beneath. With older or heavier hogs a saw may be needed to split the breast bone. T h e blood t h a t has accumulated in the chest cavity will drain out when the breast bone is split and you can tell whether you did a good job of sticking by the a m o u n t of blood in the chest cavity when the breast is opened.

Ripping the Belly

If the hog was swung before sticking and the vein and artery severed well in f r o n t of the heart, very little blood will be left in the chest cavity to drain out. Getting a good bleed is very important as meat can not be properly chilled and cured without being properly bled. After the breast bone is split, make a short incision in the abdominal wall near the top. T h e n place the hand clasping the knife handle inside the abdominal wall, with the blade pointing out. Let the fist t h a t grips the handle drop down until the knife blade slants upward. T h e cutting is done with the heel of t h e blade and the fist crowds the intestines away from the outer edge as the ripping is continued downward. When the belly wall is cut through the intestines will fall forward and downward b u t the attached muscle fibre will not let them fall far.

This method of ripping the belly is the safest and quickest way to do it and you can work without fear of cutting the intestines. I t is awkward and slow work to t r y and rip the belly with the point turned inward as the slightest slip of the knife can easily slit one of the intestines, and cause contamination.

Loosening the Bung

Splitting the Aitch Bone M a k e a cut in the lean p a r t of the m e a t squarely in the center between the two hams. When the aitch bone is reached the point of the knife is placed against the center seam of

t h e bone. B y striking the b u t t of the knife handle with the palm of the hand the seam of t h e aitch bone is split quite easily. Another method is to bear down with a straight cut with the point of the knife in order to split the aitch bone. Either method is good. With older hogs it m a y be necessary t o use a saw to split the aitch bone.

Grasp the bung gut just below split in the aitch bone and loosen upward toward end of bung. Then start in the f r o n t and cut completely around bung end. Securely tie the end with a cord and pull bung out and down, cutting around it where it does not pull loose.

the stomach and attached to its outer border is a thin layer of "web f a t . " This should be trimmed out, washed in cold water, and hung up to chill as you may want to use it for lard. T h e stomach should be cut loose and tied off. To remove the heart and lungs from the carcass, make an incision through the diaphragm where the red muscular portion joins the white connective tissue. This exposes the heart and lungs, which should be pulled downward and cut free from the backbone. T h e heart is trimmed up, washed, and chilled.

Preparing Casings

Removing the Entrails When the bung gut is worked down toward the entrails the entire mass of entrails should be worked outward and downward leaving as much f a t as possible along the backbone. T h e kidneys are left in the leaf f a t which surrounds them. The stomach will be found on the left side and the liver on the right side. T a k e a firm hold on the mass of entrails and roll them forward along with stomach and liver. When this is done the diaphragm, which separates the chest from the body cavity will be exposed. Through the center of the diaphragm the gullet will be found leading to the stomach. I t should be severed at this point, which permits the entire mass to come free. Place the mass of entrails on a table or in a tub. Cut off the liver and trim out the gall bladder. Wash the liver in clear, cool water. Next remove the spleen or " m e l t . " Covering

If the intestines are to be run, this should be done while they are still warm. T h e start should be made where they leave the stomach. If the intestines are to be used for casings the end should be tied and the t h u m b and forefinger of the left hand placed along the "ruffle f a t . " With the right hand the intestines are torn from the attached fat. Only the small intestines are generally used for casings, so when the large intestine is reached the f a t is removed, the small intestine tied off, and the large intestine discarded. T h e ruffle fat should not be used for high grade lard b u t is good for making soap grease. If the casings are to be used, the contents should be carefully stripped out and the casings thoroughly washed. Then reverse them by turning up a fold at the end of the casings like the cuff on a pair of trousers, and warm water poured into this fold. I t is best to have one person hold the intestines, one to pour t h e water, and a third to " f e e d " in the intestines as the weight of the water reverses them. T o make the job easier, cut the intestines into several lengths. T h e mucous coat, which is now on the outside after the intestines are reversed, can be scraped off with the back of the knife blade, or scraped through a sharpened notched stick by drawing the casing between the notch and the t h u m b . T o do a good job of cleaning, this operation should be repeated several times, and the casings washed in lukewarm water. If the casings are not t o be used at once they should be packed in dry salt until they are to be used.

ta

Splitting the B a c k b o n e Split the hog carcass while it is still warm. This helps hasten chilling as more surface is exposed. After washing inside the carcass, center split it down the middle of the backbone with a saw or cleaver. Leave about 15 inches of skin uncut at the shoulders to keep the carcass from separating or slipping off the gambrel or singletree. You will find t h a t center splitting is better because it gives you more useful finished cuts.

F!st!ng O u t L e a f L a r d a n d F a c i n g H a m s Hold the end of the leaf fat with one hand and with the fist of the other loosen the leaf f a t by fisting upward. The leaf fat is easily removed while the carcass is warm and its removal helps the carcass chill out quicker. For the same reasons, the hams should be faced while they are still warm. Start the cut at the flank and continue by following the curvature of the ham to remove the outer layer of f a t and skin from the inside of the

hams. The thin fibrous membrane next to the lean meat will shrink to it, giving a smooth appearance to the hams after they are cured. This membrane also protects the hams.

Chilling The carcass is now ready for chilling and it is impossible to do a neat job of trimming if cutting up the carcass is undertaken before it is thoroughly chilled out. A quick and thorough chill is a very import a n t factor in turning out good meat. With the head removed, the hams faced, and the leaf f a t fisted loose and the carcass split down the center of the backbone, you can readily see how open it is for chilling. T h e air can circulate freely to each p a r t of the carcass, taking full advantage of the weather for getting a good chill. About 24 hours are necessary for proper chilling, and a good rule to follow in warmer sections is to kill in the afternoon and then the cool night is just ahead for starting the chill.

For proper chilling the temperature in the center of the hams should be lowered to around 33 to 35°. A meat curing thermometer inserted into the center of one ham will show you when the meat is properly chilled. If the weather is not cool enough to insure a satisfactory chill, the iced brine method of chilling is a good plan to follow. By cutting each half of the carcass as illustrated below you can quickly separate it into a few m a j o r pieces. Fill a clean barrel about a third full of water, stirring up in the water about three pounds of common salt. P u t in some large chunks of ice and the pieces of meat. This iced brine will be colder t h a n ordinary ice water and will satisfactorily chill the meat even in mild weather. Another method is to place a layer of chipped ice on a clean surface, spreading the carcass out on the ice and p u t ting additional chipped ice on top. T h e iced brine method in the barrel, however, is more efficient and gives a better chill. M e a t should not be cut up and p u t in cure until it is thoroughly chilled and all the animal heat is out. A good job of cutting cannot be done on warm meat. Neither should salt be applied on warm meat. Very often home cured meat has been made inferior in quality and actual loss caused by cutting up and salting meat t h a t still has the animal heat in it. A good cure follows a good bleed and good chill.

If Pays to Do a Neat Job of Butchering and Trimming The black guide lines in the top picture at the left show where the different cuts should be made for cutting up the carcass. Well trimmed meat cures out better and with less waste. The principal cuts are ham, loin, bacon, shoulder, and jowl. All of the other pieces can be classified as trimmings. There is both pride and pleasure in unwrapping a neatly trimmed ham, shoulder, or bacon side months after the meat is cured. By doing a neat job of trimming all of the small extra pieces can be used to greater advantage for sausage, head cheese, scrapple, etc. t h a n if they were left on the larger cuts where they would dry up in the cure and be of little value. The second picture at the left shows the major cuts before they are trimmed. The third picture shows the trimmed cuts and the last picture shows the trimmings. Cutting a n d S a l t i n g W a r m M e a t O f t e n C a u s e s Bone S o u r i n g Meat should not be cut up and p u t in cure until it is thoroughly chilled. Bone souring is often the result of meat not being properly chilled or from applying Salt on warm meat. It is often believed t h a t meat should be trimmed and salted as soon as butchering is completed or it will not take the Salt properly. Nothing could be further from the facts t h a n this, because actual harm instead of good can easily be done by Salting warm meat. When Salt is applied on warm meat it helps hold the animal heat in and this heat, along with moisture, gases, and a little blood t h a t is usually in the joints, makes an ideal combination to start bone taint which in a short time may cause souring and spoilage. M e a t spoilage can be brought about by a number of causes. If the hogs are hot and excited when butchered the meat will be in a feverish condition, which makes it much easier for souring to start before the meat can take the cure. If a good bleed was not obtained, the excess blood around the joints can easily cause souring to begin. If a good chill is not obtained the natural bacteria in the meat multiplies

faster than the cure can take hold. If Salt is applied on warm meat this can cause souring to start by helping hold the animal heat in the meat instead of allowing it to escape.

Start cutting up the carcass at the shoulder, sawing through the third and fourth ribs at right angles to the back. Each side has 14 ribs.

Complete the cut with the knife and t u r n the shoulder over and cut off the jowl at a point where the backbone ends, which is in line with the wrinkle of the neck.

Long Cut Shoulder Ready for Curing

Trim some of the cheek meat from the jowl a n d flatten it out with the broad side of a cleaver or h a t c h e t and square it up by trimming with a knife. T h e trimmed jowl is known as a "bacon square" and can be cured and used the same as bacon, or used for seasoning with boiled foods.

Remove the neck bone from the shoulder, leaving very little meat on the bone. Trim u p the shoulder and cut off the shank. This is the "long c u t " method of trimming and will give you the maximum of cured meat from the shoulder. Shank is sawed off above knee joint.

Where smaller cured cuts are desired, the shoulder can be divided between the smallest p a r t of the blade bone, producing a picnic shoulder and b u t t . T h e picnic shoulder will cure out quicker t h a n the long cut method and makes a convenient, h a n d y size shoulder for

small families. When the shoulder is separated into picnic and b u t t the clear plate, which is the covering of f a t on the top of the shoulder b u t t , is trimmed off. This f a t may be cured for seasoning or used for lard. The lean portion is known as the " B o s t o n " b u t t and can be cured or used for sausage. When neatly trimmed up the picnic shoulder has the appearance of a small ham.

To take off the ham, saw on a line at right angles to the hind shank and at a point about three finger widths in front of the aitch bone. Finish the cut with the knife and start shaping the ham by curving the cut on the belly side.

To remove the tail bone slip the knife under the tail bone and continue the cut along the bone, keeping the knife as flat as possible. If the hams were faced when the carcass was hung up to chill, each ham will now require comparatively little trimming. When the tail bone is removed, the hams should be smoothed up and all loose pieces of meat trimmed off and put in sausage. If these cor-

ners and loose pieces are left on the hams they will dry up in the cure, having little food value, and the hams will be less attractive. Hams that are neatly trimmed, cure better and are easier to wrap.

If hams are exceptionally fat, and if too much fat is objectionable, the hams can be skinned. This is done by leaving a collar of skin around one-third of the ham at the shank end. The balance of the fat is trimmed off, leaving about inch of fat over the lean. Skinned hams do not keep as well as hams that are not skinned and for that reason skinning is not recommended as a general practice. After hams are trimmed, saw off the shanks just below the button of the hock.

To separate the loin from the belly, the ribs are sawed across at their greatest curvature. This is about J/3 the distance from the top of the backbone to the bottom part of the belly edge. Make this cut so as to include the tenderloin with the loin. After the ribs are sawed

through, finish the cut with the knife completely separating the belly side from the loin. Lay the belly on the table, skin side up, and smooth out the wrinkles as well as possible with the palm of the hand. A few sharp blows from the broad side of a cleaver or hatchet will help loosen the spare ribs from the belly. Now turn the belly skin side down and trim out the ribs. Start this cut by loosening

the neck bone at the top of the ribs and keep the knife as flat as possible to avoid gouging the bacon. Pull the ribs upward as the cut is made and trim as close to the ribs as you can. The cartilagenous ends or "buttons" of the lower ribs are left on the bacon. Square up the bacon by trimming the lower edge first to a straight line. All of the "seeds," the mammary glands along the lower edge,

should be trimmed out of choice bacon. Next trim the top on a line parallel to the lower edge until a good streak of lean appears and then square both ends enough to reach an attractive lean streak. Frequently there is an uneven space at the front end of the bacon, which is known as the bacon brisket. This may be cured or used for sausage or lard.

Trimming Tenderloin from the Loin The tenderloin is the small lean muscle which lies underneath the backbone in the rear of the loin. It is one of the most popular of all pork cuts to be used fresh.

Frenching Tenderloin It is generally prepared by cutting across into pieces about thick and Frenching. This is done by placing the pieces of tenderloin on end on a strip of parchment or waxed paper and folding the paper over the top of the meat. The meat is then struck a sharp blow with the flat side of a cleaver, flattening it out. The paper keeps the meat from sticking to the table or the cleaver. These delightful morsels cannot be equalled for tenderness by any other pork cut.

Removing Fat B a c k After taking out the tenderloin remove fat back from the loin by placing the loin skin side down, set the knife about one fourth inch

under the lean or muscle meat, and make a full length cut. Reverse the loin and make the same cut from the other side. This separates the fat back from the loin. The fat back may be used for lard or may be cured out and used for seasoning when cooking. The remaining fat on the loin should be smoothed up to where it is not over one fourth inch in thickness. The loin is one of the choicest cuts of the carcass and you will note it is made possible by center splitting down the middle of the backbone instead of cutting along each side of the backbone. One of the most practical ways to use the loin is to cure it as Canadian style bacon or grind it up for making sausage. After trimming the loin cut up the other one-half of the carcass, starting with the shoulder and finishing with the loin. I t pays to do a neat job of cutting and trimming. You will get a uniform cure and your meat will have a better flavor and a more appetizing appearance. For Quality Meat remember these important points: 1. Select thrifty hogs of medium weight, 8 to 10 months old. 2. Keep hogs in a small pen 24 hours before butchering—give them plenty of fresh water, but no feed. 3. Sticking is the best method of killing—it is the most practical and most humane. 4. Get a thorough bleed—cleanliness in dressing and a quick, efficient chill. 5. Do a neat job of cutting up the carcass and trimming the pieces. Do not over-cure or under-cure the meat. Curing directions on following pages.

Facts About Meat Curing

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H E purpose in curing meat is to convert live hogs or other meat animals that are thrifty and in good condition into high quality cured meat products to keep for future use. There are certain definite principles that should be observed when doing every part of the job. Meat is a highly perishable product and unless it is properly handled beginning with the live animal straight through until the time the meat is cooked, a low grade cured product may be the result when it would have been just as easy to have turned out a high quality product. The following points are of real importance in turning out high quality cured meat: 1. Be sure that the hogs or other meat animals are quiet and in proper condition when butchered or otherwise the meat may be feverish before it is ever put in cure. 2. Handle the job of butchering, bleeding, and cleaning efficiently and promptly because the natural bacterial action that causes decomposition and spoilage sets in immediately after the animal is killed. 3. See that the meat is chilled as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. Thorough chilling of meat arrests the natural bacterial action and holds it in check until the curing ingredients have a chance to offset further bacteria multiplication. 4. Do a good job of trimming and curing and test the meat while it is in cure. Use high quality curing ingredients that are especially prepared for the purpose. O n l y Two C u r i n g Methods There are only two major methods of curing meat, which are the Dry Cure and the Brine or Sweet Pickle Cure. The Dry Cure is the method most generally used, especially for the heavier cuts such as hams, shoulders, and bacon. The Sweet Pickle Cure is more generally used for the smaller pieces. Either the Dry or Sweet Pickle Cure

is good and it is a matter of personal preference which method is used. Morton's Sugar-Cure and Morton's TenderQuick may be used for either Cure. Salt A l o n e Cannot Produce Highest Quality Meat The highest quality cured meat cannot be turned out when Salt alone is used, because Salt alone hardens the muscle fibres and tends to make the meat over-salty and dry. To produce quality cured meat other ingredients must be blended with the Salt in the correct proportions, and when this is done the cure is then termed the "Dry Sugar-cure" if used in dry form, or the "Sweet Pickle Cure" when used in the brine form. Morton's Sugar-Cure contains Salt, sugar, saltpetre, black and red pepper, a combination of spices, and refined, condensed wood smoke. This makes it a complete sugar-curing Salt, and a complete product of this kind produces the highest quality meat. Carefully Blended Ingredients For Quality a n d Safety Salt is the basic curing ingredient for meat, but to produce a pleasing flavor and a high quality finished product it is necessary to blend the other ingredients with the Salt. The sugar tends to retard the hardening action of the Salt and gives a more pleasing, milder flavor to the meat. The peppers and spices give a delicious balance to the flavor and improve the keeping qualities after the cure is completed. The saltpetre strikes in ahead of the Salt and helps bring out and retain the rich, cherry red color so desirable in cured meats. The refined, condensed wood smoke imparts the curative and flavoring properties of smoke to the meat while it is curing. This method of curing and flavoring at the same

time saves extra work—does the job safer and adds new delicious flavor to the meat. M o r t o n ' s perfectly blended Sugar-Cure makes the practical cure for applying on the outside of the meat. In addition to applying the Sugar-Cure on the outside of the meat, a better and more uniform job of curing can be done if the meat is pumped along the bone and at the joints when it is put in cure, and Morton's Tender-Quick is the ideal product to use for making the pumping pickle. Morton's Tender-Quick is a special cure perfected for the purpose of pumping along the bone area in hams and shoulders and for pumping extra large bacon, and for making into a pickle for curing the smaller pieces. Tender-Quick consists of the highest grade meat Salt and a combination of super-quality curing ingredients so accurately proportioned and so perfectly blended that it produces a fast cure, improves flavor, makes meat more tender, and prevents over-saltiness. A Q u i c k e r Cure The natural bacteria that are always present in the blood and tissues of live hogs begin to multiply as soon as the hogs are butchered. To help hold this natural bacterial action in check until the curing ingredients have had time to penetrate into the fibres of the meat and set up curing action is why it is so important to get a good bleed and a good chill as soon as possible after the hogs are butchered. A good job of chilling arrests the bacterial action long enough to give the Salt and curing ingredients an opportunity to strike in and start the cure. In large pieces of meat, such as hams and shoulders, the bone joints are always the danger spots because bacterial action develops fastest around the bone area. In this area are many small tendons, ligaments, and tiny muscles which form a convenient place for the collection of blood if the meat is not properly bled, also the collection of gases and retention of interior animal heat if the meat is not properly chilled out. When the cure is applied only on the outside of the meat, it must work entirely through the thick meaty portions of the hams and shoulders and

into the bone area before the natural bacterial action can be arrested around the bones and joints, and it is in this area that the natural bacteria multiply the fastest and can most quickly cause bone taint. That is why the easiest, quickest, and safest way to cure hams and shoulders is to pump a pickle made with Tender-Quick along the bone area and apply Sugar-Cure in the regular way to cure from the outside toward the center. Morton's "Combination" Cure Using Morton's Sugar-Cure and TenderQuick in this manner is termed the "Combination" cure. The Tender-Quick cures from the inside bone area outward and the SugarCure strikes in from the outside. Morton's Tender-Quick makes a perfect pumping pickle, and the only practical way to apply the Tender-Quick pickle along the bones and at the joints is to dissolve the Tender-Quick in water, making a pickle which can be drawn up into Morton's meat pump and then injected into the meat along the bone. The water used for making the pickle should be boiled first and allowed to cool. The Tender-Quick pickle, when pumped into the meat, starts curing around the bone area immediately. It does not make the meat over-salty and helps eliminate bone taint. As soon as the Tender-Quick pickle has been pumped along the bones, Morton's Sugar Curing Salt—is applied on the outside of the meat in the regular manner. By using this combination cure you can readily see that the meat begins curing from the inside bone area outward as well as from the outside inward. The cure starts both inside and outside at the same time. With this combination cure you will have the finest meat you have ever eaten. The hams and shoulders will be delicately pink, delicious in flavor, and perfectly and uniformly cured throughout. The bone area will be just as well cured as the balance of the ham, and there will be no over or undercured spots. It's the cure itself that makes fine hams and bacon. Morton's Sugar-Cure and Tender-Quick contain everything necessary for perfect curing.

C U R I N G DIRECTIONS A F T E R the meat has been chilled and cut up, lightly rub the pieces with MorjL J L ton's Sugar-Cure and place skin side down on a tilted table to drain for some 6 to 12 hours. Use about 1 lb. for each 100 lbs. of meat. This light application of the sugar-

curing Salt will draw the first flush of blood and water from the meat. After the meat is drained, make a TenderQuick pumping pickle for pumping the large pieces. To make the pickle, use water t h a t has previously been boiled and cooled, and mix Tender-Quick with the water, stirring until it dissolves. For curing meat t h a t is to be kept for varying lengths of time the following ratio of water and Tender-Quick should be used: lbs. of Tender-Quick to 3 quarts of water for m e a t t h a t is to be carried over the summer or for m e a t t h a t is to be kept 8 m o n t h s to a year before being used. 2^2 lbs. of Tender-Quick per gallon of water for m e a t t h a t is to be k e p t for only 3 to 6 months. 2 lbs. of Tender-Quick per gallon of water for m e a t t h a t is to be used within 30 to 60 days.

The Amount of Tender-Quick pumping pickle to use is 1 to oz. of pickle per pound of meat. For ready reference the following scale shows the amounts of Tender-Quick for making a full strength pumping pickle which is to be used for curing meat t h a t is kept 8 to 12 months:

23^ lbs. of Tender-Quick to 3 q u a r t s of water will m a k e 96 oz. of p u m p i n g pickle. 5 lbs. of Tender-Quick to V/% gallons of water will m a k e 192 oz. of p u m p i n g pickle. 10 lbs. of Tender-Quick to 3 gallons of water will m a k e 384 oz. of p u m p i n g pickle. Pump 1 to fl/2 oz. of pickle per pound of meat.

Morton's meat p u m p holds 4 oz. of pickle. T h e needle of the p u m p is hollow and has a number of holes in it. Submerge the entire needle of the p u m p in the pickle and pull up on the handle to draw the p u m p full of pickle. When first drawing up the pickle before starting to p u m p meat, work the handle back and forth a few times to get the barrel full of pickle without air pockets. For the most sanitary job the p u m p needle should be dipped in boiling water before it is used, and while pumping meat do not touch the needle with the hands or lay it down. When the pump is not in use let it stand needle end down in the jar or crock t h a t contains the pickle. P u m p i n g Meat Draw the pump full of pickle and insert the pump needle its full length into the meat and push with a slow even pressure on the pump handle to inject the pickle. As the pickle is forced into themeat around the bone gradually draw the pump toward you in order to distribute the

pickle as evenly as possible along the bone. Pumping meat is simple and anyone can do a good job. T h e aim is to get the pickle distributed as uniformly as possible along the bone area. Each p u m p f u l of pickle is called a stroke, and after the stroke is completed and

which will be 12 to 16 oz. For hams and shoulders t h a t weigh 15 to 25 lbs. use 5 to 6 p u m p fuls, which would be 20 to 24 oz. Always have the meat p u m p full of pickle to prevent air pockets. (For care of p u m p see bottom page 37.) T h e X-ray diagrams of a h a m and shoulder show the bone structure and the red lines show how and where the needle of the m e a t p u m p should be inserted for making the five different pumping strokes for large hams and shoulders. For small hams or shoulders eliminate strokes Nos. 4 and 5.

For pumping bacon insert the needle in the f a t part of the heavy bacon and p u m p about 1 to l}/2 oz. of pickle per pound of meat. T h e needle can be inserted around the edges and a t the ends to distribute the pickle uniformly. the needle withdrawn there will be a tendency for a small amount of the pickle to run out of the meat. Pinch the needle hole together with the t h u m b and forefinger for a few seconds after the needle is withdrawn. While the pickle is being injected the meat around the needle bulges a little, which is all right, but always use a slow even stroke when injecting the pickle. For hams and shoulders t h a t weigh 10 to 15 lbs. use 3 to 4 p u m p f u l s of p i c k l e ,

A p p l y i n g the S u g a r - C u r e After the pieces have been pumped, apply M o r t o n ' s Sugar-Cure using 5 to 6 lbs. for each 100 lbs. of meat. T h e first step is to work the Cure around the bones, especially well at the hock and knee joints, working in as much Cure as the skin covering will hold and push it well down. T h e n rub the Cure

in well all over the meat, using a slow kneading motion. Apply the Sugar-Cure on both flesh and skin sides. After the Cure has been rubbed over all of the pieces, pack the meat in a convenient place for curing. M e a t can be packed in a box or barrel or on a table. Before the pack is started, sprinkle a little Cure over the bottom of the box and over the pieces as they are packed. The heaviest pieces should be at the bottom and the lighter ones on top. Do not pack the meat over three feet deep. Keep the curing box clear of the ground; bore a few holes in the bottom to let the bloody water drain out. I n mild weather cover the box with a cloth t o prevent flies from getting at the meat. In very cold weather the meat should be covered t o keep it from freezing. Meat t h a t is allowed to freeze, either before or after it is put in cure will never make as nice a finished product as if it had not been frozen. When meat freezes

the moisture in the small cells and fibres expands and bursts the meat tissues, which lowers the quality of the finished product. If your meat does freeze, remember t h a t while

it is frozen it will not take the Cure, therefore, no curing action can take place so long as the meat remains frozen. The curing action virtually stops when the inside temperature of the meat gets below 34°. The ideal meat curing temperature is between 38° and 40° and the nearer this temperature the meat can be kept while it is in cure, the nicer the finished product will be. If, due to unusual circumstances, meat freezes while it is being chilled, it should be thawed out to about 38° and put in cure. Meat t h a t was frozen when chilling, or frozen while in the cure should be given extra care and attention, and should be used up as soon as practicable after coming from the cure.

Second Application of S u g a r - C u r e After the meat has been in the pack four or five days, break the pack and give a second application of the Sugar-Cure, using about 2 or 3 lbs. per 100 lbs. of meat. Then repack the meat in a different position. If a real mild cure is desired, do not give the second application to bacon or small pieces. Also, if the meat is to be used shortly after it comes from the cure, the total amount of Sugar-Cure used per 100 lbs. of meat can be reduced in proportion. Where meat is to be kept from one curing season to the next, it is necessary to give it a heavier cure—4 to 6 lbs. of Sugar-Cure per 100 lbs. of meat is enough for a mild cure—8 to 9 lbs. for a full cure. For hams and shoulders to have the best flavor they should season out after the cure for some 30 to 60 days before being used, and even longer is preferable. Bacon should season out 10 to 15 days before being used.

The amount of Cure to use for 100 lbs. of meat will vary with different sections of the country and with individual preferences. I t does not take as much Salt to cure meat in high, dry altitudes as it does in more humid sections. These points must be adjusted, depending on individual preferences, climatic conditions and length of time meat is to be kept. Fresh meat is a perishable product and to turn live hogs into quality hams and bacon calls for proper care and attention in doing all parts of the job. There are a number of factors t h a t enter into butchering and curing t h a t have a definite part in turning out quality meat. I t is very important not to get the hogs excited or overheated when butchering. If a thorough bleed and a good chill are not obtained, souring can easily start before the meat is p u t in cure. Regardless of the kind of curing Salt used, it is necessary to do a good job of butchering, bleeding, and chilling. O v e r h a u l i n g the M e a t While the meat is in cure, the pack should be broken and the meat overhauled once for smaller pieces and twice for heavier ones. These overhauling periods should be some seven to ten days apart and the Cure should be rubbed on any bare spots. L e n g t h of T i m e in C u r e Meat should remain in cure about 2 days per pound for hams and shoulders and about \}/2 days per pound for smaller pieces. For example, a 10 lb. ham should cure 20 days; a 20 lb. ham 40 days; a 10 lb. side of bacon 15 days. Different size pieces should cure in proportion to their weight. Weather conditions help control the length of time meat should cure for best results. I t requires longer for meat to take the Cure in real cold weather than in milder weather. Much home cured meat has become oversalty by being left in the cure entirely too long. On the other hand, meat t h a t is taken out of the cure too soon when the weather remains cold may be only partially cured, because meat will not take the Cure when the temperature of the meat goes much below 34°.

W a s h M e a t W h e n T a k e n from C u r e After meat comes from cure, wash it in lukewarm water. Let smaller pieces soak 30 to 40 minutes and larger ones about an hour. Use a stiff bristle brush to scrub off collected grease and Salt. Then hang the meat and let it drain until dry. D o not wrap meat until it is thoroughly dry. In d a m p weather it is advisable to hang the meat in a warm room or build a small fire to get it dry. This will help prevent mold after the meat is wrapped. Wrapping a n d Sacking Meat If meat is left exposed to the air, slow oxidation of the f a t takes place, which causes rancidness, a darkened color, and strong flavor. Proper wrapping prevents most of this trouble and is also one of the best methods of keeping out skippers and other insects. Place a piece of muslin or cheesecloth (cornmeal or flour sacks) on the table and wrap each piece separately. Then wrap in layers of heavy paper and place in strong paper bags. Tie bag tops so insects cannot enter, and hang away. When hung, the pieces should be separated enough not to touch and should be away from walls to keep insects, mice, or rats from reaching the meat. M e a t should be hung in a dark, cool, well-ventilated place.

S W E E T P I C K L E CURE After t h e m e a t is chilled and cut up, make a Tender-Quick p u m p i n g pickle and p u m p hams, shoulders, and large bacon, t h e same as shown on page 25. T h e n r u b with Sugar-Cure, using about 3 lbs. of Salt per 100 lbs. of meat, and pack t h e m e a t skin side down in a well scalded crock or barrel, placing t h e larger pieces on the b o t t o m and t h e smaller ones on top. T h e t o p layer of m e a t should be placed skin side up. After t h e m e a t is placed in t h e barrel, mix a curing brine, using 7 lbs. of Sugar-Cure with each 5 gallons of water, stirring it well until t h e Salt is dissolved. T h e water should have previously been boiled and allowed to cool. Pour this curing brine over t h e m e a t until t h e pack begins to shift or float. This shifting permits t h e brine to come in contact with all p a r t s of t h e meat. Place a clean stone or other weight on top of t h e m e a t and pour in enough additional curing brine to fully cover t h e meat. T h e weight should be heavy enough to hold t h e m e a t below t h e brine. After t h e m e a t has been in t h e sweet pickle brine about 5 days, remove t h e m e a t and brine and repack each piece of m e a t in a different position, again weighting it down, and pour t h e brine back over it. Overhaul in this m a n n e r every ten days during t h e balance of t h e curing period. Bacon should cure about 2 days per pound and h a m s a n d shoulders about 3 days per pound. For example, a 10 lb. side of bacon should cure 20 days a n d a 15 lb. h a m 45 days. T h e ideal curing temp e r a t u r e for t h e sweet pickle cure is 38° and both t h e m e a t and pickle should be a t this t e m p e r a t u r e when p u t in cure and this t e m p e r a t u r e held where possible.

If the weather turns mild, watch the brine closely and if it becomes ropy the meat should be taken out and washed and the brine boiled and skimmed, or new brine made if the pickle gets exceptionally ropy. If a new brine is made it should not be as strong as the original brine but its strength should be in proportion to the length of time the meat has been

in cure. For example, if the meat has been in cure about one-half the proper length of time only enough Salt should be used to make the new brine about one-half strength. When the curing time is completed, take out the meat, wash each piece, and let it dry thoroughly and wrap. See directions for washing, drying, and wrapping on page 27.

Why Meat Should Be Overhauled It is important to overhaul by shifting the position of the pieces of meat and getting the curing pickle remixed while the meat is curing. There are always spots where the meat is in very close contact and the pickle cannot penetrate between the pieces as readily as it should. By overhauling and changing the position of these pieces the pickle is allowed to come in uniform contact with all the parts of the meat. When the position of the pieces is changed during overhauling, the pickle should be stirred up or poured out of the c o n t a i n e r and poured back. When pickle is left standing undisturbed, it becomes uneven, which causes the density of the curing ingredients in ratio to the water to be much heavier in one place than another. By removing the meat and pouring out the pickle, then repacking the pieces in a different position and pouring the pickle back over them thoroughly remixes the pickle to where all parts have the same density and it allows the pickle to come in uniform contact with any spots of the meat that may have been pressed too tightly together. The water used for making the curing pickle should be perfectly pure. It is the bacteria and invisible organic life that is often present in water, and which does no harm for general purposes, but would be harmful when using the water for curing meat. In order to be sure that the water is pure, it is always advisable to boil the water and let it cool before using it to make a curing pickle.

The Sure Easy W a y to Keep the Trimmings and Extra Cuts Until Y o u A r e Ready to Use Them kT butchering time you always have a surplus A of trimmings and small pieces that you cannot conveniently use up fresh in a short time, and the press of other work makes it inconvenient to immediately make these into sausage, head cheese, or other meat products that can be kept. Haven't you always wanted a simple, easy way to take care of the spare ribs, backbone, neck bone, feet, heart, liver, tongue, etc. until you had time to use them just as you wanted to? Now you can keep these pieces until you are ready to use them. All you need is Morton's Tender-Quick, a stone crock, and water. Put all of the Pieces in a TenderQ u i c k Pickle For making the Tender-Quick pickle, mix at the rate of 2 lbs. Tender-Quick per gallon of water. Stir the pickle until the Tender-Quick dissolves. The water should first be boiled and allowed to cool. Place all the pieces in a stone crock and pour the Tender-Quick pickle over them until the pieces are fully covered. Weight the pieces down to keep them below the pickle. As you need the spare ribs or any other pieces you can take them from the TenderQuick pickle, wash them off in fresh water and cook them just as you normally would.

The different pieces can stay in the crock until you are ready to use them, and even the bony pieces, such as the backbone and spare ribs, which have only a thin layer of meat on them, will be delicious. Tender-Quick is an amazing new meat cure, made by a secret process. It gives the meat a delicious flavor but prevents it from becoming hard, dry, or over-cured. A Tender-Quick pickle is such a convenient way to keep the surplus pieces that once you have tried it you will never want to be without it. It is a time saver and helps you avoid overwork during the butchering and lard making season.

Tender-Quick Prevents Waste When two or three hogs are butchered at the same time there are so many tasty pieces to be eaten up soon—such as Frenched tenderloin, that many of the other smaller cuts are apt to go to waste before you can get around to eating them. Tender-Quick will help you prevent this loss.

Tender-Quick Saves Rush The heads and trimmings can be quickly cleaned and put in a Tender-Quick pickle and held until it is convenient for you to use them. Tender-Quick makes canning a pleasure. No longer is it necessary to remain steadily on the job hour after hour at canning time in order to get the meat canned right away. Beef, lamb, and poultry can all be cleaned and kept in a Tender-Quick pickle and canned at your leisure.

Y o u Will Be Delighted with a Special Tender-Quick Cured H a m

D O N ' T F A I L T O CURE A T L E A S T O N E H A M THIS W A Y — I T ' S DIFFERENT

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WONDERFUL flavor, extra tender—extra mild—extra good! A special Tender-Quick cured ham cured by the directions as shown on the opposite page is not for the purpose of keeping the ham over a long period of time, but is for taking a fresh ham and quickly turning it into a mild, delicious tasting cured ham that is to be cooked and eaten right away—a ham that is tender, full of flavor and with practically no shrink —a ham that when you serve it on your table only two weeks after the hog is butchered you and your family will realize that to equal such ham you would have to pay an exceptionally high price per pound. You have heard your friends talk of extra tender, mild cured, delicious flavored hams that are so

easy to cook and that everyone likes so well. That is the kind of ham you will get when you cure a Special Tender-Quick ham. After curing and cooking your first Special Tender-Quick ham you will want to cure more of them, and every time you butcher you can easily and quickly cure and serve one or more of these superbly flavored, delicious hams. Who is more entitled to enjoy an extra tender, extra mild, richly flavored ham than you who raise the pork? Tender-Quick makes it possible for you to do so. A special Tender-Quick Cured ham will slice firm—it will be tender—it will have unusually fine flavor. Tender-Quick develops and brings out the full richness of the hidden natural flavors in the meat.

In T w o W e e k s A f t e r Y o u Butcher H o g s Y o u C a n Be E a t i n g O n e of T h e s e Delicious H a m s The next time you butcher hogs, handle and cure all of the meat just as you normally do, with the exception of one ham. Cure and cook this one ham by the following directions. As soon as the carcass is chilled and cut up, take one ham and trim it close and neatly and saw off the hind shank well above the hock. This is to keep the ham from being any longer than necessary. Make a Tender-Quick pickle with TenderQuick and water, using at the rate of 2 lbs. of Tender-Quick per gallon of water. The water should first be boiled and allowed to cool. Mix the Tender-Quick with the water and stir it until it is dissolved, and pump the ham with this Tender-Quick pickle at the five points shown in the diagram at the right, pumping about 2 oz. of pickle per pound of meat. If a 10 lb. ham is selected, this would mean 20 oz. of pickle. Morton's meat pump holds 4 oz. and if you pump the ham in five different places you would use one pumpful at each place. Each time the needle is withdrawn, pinch the hole together with the thumb and finger for a few seconds to check the pickle from running out. It is advisable to drop the needle in boiling water before you use it and do not touch the needle with your hands while pumping. After the ham is pumped, place it in a deep pan or crock just large enough to conveniently hold the ham, and pour the balance of the Tender-Quick pickle over the ham. Weight or tie the ham down to keep it from floating above the pickle and pour in just enough pickle to cover the ham. After three days, turn the

ham over to change its position and at the end of seven days change its p o s i t i o n a g a i n . Leave the ham in the p i c k l e one d a y per pound—a 10 lb. ham 10 days, a 12 lb. ham 12 days. At the end of the curing period, take the ham out of the pickle, place it in lukewarm water and wash it off well.

Cooking W h e n t h e h a m is washed, place it on the rack in a pressure cooker and pour in 8 or 4 cupfuls of warm water. Put the pressure cooker on the stove. Close the petcock after it starts steaming. Cook for 1 hour at 15 lbs. p r e s s u r e . Begin counting the time when the pressure reaches 15 lbs. When the time is up—open petcock to relieve pressure within —remove the ham from the cooker, pull off the skin and peel off a little of the fat. Place in a roasting pan, garnish with cloves, sprinkle

with spice and cover liberally with brown sugar. Pour about one quart of cider in the pan and roast in a slow oven until done—about 1 hour. When done, remove and serve.

Canadian Style Bacon Cured with Tender-Quick A Delight to the Palate and a Treat That You Can Now

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ANADIAN STYLE BACON is one of the highest quality and most delicious pork cuts that you can cure. It is made by curing the loins, then tightly wrapping them. Few people who do not raise their own meat and do their own curing can afford to eat this tasty delicacy. But you who raise your own pork can easily make the finest quality Canadian Style Bacon right on your own farm. Canadian Style Bacon is not only delicious, but it keeps well and once you try it you will always want a supply of these sweet, juicy cured loins along with your hams, shoulders, and regular bacon. You can use either the Dry Cure or the Sweet Pickle Cure with Morton's Tender-Quick. The Sweet Pickle Cure is generally preferred.

Enjoy

Trim loins from bacon sides as shown on page 20. Then trim as shown on opposite page and cut them in half in order to get them in a small crock for the Pickle Cure, or a medium size box for the Dry Cure.

Directions for the Sweet Pickle Cure Pack the loins in a stone crock, standing them on end if the crock is not wide enough to lay them down. Make a curing pickle by mixing at the rate of 2 lbs. Morton's Tender-Quick per gallon of water. The water should first be boiled and allowed to cool. Stir the pickle until all of the Tender-Quick dissolves, then pour the TenderQuick curing pickle over the loins until they are fully covered, and weight them down with a clean

stone or other weight to ke£p them below the pickle. Overhaul the loins and change the position of the pieces after they have been in cure about 5 days. Loins from average size hogs should remain in cure for about 2 weeks. When cured, remove the loins from the pickle, soak in tepid water for about 30 minutes and wash. Then let the loins dry thoroughly. After they are dry rub liberally with a mixture of corn meal and black or red pepper, and wrap each loin separately in muslin or other clean cloth. The cloth should be a few inches longer than the loin. Make a tight roll and gather the cloth at one end

and tie tightly with a string. Then make half hitch loops around the wrapped loin about every V/2' to the other end and tie, leaving enough string for hanging up the loins. Before wrapping, the loins may be hung and given a light smoke, if desired and if loins are to be kept for some time.

Directions for Dry Cure For the dry cure, use Tender-Quick at the rate of 6 lbs. Tender-Quick per 100 lbs. of loins. First rub the meat with 3d* of the Tender-Quick, then in 2 or 3 hours rub on the second 3^3 and in 24 hours apply the balance. Pack the loins closely while in cure and overhaul once when the curing time is about half up, changing the position of the pieces. Leave the pieces in cure for 10 days to two weeks. When taken from the cure, wash the loins, let them dry thoroughly, and rub with cornmeal and pepper. Wrap in muslin the same as for the sweet pickle cure.

Separating Loin from Backbone for Curing Canadian Style Bacon

Complete the cut by trimming close to the bones. The loin and backbone are shown separated below.

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B O X CURE For M i l d F a n c y Breakfast B a c o n

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H E box cure will help you t u r n out firm, mild cured bacon with an appetizing flavor. Select well streaked medium thick bellies and trim the edges and ends square, leaving the belly just large enough to fit flat inside the box t o be used. After the bellies have been chilled and trimmed, use M o r t o n ' s Sugar-Cure a t the r a t e of 4 lbs. per 100 lbs. of bellies. R u b the bellies well with the Sugar-Cure on both the rind and flesh sides. Sprinkle a little Cure over the b o t t o m of t h e box and pack the first belly in skin side down. Lightly t a m p the belly with a wooden block in order to flatten it out and remove any air pockets underneath. T h e n pack t h e other bellies in skin side down, except the t o p one which should be skin side up. T a m p each belly as it is packed, in order to smooth out t h e m e a t and eliminate air pockets. Sprinkle a little Cure over the last belly when it is packed in. T h e bellies should be trimmed as near the size of the box as it is practical t o cut t h e m . Close t h e t o p of the box so t h a t it presses down on the bellies. Leave the meat in the box until cured. T h e curing time should be

figured about lJ/2 days per pound; for example, an 8 lb. belly 12 days. When curing time is up, remove the bacon sides and let t h e m soak in lukewarm water for about t h i r t y minutes and then wash them. A bristle brush is convenient for washing. After washing, hang the bacon until the pieces are thoroughly dry, and wrap for f u t u r e use.

Box Cure with Tender-Quick Follow the same general directions as above using about 3 to lbs. of Tender-Quick per 100 lbs. of bellies. This will make an extra mild cure and give the bacon a new delicious and tempting flavor.

Box for Curing T h e box should be strongly made and should be water tight. H a r d wood, such as oak or maple, is the best material to use. T h e size should be approximately the length and width of the bacon bellies, about 10" wide and 20" long. T h e height can be determined by the number of bellies to be cured at one time. A box about 2 4 " high will hold the bellies from five or six hogs. T h e top can be made in order to fit just inside of the box to be held down by a weight or hinged onto the box, and when hinged an extra slat t r a y should be made to place on top of the meat in order t h a t the box top will press the t r a y against the meat and hold it under pressure while curing. T h e pressure should be firm b u t not heavy.

Cured Smoked Turkey

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URKEY—roasted to a golden brown,with atempting, tantalizing aroma, has long represented the spirit of abundance at Thanksgiving and during the Holidays. This choicest of meat can now be served with an entirely new and captivating flavor. Cured Smoked Turkey is a delicacy that is fast growing in popularity for special occasions. The real secret in getting the unique, delightful flavor in Cured Smoked Turkey is the curing pickle in which the turkeys are first cured before they are smoked. Morton's Tender-Quick mixed with water makes the curing pickle.

Curing Turkeys that are to be cured should have the usual overnight fast—no feed but plenty of fresh water. Then they should be bled, dry picked and cleaned in the regular way (see page 86) and the head, most of the neck, and the feet removed. Following this they should be chilled until all of the body heat is out. For making the curing pickle the water should first be boiled and allowed to cool. For a mild cure, use \ x /i lbs. Morton's Tender-Quick per gallon of water. This strength cure should be used for turkeys that are to be prepared and served in a few days after they have been cured and smoked. Where it is desired to keep turkeys for some little time before they are used, make the curing pickle by mixing 2 lbs. Morton's Tender-Quick per gallon of water. Stone crocks make ideal curing containers. Pack the dressed turkeys in the crock and pour in enough Tender-Quick curing pickle to fully cover them and weight them down sufficiently to where they will remain below the surface of the pickle.

For a faster and more uniform cure the legs and breasts can first be pumped. To do this use the same pickle for pumping as is made up for the cure, and pump only the legs and each side of the breast. Morton's meat pump holds 4 ounces. The needle of the pump should be inserted right along the bone where the leg is cut off, and down into the drum stick, slowly injecting 2 oz. of pickle in each leg. Place your forefinger about the middle of the plunger rod in order to gauge when 2 oz. of pickle have been injected, which will be half a pumpful. For pumping the breast, insert the needle from the rear along the sides of the breast bone and pump 2 oz. of pickle in each side. Pumping the curing pickle in the legs and breast is not absolutely necessary but will give a more uniform cure in less time. If the legs and breasts are pumped, and if turkeys are to be used real soon, 8 to 4 days is sufficient time for them to remain in the cure. If turkeys are to be kept for some time before they are used they should be left in the cure 6 to 7 days. After the turkeys are taken from the cure, rinse them in fresh water. Loop a cord under each wing close to the body, tying the cord in the center above the back, and hang, letting them drip until dry. Allow them to hang in this same manner when smoking. Applewood is ideal for smoking and also hickory, maple or any other hard wood is good. Make a small fire and smother it in order to get the maximum amount of smoke. Where the smoking is continuous one day is sufficient, or until the skin takes on a pleasing rich color.

Cooking Place the turkey on its back in a large roasting pan with a tray that holds it off the bottom of the pan. Then after pouring a little water in the pan, take a piece of heavy kraft paper, enough to cover the turkey, and butter the paper well on one side. Next place the paper over the turkey, buttered side down, tucking the edges in the pan. The paper will get very brown and almost charred on the top side but should not burn. The heated moisture arising from the water, mixed with the butter somewhat keeps the turkey basted, and prevents the skin from breaking. After turkeys are cured and then smoked the skin breaks rather readily when baked in the regular manner. Best cooking results are obtained by setting the oven temperature at about 350° for the first 15 to 30 minutes. Then lower to 250° to 300° for the balance of the time, which will be 3 to 4 hours, depending on the size of the turkey. Cured turkey may be served hot or cold, but is more often preferred sliced thin and served cold.

K E E P I N G CURED M E A T S

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EAT that is properly cured will keep for many months, the exact time depending upon the strength of the cure, the kind and cut of meat, and the care with which it is wrapped and stored. Where it is desired to use meat shortly after it comes from the cure it should not be given as heavy a cure as meat that is to be kept for a long time. Very often someone will state that the meat they have just cured is too salty. This should be controlled by the individual when putting the meat in cure. Meat that is to be used up soon should have a light cure and should not remain in the cure longer than the necessary curing time. Weather conditions help control the length of time meat should cure for best results, as it requires longer for meat to take the Salt if the weather remains real cold than it does during favorable curing weather. Bacon is usually at its best shortly after it comes from the cure and for this reason most people prefer to use up the bacon during the spring and early summer. When properly cured and wrapped, however, bacon can be kept over for a good while, but should not be kept longer than a year. Bacon has a high per cent of fat meat and fat meat turns yellow and gets rancid quicker than lean meat. Shoulders should be used up before the hams as shoulders are more apt to crack open and allow mold to penetrate. Hams usually improve with age, being at their best after they are about a year old. Beef and mutton do not keep as well as pork and, therefore, should be used up sooner. Regardless of the way the meat was cured, or the kind of meat, proper care when storing the meat is necessary if it is to be kept in good condition for any length of time. Following are some of the main points to observe for keeping meat. 1. Keep meat dry. The moisture in the air of the room where meat is stored will condense on the meat and favor bacterial growth. Moisture will also cause mold to develop more rapidly. 2. Keep meat cool. Heat also encourages bacterial activity, causing decay. 3. Keep well ventilated. Meat absorbs flavors and odors very rapidly. Ventilation will keep the air free from taints, as well as prevent the condensation of moisture on the meat. 4. Keep meat away from direct light. Direct sunlight discolors meat, therefore, the place where the meat is stored should be kept dark and this will also help keep flies away. 5. Keep each piece separate. If the pieces of meat touch or hang too close together, it will prevent free air circulation and sweating will often take place at the point of contact.

6. Keep meat storage room screened. Flies, rats, and mice should never be allowed to get in the room where meat is stored, and flies should not be allowed to light on the meat as they carry bacteria which can cause decay and actual spoilage.

Skippers The skipper is the larva of a small black fly which is found in most sections of the country. These flies are small enough to go through ordinary window screening and for this reason a very fine screening should be used for protecting meat storage rooms. The fly lays eggs in the crevices of the meat and the skipper hatches out and feeds on the meat. The skipper is a slender white maggot about ]/i of an inch long when full grown. The skipper burrows into the interior of the meat, eating out the meat tissues until the entire piece of meat is ruined. As the skipper fly is not active during cold weather, the best time to butcher and cure meat that is to be kept for some time is during the winter months. The curing box or curing room should be protected with a fine mesh screen and the meat should be washed and wrapped as soon as practical after curing, in order to fully protect it.

Wrapping After curing, meat should be wrapped only when it has been allowed to thoroughly dry. When meat is not wrapped after it is dry a slow oxidation of fat takes place, which causes rancidness, dark color, and strong flavor. Wrapping meat tends to prevent this, besides furnishing the best possible protection against flies and other insects. Before wrapping meat, sage or black and red pepper or other spices may be rubbed lightly on each piece of meat for added flavor. Wrap the meat first in cheesecloth or unbleached muslin and wrap each piece separately. Clean flour or cornmeal sacks make satisfactory wrapping for meat. Next wrap the meat tightly in paper. Parchment paper is excellent but any heavy plain paper will do. After wrapping, put the meat in bags or wrap again in heavy brown paper. It is difficult to prevent some mold from forming. With cloth next to the meat, however, much of the mold that forms will be removed with the cloth whereas if paper is next to the meat it will stick to the meat and be hard to remove. Turn the strings in before wrapping. Do not hang the meat in storage by strings that are tied directly to the meat. The wrapped meat should be tied tightly and looped from the outside and hung by this outside string. If a paper bag is used, fold the top of the bag over several times and tie it tightly. If the meat is simply wrapped in paper, it is a good idea to seal the

edges with glue. Further protection can be added by painting the entire outside of the entire piece of wrapped meat with yellow wash or with ordinary lime wash to which glue has been added.

Yellow Wash The following is a standard formula for yellow wash and is sufficient for about 100 lbs. of meat: 3 lbs. Barium Sulphate oz. Yellow Ocher 1 oz. Dry Glue 6 oz. Flour Mix the flour in a half pail of water, stirring until smooth. Dissolve the Yellow Ocher in one quart of water and add this solution, together with the glue, to the flour mixture in the pail. Bring to a boil and add the Barium Sulphate slowly, stirring constantly. Make the wash the day before it is to be used so that it will have time to cool. Stir frequently while using and apply with a brush.

Protect Meat against Skippers a n d Mold When meat is properly washed, dried, and wrapped, it will keep in good condition. This is the best protec-

PUMPING

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Cure meat from the inside out at the same time it is curing from the outside in. You will get a quicker, more uniform and milder cure with no over-cured or undercured spots—no bone taint. Every bit of the meat will be thoroughly cured, mild and delicious in flavor. The purpose of pumping meat is to get the curing ingredients distributed throughout the interior of the meat in order that curing can begin on the inside and cure outward at the same time that curing begins on the outside and works inward. Pumping meat is one of the best safeguards against bone taint and bone souring, and especially if the meat were insufficiently chilled or frozen before being put in cure. Pumping meat insures

A few hours before using meat pump draw barrel full of water to soak up leather washers. This insures proper suction of the curing pickle and helps prevent air pockets. After using pump clean well by flushing out with warm water to which a little soda has been added. When pump is not in use keep it clean and dry.

tion against skippers, insects, and mold. I t is very important, however, to see that the meat is thoroughly dry before it is wrapped, because if the meat is still damp when wrapped mold will readily form. A reasonable amount of mold does not hurt the meat. Very often high quality meat is allowed to mold and before the meat is cooked the mold is removed. Therefore, if mold should develop on your meat, it need cause no serious worry because it can usually be rubbed or cut off without loss. Mold may easily be removed by scrubbing the surface of the meat with a brush dipped in hot water. Another good way is to wash the meat with a cloth dipped in vinegar and then rub the meat with a little warm lard.

Use Shoulders First Mold is most apt to appear on shoulders because they crack open easier. I t is good practice to use the shoulders first to avoid excess mold. When a ham or large piece of meat is cut and it will be some time before the balance of the meat is used, the cut surface should be smeared over with lard or covered with oiled paper.

MEAT a more uniform cure, and for this reason it is advisable to pump hams and shoulders next to the bone, also to pump large bacon. Pieces such as tongues, dried beef, corned beef, Canadian style bacon, etc. can all be improved in mildness and uniformity of cure when pumped.

Start Curing at the Bone I t requires much longer for the curing salt to penetrate into hams and shoulders and set up enough curing action around the bone if the salt is applied only on the outside of the meat. The bone area is the danger zone when curing meat and if the meat around the bones, which is made up of small ligaments, muscles, and connecting tissue, is not thoroughly cured, the whole ham or shoulder is inferior in quality and flavor. Tender-Quick contains salt and a combination of super quality curing ingredients that make it especially suitable for pumping meat. When mixed with water, Tender-Quick goes into solution easily and, when pumped into the meat, penetrates quickly and uniformly into the meat tissues surrounding the bone.

Quality Meat Is Worth a Premium It costs just the same to raise hogs to butchering age regardless of how the meat is cured. Get the most value out of the hogs you raise and butcher. The kind of curing job you do determines the table value of your finished meat. Be guided by these ten important points when you butcher and cure meat: 1. Select hogs 8 to 10 months old, weighing 180 to 250 lbs. 2. Handle hogs quietly before butchering. Give them no food for 24 hours before butchering, but plenty of fresh water. 3. Get a good bleed—do not try to stick the heart or stick too far back, causing internal bleeding. 4. Do a quick efficient job of scalding, scraping, cleaning, and chilling. Make sure of your temperatures —use a good thermometer. 5 Trim the meat neatly after it is chilled, and drain it before starting the cure. 6. Turn trimmings, scraps, and small pieces into delicious sausage with Morton's Sausage Seasoning, and put the spareribs, backbone, etc., down in a Tender-Quick pickle. 7. Pump a Tender-Quick pickle along bones and joints in hams and shoulders to start the cure from the inside curing outward. 8. Apply Morton's Sugar-Cure on the outside of the meat to strike in and start curing toward the center. 9. Properly inspect and overhaul meat during the curing period. 10. Wash, dry, and neatly wrap meat that is to be kept for future use.

Meat should not freeze If possible, do not allow meat to freeze after butchering. When meat freezes a film of ice surrounds the carcass and prevents the complete elimination of animal heat from the deep inner tissues, which can easily cause bone souring after the meat has been put in cure.

O v e r h a u l i n g Meat For best results when curing meat the pack should be broken and the meat overhauled during the cure. These overhauling periods should be about seven to ten days apart and salt should be rubbed on any bare spots. When meat is overhauled it is also wise to test the meat to determine if it is curing satisfactorily. Test meat by inserting a clean pointed instrument down to the bone in hams and shoulders. When withdrawn, smell the point of the instrument and if it has a clean wholesome smell the meat is curing satisfactorily. If by any chance hogs were overheated, excited or the meat bruised when butchered, causing the meat to be in a feverish condition, or if an improper job of bleeding were done, which left considerable blood around

the joints, or if the meat were not thoroughly chilled out, bone taint could easily start from any of these causes. By testing hams and shoulders every now and then you can easily and quickly detect bone taint if it has started in any of the pieces as you can smell the taint on the point of the instrument when withdrawn. If taint has started in one or more pieces they should be removed from the pack, boned out and the interior salted, which will prevent the balance of the meat from being affected by these tainted pieces, and the pieces that are boned can be saved.

No need to have over-salty Meat Very often the meat around the bone in home cured hams and shoulders is not fully cured yet the outside of the ham or shoulder may be over-cured or salty. When Salt is applied only on the outside of meat, the outer part is many times overcured in order to get the bone area safely cured. When meat is pumped around the bone with a Tender-Quick pickle, then cured from the outside with Sugar-Cure, the cure is uniform and there are no oversalty or under-cured spots. There is real satisfaction in using the ham bone for boiling when the meat next to the bone has been properly and evenly cured. The old saying that a job worth doing is worth doing well applies especially to meat curing. There is a right and a wrong way to do everything and it is impossible to turn out high quality meat unless all parts of the job are properly done. If hogs are quietly handled when butchered, and if you get a good bleed and a good chill, you will be well started toward quality meat. The next important step is the actual curing. Pumping the meat along the bone with a Tender-Quick pickle and curing from the outside with Sugar-Cure is the simplest, easiest, and surest way to turn out meat that is high in quality and has a wonderful flavor. Good home cured meat is a premium product and it is worth a premium, either for your own use or for sale. If you want meat that will top the market for quality and improve with age, cure it right, then wash it and let it thoroughly dry and before wrapping, lightly rub each piece with a mixture of pepper and molasses. After a few months, sell your banker or merchant one of the hams and he will want to buy more from you at a premium. Morton's meat curing service actually pays for itself. Your meat is worth more either for home use or for sale. That is why more farmers use this method of curing meat than any other.

From the far corners of the world pome the exciting, tantalizing spices HBj?' t h a t give Morton's Sausage Seasoning the tang and zestful flavor t h a t everybody likes. Our taste for rare and piquant spices is as old as history itself. The adventurers of the old world opened up new trails to the most remote regions of every land in their search for nature's delicate seasonings, spices, and herbs. Even today carts, native carriers, and caravans from distant places meet the ship lanes with their stores of nature's finest spices. These we bring to you as Morton's Sausage Seasoning after careful preparation and blending with Salt. There is a freshness and zest of tantalizing flavors in every pound of sausage t h a t you make with this famous Seasoning.

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AUSAGE making today is in itself a fine art in food preparation. Sausage is one of the most desirable and appetizing of all pork products. The three essentials for making the finest sausage are good meat, a good grinder, and a perfectly blended Sausage Seasoning.

At one time sausage was considered the poor man's food because it was made principally from the scraps, trimmings, and shreds from the bone that had little value. It was found that by chopping up these bits of meat, mixing them with different seasonings, forming them into patties and cooking gave them a pleasing and appetizing flavor. The delicious flavor of the sausage patties appealed to everyone, rich and poor alike, and sausage grew in popularity and variety until it became a delicacy made with the greatest care and attention instead of only a means of using up scraps. An early method of making sausage was to use a curved knife blade fastened to a handle and a wooden chopping bowl to chop the meat into small pieces. The seasonings and salt added to the meat and mixing were done by guesswork. As sausage grew in popularity, improved methods of grinding and seasoning were developed. Today the most scientific sausage grinders are used— grinders that cut the meat sharp and clean, without crushing out the delicious meat juices—grinders that have a controlled, uniform feed.

Morton's S a u s a g e Seasoning Eliminates Guesswork And we now have Sausage Seasoning so delicately balanced and blended that the most inexperienced can use it and make sausage equal to the expert. No longer is it necessary to use the trial and error method in grinding and seasoning sausage. Good meat, a good sausage grinder, and a perfectly blended seasoning are all you need to make sausage that hits the spot every time—sausage that has just the right zest and flavor.

The Safe, Sure Way to Make S a u s a g e Morton's Sausage Seasoning is a complete mixture containing the finest spices, sage, peppers and other seasoning ingredients blended with salt in exactly the right proportions to make the most delicious sausage you ever tasted. It is ready to use just as you receive it. You do not have to guess, mix or add any ingredients. This Seasoning that is prepared for you is easier to use, it saves time and disappointments, and enables you to get the same original deli-

cious flavor—the same tempting taste every time. Good sausage is enjoyed by grownups and youngsters alike. It is a wholesome food and there is an appetizing zest to it that is relished by the whole family. Make sausage more often. Fresh pork, a sausage grinder, and Morton's Sausage Seasoning are all you need to make the finest flavored sausage you ever tasted. Whether you make only a few pounds or many pounds, your sausage will always be good —it will always be appetizing.

Making Fresh Pork Sausage

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O R T O N ' S SAUSAGE S E A S O N I N G is packed in 10 oz. cans. Use a full 10 oz. can for seasoning 30 lbs. of meat if you like well seasoned sausage. If you prefer mild seasoned sausage, use a 10 oz. can for 40 lbs. of meat. For small quantities (well seasoned) use one level tablespoon of Seasoning for each pound of meat. T r i m m i n g Meat—Use fresh pork trimmings and any part of the shoulders, loin, etc., depending on the amount of sausage you wish to make. Trim all of the meat from the bones and trim out all gristle and blood clots. Cut the meat in strips and then cross cut these strips to make small squares. Cut the fat meat in the same size squares and keep fat and lean separate. W e i g h i n g the Meat—After the meat is cut in squares, weigh the fat and lean meat separately. Then mix together, putting in one-third fat and two-thirds lean. (Some prefer one-fourth fat and three-fourths lean.) If shoulders and a large amount of lean meat are used, and if more fat is needed, cut up strips of the back fat.

Mixing

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soning—After the meat is weighed, mix the fat and lean together and spread out in a pan or on wax paper and sprinkle Morton's

Sausage Seasoning over it, using the proper amount of Seasoning for the total amount of meat. Then mix Seasoning and meat together before grinding. G r i n d i n g — A s the meat is ground, the Seasoning will be thoroughly mixed and blended with it. For the nicest sausage the meat should be cold when it is trimmed and also cold when ground. When grinding you have a choice of coarse or fine cut sausage. For coarse cut sausage, run it through the chopper once, using a cutting plate with standard holes. For fine cut sausage run the meat through the chopper twice, the first time using a cutting plate with large holes and the second time using a plate with the standard holes. (If an extra fine cut is desired, a }/$" hole plate may be used for the second grinding.) Where sausage is run through the grinder twice, it should stand over night in a cold place between the first and second grindings. This will prevent the meat from becoming heated by being ground twice in succession. It also permits the Seasoning to work through the sausage, insuring a better flavor. The cutting knife and plate on the grinder should be kept sharp and clean, as quality sausage cannot be made with a

dull knife and plate as it will crush out the meat juices. The meat should be cold and the knife and plate sharp. After grinding, let the sausage stand over night in a cold place before putting away for future use. K e e p i n g Sausage—Small quantities of sausage for immediate use may be kept in a crock or jar where it is cool. For keeping over a longer period of time, sausage may be made into patties partially fried down, placed in stone crocks and covered with melted lard. S a u s a g e Casings—Pork casings are excellent for stuffing sausage when properly cleaned and turned. Muslin casings are also good and can easily be made by stitching strips of muslin to form bags about 2 to 2 3 ^ i n diameter and about 15" long. Muslin casings should be dipped in water and wrung out before they are used. Stuffing—Attach stuffier spout and force enough sausage into the spout to fill it to prevent air pockets. Slip casing over the spout and feed on as much casing as the spout will hold. If muslin casing is used, pull the closed end of the casing up tightly against the end of the stuffing spout. This will prevent formation of air pockets in the sausage. While sausage is being stuffed, press upward very lightly with the finger at the end of the stuffier. This will raise the stuffed casing above the end of the stuffier and will pack the casing more tightly, helping prevent air pockets. After stuffing tie the ends of casing with strong twine. To give stuffed sausage added flavor and better keeping qualities, rub the casings liberally with Sugar-Cure after they are stuffed and ready to hang away.

Cured Pork S a u s a g e For making cured pork sausage, cut the meat in squares just the same as for fresh sausage, and put the meat in a Tender-Quick curing pickle. Leave the meat in the pickle three days, then take it out, season, grind, and stuff just the same as for fresh sausage. Use 2 lbs. Tender-Quick per gallon of water for making the curing pickle, or a 2 l b . can to 5 quarts of water.

Mutton a n d Pork S a u s a g e A very tasty sausage can be made by mixing 2 parts of lamb or mutton with one part of fat pork and one part of lean pork. Cut the mutton and pork in squares, mix, season, and grind just the same as for fresh pork sausage.

Beef a n d Pork S a u s a g e A favorite type of sausage with many is a mixture of beef and pork. A good proportion to use is 2 lbs. of lean beef with 2 lbs. of lean pork to 1 lb. of fat pork. Cut the meat, season, and grind just the same as for making fresh pork sausage.

Results Were Perfect Cured all my meat with M o r t o n ' s Sugar-Cure last year. The results were perfect. My wife and I both honestly insist t h a t we never tasted better hams (and we're in "throwing distance" of Virginia's famous " Smithfield H a m s " ) . My sausage, too, to use my wife's expression, was "perfectly delicious." We were entirely satisfied with the results from the use of your products, and are pleased to say as much.— H. Herbert Lively, Midlothian, Va.

A good sausage grinder with stuffer spout and different size plates makes it easy to put up sausage. Size of plates pictured below: 3 /4, % , 3Ae and Vs inch holes.

Recipes for Sausage, Head Cheese, Etc.

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HERE are many delicious types and kinds of sausage that can be made with beef and pork. Any clean cuts of meat can be used, and different combinations of meat and seasonings used to suit individual tastes. In the following recipes Tender-Quick takes the place of Regular Salt. Tender-Quick cures faster than Regular Salt, brings out a pleasing, rich color, and develops and intensifies the natural flavors of the meat.

Bologna S a u s a g e Excellent bologna sausage can be made by combining one part pork with \x/2 parts beef: For example, 10 lbs. pork and 15 lbs. beef, or 40 lbs. pork and 60 lbs. beef. The following recipe is based on the larger quantity, which would make a total of 100 lbs. of meat. 60 lbs. beef t r i m m i n g s 40 lbs. p o r k t r i m m i n g s 3 lbs. T e n d e r - Q u i c k 3 t o 4 oz. b l a c k p e p p e r 13^2 o z - c o r i a n d e r 1 oz. m a c e O n i o n s if d e s i r e d .

Mix 2 lbs.Tender-Quick with the 60 lbs. chilled beef trimmings and grind, using the coarse grinding plate. After grinding, spread the meat in a cool place and let it cure for 48 hours. Grind the 40 lbs. chilled pork trimmings with 1 lb. TenderQuick and let cure. After 48 hours, regrind the cured beef, using hole plate. Then add the pork and grind the mixture again. Add the seasoning and mix thoroughly. A small amount of water will help to mix. 30 to 40 minutes is not too long for thorough mixing. Stuff the sausage tightly into beef or muslin casings and allow to hang in a cool place over night. Then hang the sausage in a smokehouse heated to 110 to 120° and smoke to a rich brown color, about 2 or 3 hours. Put the hot smoked sausage immediately into water heated to 160-175° F. and cook until they float or squeak when the pressure of the thumb and finger on the casings is suddenly released. The cooking time ranges from 20 to 90 minutes, de-

pending on the size of the casings. Plunge the cooked sausage into cold water to chill. Hang in a cool, dry place for future use.

Summer S a u s a g e Summer Sausage is a hard, dry sausage that is highly seasoned and will keep for a long time if stored in a dry place where it does not mold. A good Summer Sausage is made as follows: 20 lbs. l e a n beef 10 lbs. l e a n p o r k

Cut the meat into small pieces and thoroughly mix pork with the beef. Then grind it once, using a plate with holes. After the grinding, spread out the meat and add the following seasonings uniformly: 1 lb. T e n d e r - Q u i c k 23^ oz. finely g r o u n d b l a c k p e p per

23^2 oz - sage

1 oz. c a n e s u g a r Yz oz. w h o l e w h i t e p e p p e r G a r l i c finely g r o u n d if d e s i r e d .

Thoroughly mix the seasoning by kneading it into the meat, and regrind, using a plate with holes, until the meat has been ground very fine. After the meat is seasoned and ground spread it on wax paper in a cool, dry place, for 3 or 4 days. Then stuff into casings and tie into 15 or 20" lengths. Rub the casings liberally with SugarCure. Hang up and allow to dry and age for sometime before using. Summer Sausage may be smoked in a cool smoke if desired.

Best on the Market Last season I cured about six hundred pounds of meat using your Sugar-Cure and was well pleased with results. Also used your Seasoning for sausage and found it to be the most satisfactory I have ever used. Flavor was excellent, surpassing any sausage I have ever made b e f o r e . Expect to put up about a thousand pounds of meat this fall and will use your Salt. Also expect t o make sausage and your Sausage Seasoning will be used, for it is without a doubt the best on the market.—F. A. Abernethy, Hickory, N. C.

frankfurters soon after making or can them for keeping over a long period.

Westphalian Style S a u s a g e

Frankfurters Frankfurter sausages are a great favorite and are also known as Wienies or Vienna Sausage, depending on the size and style of casings used. The recommended proportions of beef and pork are two parts of lean beef to one part of fat pork. This may be varied to suit individual tastes. For making 30 lbs. of frankfurters, use the following recipe. 20 lbs. l e a n beef 10 lbs. f a t p o r k 1 lb. T e n d e r - Q u i c k 3 oz. b l a c k p e p p e r \}/2 oz. m a c e o r s a g e finely g r o u n d G a r l i c o r o n i o n s go well in f r a n k f u r t e r s a n d c a n a d d e d if d e s i r e d .

be

Mix the Tender-Quick and Seasoning together, then thoroughly mix with the chopped meat and run through the grinder, using fine plate. Grind two or three times to make sure the seasoning is evenly distributed and that the meat is ground very fine. After grinding, stuff in sheep or hog casings, depending on whether you want large or small frankfurters. After stuffing, hang in a smoke house and smoke until a rich, orange color. Then cook in water heated to 155° until they float. Cooking time depends upon the thickness of the frankfurters. Do not have the water much hotter than 155° or the casings may burst. After cooking, rinse the frankfurters in hot water to remove grease. Use

This is a very coarse cut type sausage made from pork. The meat from the neck, shank and trimmings is good for this style sausage. Use about three parts lean pork and one part fat. Grind the meat through a coarse plate with holes, or chop with butcher knife. Then mix the meat with Tender-Quick, black pepper and cloves to taste. When thoroughly mixed, stuff into casings and hang in a cool place to dry for 48 hours. Then smoke from 4 to 6 hours to a light mahogany color Then store in a cool, dry place.

Liver S a u s a g e For making liver sausage, cook the head meat, tongues, heart, skins, and other trimmings until the meat can be removed easily from the bones. Do not cook quite so long as when cooking head meat trimmings for making head cheese. Next, remove all blood vessels from hog livers and cut livers deeply with knife so that they can be thoroughly scalded by putting in scalding water for about 10 minutes. For 10 lbs. of finished liver sausage, use 8 to SY lbs. of head meat and the other pork trimmings and V/2 to 2 lbs. of liver. Grind all the cooked meats and livers using plate with % or l/i" holes. To the ground meat add enough of the liquor from the cooked trimmings to give it a soft but not wet texture. Add to the 10 lbs. of mixture 4 oz. Tender-Quick, Y2 oz. black pepper, small quantity of sage, red pepper and allspice to taste. Stuff into casings and simmer in hot water until it floats, which requires 15 to 30 minutes. After cooking, plunge into cold water and chill thoroughly. Hang in a cool place to drain. Liver sausage should be used up in a short time after it is made unless it is cooked or covered with melted lard.

H e a d Cheese Head cheese and scrapple can be made from fresh meat or from cured meat. When cured meat is used the finished product will have a nicer color, superior flavor, and will keep considerably longer. Split and clean up the head thoroughly, removing eyes, ear drums, and nasal passages, and chop off the teeth. Put the cleaned bony pieces containing the meat, along with other meats you wish to use, such as parts of the heart, tail, tongue, feet or trimmings, into a Tender-Quick curing pickle made at the rate of 2 lbs. Tender-Quick per gallon of water. Leave the meat in the pickle about a week, then wash the pieces in fresh water. Place the meat in a pan with water and simmer until the meat can easily be separated from the bones. Dip off the liquid and remove all bones from the meat and chop the meat fine or run through the grinder, using a coarse plate, about holes. Season the meat to taste with black and red pepper, ground cloves, coriander and sweet marjoram. Add salt if desired. After seasoning, return the meat to the kettle, cover with the liquid that was dipped off and boil about 15 minutes longer. Pour the mixture into a shallow pan, cover with a cheesecloth and weight down. When cool, slice and serve without further preparation. If it is desired to stuff the head cheese into casings, this should be done after seasoning and before the second cooking. The stuffed head cheese should then be placed in the remaining liquid and simmered until it floats. Then take out, chill and hang away. H e a d Cheese from Fresh Meat

For making head cheese from fresh meat the same directions for cooking and seasoning are followed. Just eliminate the curing.

Scrapple Scrapple is a very popular breakfast dish. It is made of cooked pork mixed with the liquor thickened with cornmeal, or flour, or sometimes both. Cook head meat, hearts, trimmings, etc., until bones can be removed easily. Cook skin, if used, until tender. When cooked, grind all the meat through a fine chopper plate {}/%' or XY holes). Strain liquor to remove small bones, return ground meat to the liquor and bring to a boil. The mixture of cereals to be added varies according to individual taste. All cornmeal, or 3 parts cornmeal and 1 part flour is generally used. A rich, full-flavored scrapple can be made by using 4 parts meat to 3 parts liquor and 1 part dry cereal (by weight). More liquor and cereal may be added as desired. First moisten cereal with some of the cool liquor so that lumps will not be formed when added to the hot meat. Add to mixture of meat and liquor. Boil for about Y2 hour, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Shortly before cooking is finished, add seasoning and stir in well. The following seasoning may be used for each 10 pounds of meat: 3 ounces M o r t o n ' s Salt

34 t o 34 o u n c e sage

34 t o 34 o u n c e b l a c k p e p p e r 34 t o 34 o u n c e s w e e t marjoram

3 ounces ground onions Small quantities red pepper, nutmeg, mace

Panhas Panhas is a cornmeal loaf that is made by adding cornmeal to the liquor that is left after cooking meat for head cheese, liver sausage, or scrapple. Bring the liquor to a boil and add cornmeal slowly so that no lumps are formed. Add sufficient cornmeal to form a thick paste. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, small quantities of cloves, coriander, and sweet marjoram. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Pour into shallow pans, slice and fry like scrapple.

Lay the sausage on a table for about ^ hour, turn them over and allow them to lie on the table another half hour. They will then be ready for use, but smoking for about 8 hours will improve their keeping qualities.

Pigs Feet Clean the feet thoroughly. The toes and dew claws should have been removed when the carcass was dressed. The glandular tissue between the toes should be trimmed out and all hair and dirt removed. After the feet are cleaned and chilled, cure in a Tender-Quick pickle made with 2 lbs. of Tender-Quick per gallon of water. Leave the feet in cure a week to ten days. Take them out and wash thoroughly and simmer slowly until done. Cook the feet slowly enough so that the skin will not part too readily and the feet pull out of shape. After cooking, chill the feet and pack into a tight vessel, stone jar preferred, and cover with hot spiced vinegar. Later the feet can be served cold or fried in a batter of eggs, flour, milk, and butter.

Blood S a u s a g e It is easy to make good blood sausage. 3 gallons hogs' blood 7 lbs. beef h e a r t s a n d t r i m m i n g s (Beef t r i m m i n g s m a y b e u s e d if e n o u g h h e a r t s a n d tongues are not available) lbs. f a t p o r k lb. T e n d e r - Q u i c k Onions and mace m a y 1 oz. b l a c k p e p p e r also b e u s e d .

To prepare the blood, stir it constantly while it is being collected until you have removed all the stringy fibres, leaving only the red liquid. Cook the beef and the pork together for about a half hour. Then remove from the fire and put the beef through a grinder, using plate with holes. Cut the pork into small pieces and mix with the ground beef. Then stir in 4 oz. of Tender-Quick, and stir the meat into the cold blood and add the remainder of the Tender-Quick and seasoning ingredients. If this mixture is not thick enough for stuffing add enough finely ground cornmeal to give it the consistency of thick mush. Stuff into beef casings and cook at a temperature of 160° for 1^2 hours or until a sharp pin can be run into the center (not through the sausage) and withdrawn without being followed by blood.

Cured Tongue Beef, lamb, or pork tongue is delicious when cured with Tender-Quick. After tongues are removed at butchering time, trim them close at the throat end, wash and scrape well with the back of a knife. Cure tongues in a Tender-Quick pickle made with 2 lbs. TenderQuick per gallon of water, pumping the tongues with the same pickle before they are put in cure. After pumping, pack in the curing crock, weighting the tongues down, and pour in enough TenderQuick pickle to cover. Tongues that are pumped will cure in about a week. After curing and when ready to cook, wash the tongue in fresh water and boil and cook in the usual manner.

Fancy Meat Loaf 4 lbs. finely g r o u n d beef t r i m m i n g s y 2 lb. flour 1 lb. w a t e r 3 oz. T e n d e r - Q u i c k P i n c h of c i n n a m o n , n u t m e g , clove C h o p p e d pickles a n d p i m e n t o s

Mix meat, flour, water, add Tender-Quick, pimentos, pickles, and spices. Cook in oven at 220° for about 5 hours. To keep loaf smooth on top, and to keep moisture in loaf, place another pan the same size as the one the loaf is in on top of the loaf, half filled with water; this gives enough weight to keep the loaf smooth on top, and also provides moisture as the moisture from the top pan of water will go back into the meat in the pan below. Take this top pan of water off about 1 hour before loaf is finished so loaf can brown on top. After loaf is cooked and cooled, dip in hot lard. This puts a nice brown coating on the outside and prevents loaf from molding. This loaf weighs lbs. when cooked.

Y

EARLINGS from good type beef animals are the most satisfactory for farm slaughter. Yearlings produce light carcasses and light cuts which chill quicker and the meat is more tender than that from mature animals. Quality meat can only be obtained from animals which have been properly fattened. Fat improves the tenderness and flavor and increases the juiciness of the meat. Meat which is well covered with fat keeps better and does not dry out as quickly as meat which has little or no fat. The ideal beef carcass should be short shanked, thick fleshed, plump and meaty. The carcass should be thickly and smoothly covered with hard, creamy white fat. The lean should be cherry red in color, firm, and reasonably fine in texture. Good meat is referred to as "well marbled." "Marbling" is the distribution of fine flakes of fat through the lean and is one of the best assurances of quality. Beef from young animals may lack marbling because of the rapid growth which they are making. Red, porous bone and pronounced cartilage on the ends of the bones indicate youth, which generally assures tenderness.

Equipment For proper slaughtering a means of hoisting the carcass must be provided, such as a tripod made of timbers, a tree or a brace extending out from a building. A chain hoist, block and tackle, or windlass are necessary for hoisting. The equipment should be sufficiently strong to easily carry the weight. A neck yoke makes a very satisfactory beef tree for hanging light carcasses while for heavy cattle a doubletree should be used. A pair of ordinary clevises should be used to fasten the tendons to prevent the carcass from slipping.

Use Good Tools A good set of tools will help you do a quick and efficient job of butchering. Tools should be kept sharp and clean. A skinning knife and steel are essential. If a cleaver and meat saw are not owned, a hatchet and wood saw will serve. Plenty of buckets, tubs, cloths and fresh water should be at hand. A better bleed will be secured and cleaning made easier if the animal is kept off feed for 24 hours before slaughtering, but it should be given plenty of water. Also, the animal should be kept quiet for some hours before killing and should never be killed when in an excited, overheated, or feverish condition.

Killing Either shooting or stunning may be used for killing beef but stunning is the best method. The animal should be securely snubbed to a tree or post and stunned with a sharp blow from a sledge or axe. Draw imaginary cross lines from the horns to the eyes and stun at a point just above where these lines cross. At this point the skull is of a single thickness. As soon as the animal is stunned, loosen the head from the snubbing post and pull the head backward in order to stretch the neck before sticking and bleeding.

Skinning

Sticking on G r o u n d One of the sticker's legs should be placed in front of the animal's forelegs and the other placed back of the jaw. The sticker should stand with his back to the animal's neck to be protected from any sudden movements. For sticking a long incision is made along the center of the throat. The knife blade is pushed just under the point of the breast bone, severing the branching veins and arteries at t h a t point.

The hide is the most valuable by-product of the beef and care should be taken to make a good " p a t t e r n " free from cuts and scores. A smooth job of skinning should be done to keep any meat from being left on the hide. In commercial practice the lips, ears, and lower portions of the feet are trimmed off and the hide spread out hair side down. The leg and head skins are folded in so t h a t the hide is in a long narrow strip, which is then rolled up and tied. Hides may be sold "green" if convenient, but "green" hides should not be permitted to freeze. If the hide cannot be disposed of at once, from one to two gallons of coarse Salt should be scattered over the flesh side, depending upon the size of the hide. The hide will require from four to six weeks to cure and a cured hide will bring a higher price per pound although this is somewhat offset by the shrinkage in weight. Underneath the hide is a thin membrane known as the "fell" which should always be left on the carcass because it makes the carcass more attractive and prevents drying out.

Pumping out Blood After the animal is stuck, to hasten bleeding place one foot on the animal's flank and by alternating lunging forward on this foot and then pulling back on the tail the bleeding will be materially speeded up.

Sticking when Swung If a quick-acting hoist is available, loosen the head from the snubbing post and quickly loop a heavy rope around the hind legs with a couple of extra half hitches and hoist the animal clear of the ground before sticking. In a hoisted position a better bleed will be obtained. The hoisting may be done immediately after it is stuck on the ground.

The black guide lines above show where to make the different ripping cuts to begin taking off the hide.

back. A stick sharpened at both ends and placed against the fore flank will hold the carcass in place. The skin on the fore shank should now be ripped to a point just above the knee.

Skinning the H e a d The hide is cut across the top of the head, then down to the eye and on to the corner of the mouth. In this way the skin may be removed from the face in one piece. Then start skinning at the throat where the sticking cut was made and carry the cut forward to the point of the jaw and the lower portion of the head. The head can be skinned out easier if it is turned up on its base.

Unjointing Fore Shanks The shanks are then skinned out and unjointed at the lowest joint of the knees. Pull the skin back on both sides of the shank, then saw through the shank bone just below the lower joint. After a little practice it is easy to cut through the straight joint with a knife.

Removing H e a d When skinned the head is grasped by the lower jaw and unjointed at the first joint or "puzzle" bone. The head should be washed and the cheek meat and tongue removed, after which the skull can be split and the brain removed.

Ripping the Breast Ripping Front L e g The carcass should now be propped squarely on its

Starting at the back of the breast bone, an incision is made through the hide and through the fat and lean meat until it meets the sticking cut.

Unjointing Hind Shanks Ripping the Hide The knife is now reversed and the hide ripped down the center of the belly, to the base of the tail. The hind shanks are ripped down the back of the legs squarely over the point of the hocks. The skinner grasps the hind foot between his knees, stretching the leg forward, and rips the buttocks to a point just back of the udder or cod. The knife should be held flat so as to avoid gouging into the lean of the round.

The skin from the inside of the round can be removed easier before the hind shanks are unjointed. After the skin is removed the hind shanks are unjointed at the lowest joint of the hock. The ligaments surrounding the joint must be cut. A downward and outward pressure completes the operation.

Ripping Cut Completed H A N D L I N G THE HIDE After carcass is skinned, remove dirt, blood, and any pieces of flesh on the hide by scraping with the back of a butcher knife and by careful cutting. Allow the hide to lose its animal heat before applying salt. When the hide has cooled sufficiently, spread it, hair side down, being sure to straighten out all folds and laps. Sprinkle fresh, clean salt over the flesh side of t h e hide, using about 1 pound for every pound of hide. See t h a t all parts of t h e flesh side receive a sprinkling of the salt. Be sure to use plenty of salt and rub it in well along the cut edges, head, neck, legs and wrinkles.

Siding The most difficult part of the skinning operation is "siding." By pulling the hide upward and holding it tight and keeping the blade of the knife against the hide, cuts and scores can easily be avoided. The carcass should be sided down as far as possible since it is easier to do this here rather than delay the siding until the carcass is hoisted.

Sawing Breast Bone The breast bone is split with a saw, but be careful at the rear of the breast bone not to cut the paunch which lies immediately beneath it.

Splitting the Aitch Bone The belly wall is ripped by "choking down" the knife and using the fist to keep the viscera away from the cutting edge. This cut is carried backward to the aitch bone and the round split apart at this point. If the cut is accurately centered the pelvic or aitch bone can be split with a knife. With mature cattle a saw may be needed.

Loosening Gullet a n d Windpipe The throat is split and the gullet and windpipe worked out as far as possible. The gullet should be "tied off" with a stout cord.

Ripping a n d Skinning Tail Hoist the hind quarters about 3Y2 ft., then rip the tail, unjoint and skin it. Start skinning the rump after the tail is removed.

Ripping Belly

ing the liver it is best to remove it now. Then grasp the connecting tissue of the gall bladder with your fingers and pull the gall bladder loose. Have the liver washed thoroughly and placed in cold fresh water. The paunch will be found attached to the left flank, which attachment must be torn loose. As the abdominal viscera are removed the diaphragm separating the abdomen from the chest cavity is exposed. This is composed of a muscular outer portion, or "skirt" and a central muscular portion known as the "hanging tender."

Beating Hide from Round The hide from the upper round may be "beaten" off by striking the hide with the back of a cleaver. This operation is known as "fell beating."

Cutting Through D i a p h r a g m ta Remove Heart a n d L u n g s

Removing A b d o m i n a l Viscera First, loosen the rectum by cutting around it. After the rectum is cut free, it should be tied off with heavy twine and then worked loose from the backbone, leaving the kidney and bed fat in the carcass. Work the small intestines loose and let them drop down over the paunch. To avoid danger of the gall bladder breaking and foul-

Between these two muscular portions is a wide connective tissue portion which must be trimmed out. The lungs and heart may now be removed. The edible offal should be trimmed, washed, and chilled. The liver is attached to the right side and the kidney hangs squarely under the backbone. I t will be necessary to cut around it, leaving this organ on the left side along with the "hanging tender." As the viscera are being removed the carcass should be hoisted to a convenient height.

Backing

Splitting

After the viscera are removed, hoist the carcass and finish removing the skin from the back. This is known as "backing." The carcass is now ready to be split down the center of the backbone. Although this is done commercially with a cleaver, most people can do a better and smoother job with a saw as illustrated in the center picture above.

Wash a n d Shroud After the carcass is split it should be washed with clear, tepid water and shrouded. A clean muslin cloth wrung out in hot water may be tightly pinned to each side of the carcass. This smooths out the fat and bleaches it. Under farm conditions shrouding protects the carcass from dust and dirt during the chilling process. The carcass should now be hoisted high enough to protect it during the chilling process. The quick and complete removal of animal heat is essential to prevent spoilage. This is best accomplished at a temperature of 32 to 34°. Where refrigeration is not available the slaughtering may be done in the late afternoon and the carcass permitted to chill over night. Thorough and

Shrouded

complete chilling and scrupulous cleanliness are very important. The carcass should not be allowed to freeze immediately after slaughter, since the formation of an outer layer of ice will prevent the proper elimination of animal heat from the thicker portions of the meat. The carcass should be thoroughly chilled, however, before it is cut up as it is impossible to make attractive cuts where the meat is not thoroughly chilled.

Ripening Beef When meat is to be used fresh, the best meat is obtained if the beef is allowed to "ripen" from seven to ten days and, if possible, held at a temperature of 32 to 36° during this time. This will improve the tenderness of the meat and also add to its flavor. A carcass carrying little fatty covering does not ripen satisfactorily. When meat is to be cured or canned, ripening beyond the primary chilling stage is not necessary. The primary chilling stage will take from 24 to 48 hours. Also, cuts that are to be used for slow cookery methods employing moist heat such as braising or simmering, do not require ageing.

Chart on Opposite Page Shows Beef Cuts and Their Uses

HIND SHANK (SOUPBONES)

HEEL OF ROUND (POT ROAST) ROUND STEAKS RUMP ROAST

FLANK STEAK "BOILING" PIECES GRINDING

SIRLOIN STEAKS PORTERHOUSE STEAKS T-BONE STEAKS CLUB STEAKS RIB ROASTS

"BOILING" PIECES CORNED BEEF GRINDING SOUPBONES

POT ROASTS GRINDING MINCE MEAT "BOILING" PIECES

Cutting Up

Cutting Up the Fore Quarter

the Beef Carcass The first step in cutting the beef carcass is quartering, which is dividing the fore and hind quarters. The carcass has thirteen ribs on each side. The first cut is made between the last two ribs, leaving twelve ribs on the forequarter and one rib on the hind quarter. Insert the knife between the twelfth and thirteenth ribs at the belly end of the ribs and make the cut all the way to the backbone. Then saw the backbone in two, which leaves the fore quarter hanging from the uncut strip at the flank. While one person holds the fore quarter to keep it from falling, another one finishes the cut at the flank, completing the separation of the fore and hind quarters. Lay the fore quarter on the cutting table with the outside of the carcass up, and begin making the cuts.

Separating Plate from Rib Measure 10 inches from the backbone or chine along the 12th rib, as illustrated with the yardstick in the picture above. Using this as a starting point, a straight line cut is made, continuing the cut across the shank just above the elbow joint.

Sawing off Plate a n d Fore Shank After the cut is made with a knife, the ribs are sawed through and the fore shank sawed off at the elbow.

Separating Rib a n d Chuck

Separating Fore a n d Hind Quarters 56

Make a cut with the knife between the fifth and sixth ribs to separate the rib cut from the chuck. Complete the cut with the saw, sawing through the backbone.

Separating Loin from Round The rib cut is one of the choice fore quarter cuts and comprises about 10% of the carcass. It is one of the more tender cuts and is extensively used for roasting. Roasts are made by cutting between the ribs. These roasts may be boned and rolled if desired. The chuck is somewhat less tender and better adapted for pot roasts, corning or grinding. It comprises approximately 25% of the carcass.

The loin should be separated from the round at the ball and socket hip joint.

Cutting Up the Hind Quarter After starting the cut with a knife, complete it with the saw.

Removing Flank from Hind Quarter

Separating the Loin

The thin three-cornered flank piece is trimmed from the hind quarter. This contains the flank steak which can be pulled out. The balance of the flank can be used for boiling piece or ground for hamburger, meat loaf, etc.

The loin should be divided into short loin and loin end, the division being made at the hip joint. Steaks from the short loin are very popular.

Removing Kidney

Removing Rump from Round

Next, trim out the kidney and kidney knob from the hind quarter, leaving sufficient fat on the backbone to cover the tenderloin.

The rump is removed from the round by sawing across the floor of the aitch bone. The rump makes a desirable roast or choice corned beef.

Cuts for Curing, Cooking, Canning There are many different ways to use the various beef cuts, in order to get the greatest value from them. Some of the cuts may be used fresh, some cured, and some canned. The picture above shows the beef carcass after making the major cuts. Referring to this picture will help you understand the following suggestions for using the different cuts.

CHUCK (or

Shoulder)

After the plate, foreshank, and rib have been removed from the forequarter the balance is called the chuck. From the chuck are cut shoulder roast, pot roast, and shoulder steaks. The part which contains the ribs is cut into chuck, roast, or steak. The black guide lines indicate a practical method of cutting up the chuck, separating it into chuck, rib roasts, cross arm or round bone chuck roasts, knuckle and neck.

G r o u n d Meat from Neck The neck and parts of the chuck can be ground for hamburger or ground and used in various types of sausage.

Boneless Shoulder Roast Any part of the shoulder may be boned for boneless roast. Cut meat into desired thickness for roast, remove bones, roll, and tie with heavy white cord.

Long Shoulder Boned a n d Rolled Another method of using the shoulder is to remove the bone and make a long roll, tying with heavy white cord. This roast can be used fresh or pumped and cured with Tender-Quick for later use.

Boning Meat When butchering beef on the farm, a large part of the meat can more easily be used, cured or canned if the pieces are boned and rolled. With a little practice and after learning the location of the bones, boning meat is very simple. Trim close to the bones without gouging, leaving as little meat on the bones as possible.

Shoulder Clod The shoulder clod is the thick, heavy portion of the chuck that lies on top of the shoulder plate at the fore-shank side of the chuck. The shoulder clod is good for pot roasts, boiling beef, beef stew, or ground for hamburger.

Foreshank The foreshank is excellent for soups or stewing meat. When used for soup, the shank should be cut the desired size by first cutting the meat to the bone, then sawing. The shank meat may also be ground for hamburger after removing the meat from the bones.

Brisket The brisket lies between the chuck and the fore-shank. Its medium thickness streaked with lean and fat makes it the ideal cut for corned beef. Lay the brisket rib side down a n d t r i m across to the bones to remove the meaty part, as illustrated at right. After trimming, the bones are excellent for soup. The illustration below shows brisket removed from bones. Before putting the brisket in Tender-Quick pickle for corning, it should be cut in uniform pieces of about 6 to 8 lbs.

Plate Boned

and

rolled for curing

When beef is butchered on the farm the q u e s t i o n is often asked, what to do with the plate. The plate can be quickly boned out and the bony portion used immediately for soup or soup stock. After boning, the plate makes an ideal piece for rolling and curing. Roll the plate lengthwise and tie with heavy white cord. After rolling, pump with Tender-Quick pickle and cure as per directions on page 62.

Rib Rib roasts are one of the choicest parts of the carcass. When the bone is left in the rib is called a Standing Rib Roast. Lay the rib on the table backbone down and cut into the desired size roasts by cutting between the ribs to the backbone. Then finish the cut with a saw through the backbone. For making rib roast boned and rolled as illustrated at the right above, remove the bones, roll and tie.

Spencer Roll

Beef brisket when cured with Tender-Quick makes delicious corned beef. The curing ingredients in TenderQuick counteract the usual drying and hardening effect of the salt. Instead of shrinkage and loss of meat juices, Tender-Quick cured corned beef is rich and full flavored. The tendering and firming up process that takes place with the Tender-Quick cure retains the meat juices.

The Spencer Roll, as illustrated at the right, consists of about twothirds of the meaty portion of a standard rib cut, and is removed with boning knife from top of ribs. The Spencer roll may be cut into short steaks or boneless rib steaks.

Flank After the flank has been removed, the flank steak, which is all lean meat and oval shaped, is taken out with the boning knife by cutting around the edge of the steak and pulling out by hand. The flank steak can be used fresh. After the steak has been removed, the flank trimmed of surplus fat, is used for boiling, stews, or hamburger, or it can be rolled and tied and used for a roast, or cured for later use.

Rump The rump is an excellent piece for making rump steaks, rump roasts, and for corning. The above illustration shows the full rump with the bone in, and at the right a boneless rump roast. To bone the rump, remove all bone by starting at the top of the rump. After boning, roll rump lengthwise inside of the piece to be inside of the roll. Hold in place and tie with heavy cord.

Short Loin From the front end of the short loin, rump steaks are cut. These steaks have no tenderloin and contain pieces of the 13th rib. From the center of the short loin T-bone steaks are cut. From the rear portion of the short loin come the Porterhouse steaks. These have a large portion of the tenderloin muscle and also the T-bone. Porterhouse roast—the short loin may be cut into roasts the desired thickness, usually called Porterhouse roasts. Cut the same as for cutting Porterhouse steak except for thickness. Porterhouse roasts may be used with the bone in or the bone may be removed and the roast rolled and tied the same as a boneless rib roast.

Round Round steaks are cut across the grain. The lower part of the round, which is less tender and does not make satisfactory steaks, may be boned out for pot roast. This part of the round is known as the end of the round. The shank may be used for soup stock or boned

Loin End From the loin end sirloin steaks are cut. With steak knife cut meat to the bone the desired thickness, usually to ^ inches, then saw through the bone to complete the cut. The first three or four cuts are called "firstcut'' sirloin steaks. The center cuts are known as "flat" or "wedge bone" sirloin steaks. The balance are known as "pin" or "hip bone" steaks. A sirloin roast may also be cut from the loin end and is cut the desired size in the same manner as cutting sirloin steak.

and ground. In addition to cutting steaks from the round, the round is excellent for curing or for dried beef, and when used in this way should be split into three portions. That portion in front of the thigh bone is known as the "knuckle" which is a tender cut. The remaining portion of the round is slit through the center, making the top or inside round, which is very desirable for curing. The bottom or outside round is less tender but is an excellent piece for making dried beef.

Dried Beef Any part of the round is excellent for making dried beef. Cure in a Tender-Quick pickle or dry cure with Tender-Quick, see curing directions on page 62. After curing, wash the meat and let it hang and drip for some 24 hours. Then hang in a warm place where all water will evaporate from it. Then hang and smoke until it takes on a rich, dark color. After smoking let it dry and slice as needed.

Beef Needs a Special Curing Salt Beef has a larger percentage of lean meat than pork and, because of the high percent of lean meat in beef, it tends to become hard when cured. You need a special curing Salt for beef, and Morton's Tender-Quick fits this need exactly. Tender-Quick is the only curing Salt necessary for curing any of the different cuts of beef, using either the Dry Cure or the Sweet Pickle Cure. Tender-Quick develops and intensifies the full richness of the natural flavors in the meat. The cured meat will be more tender, less salty, and will have unusually fine flavor and color. A more uniform cure—nicer color, and rich riper flavor will be obtained if the large pieces of meat, or pieces that have bone, are first pumped with a TenderQuick pickle before putting them in cure, either by the Dry or Sweet Pickle cure. To make the pumping pickle for beef, use water that has previously been boiled and cooled, and mix the Tender-Quick, a meat pump and stone crocks are all the equipment needed for curing beef.

Directions for the Dry Cure and Sweet Pickle Cure are given on the following page.

water and Tender-Quick at the rate of lbs. TenderQuick per gallon of water, stirring it until all of the Tender-Quick dissolves. When pumping beef, insert the meat pump needle in the meat and along the bones in such manner as to distribute the pumping pickle as uniformly as possible throughout the piece of meat being pumped. Pump about 1 to 1^2 o z - of pickle per pound of meat—a 12 lb. piece of meat 12 to 16 oz. of pumping pickle, which would be 3 to 4 pumpfuls, when using Morton's meat pump, as it holds 4 oz. When drawing the pickle into the pump, work the handle up and down a few times in order to get the barrel full of pickle without air pockets. It is desirable to drop the pump needle in boiling water for a few minutes before using it in order to sterilize it. After the needle is sterilized all of the meat can be pumped without touching the needle.

CURING BEEF Dry Cure

Sweet Pickle Cure

IRST pump the larger pieces, and pieces that have bone, with a Tender-Quick pumping pickle, pumping 1 to oz. of pickle per pound of meat. The pumping pickle is made by mixing 23/2 lbs. of Tender-Quick per gallon of water. After the meat is pumped, use about 7 lbs. TenderQuick per 100 lbs. of meat. Divide the Tender-Quick into approximately three equal parts and first rub the meat with one-third of the Tender-Quick. Then in three or four hours rub on the second one-third, and after twenty-four hours rub on the balance. Pack the meat in a stone crock, box or barrel for curing, putting the larger pieces on the bottom and the smaller ones on top. Overhaul and repack the meat in a different position when the curing time is about one-half up. The meat should remain in cure for about days per pound; for example, 6 lb. pieces 9 days; 10 lb. pieces 15 days. Where a light cure is desired, leave the meat in cure only one day per pound. When the curing time is finished, brush off the surplus cure, or lightly wash each piece in tepid water and let the meat dry thoroughly. After the pieces are thoroughly dry, wrap them in parchment paper and hang away in the dryest, coolest, best ventilated place available. If the meat is damp when hung away, or kept in a damp, warm place, it will mold much faster than if it is kept dry and cool and in a well ventilated place. A little mold, however, does not hurt the meat as it can easily be washed off with vinegar or trimmed off when the meat is used.

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First pump the larger pieces, and pieces that have bone, with a Tender-Quick pickle, pumping 1 to \ lA oz. of pickle per pound of meat. The pickle is made by mixing lbs. of Tender-Quick per gallon of water. After the meat is pumped, pack it in a stone crock or clean, well scalded barrel, putting the heavy pieces at the bottom and lighter ones on top. Then mix a Tender-Quick Curing Pickle at the rate of 2 lbs. TenderQuick per gallon of water. The water should be previously boiled and allowed to cool. Stir the curing pickle until the Tender-Quick is completely dissolved. Pour the curing pickle over the meat until the meat pack begins to shift, then weight the meat down with a clean stone or other weight and pour in enough additional curing pickle so that the top layer of meat is a few inches below the pickle. It will take five or six gallons of curing pickle for 100 lbs. of meat, depending on how closely the meat is packed. Leave the meat in the curing pickle about 2 days per pound; for example, a 10 lb. piece 20 days. Where a light cure is desired, leave the meat in cure 13^ days per pound. The meat should be overhauled and the position of the pieces changed when the curing time is about one-half up. When overhauling, it is best to remove the pickle, then change the position of the pieces by repacking, and pour back the pickle. After the curing time is up, wash the meat in tepid water and let it dry thoroughly. When it is thoroughly dry, wrap in parchment paper and hang away in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place.

Pumping Meat with a Tender-Quick Pumping Pickle before putting it in cure

Rubbing Tender-Quick on Meat for the Dry Cure, and Packing down in a Stone Crock

spots in Tender-Quick cured corned beef. The brisket is the most popular cut for making corned beef, but boneless cuts from the plate, flank, chuck, rump, and shank are also good cuts to use. Of course, the better grade of meat used the better will be the finished result. The beef should be thoroughly chilled, fresh, and unfrozen. Cut the meat into uniform size pieces, about 6 to 8" squares, for curing.

Making the Curing Pickle

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ENDER, juicy corned beef is easy to make. Corned beef cured with Tender-Quick will slice firm. It will be Tender. It will have unusually fine flavor and excellent appearance when cooked. The full richness of the hidden natural flavors in the meat are developed and intensified by the Tender-Quick cure.

Less Shrinkage The curing ingredients in Tender-Quick counteract the usual drying and hardening effect of the Common Salt, and instead of shrinkage in the meat and loss of meat juices, corned beef cured with Tender-Quick remains firm, juicy, and full of flavor. This is brought about by the tendering and firming up processes that take place in the meat fibres, the retaining of the meat juices and the fact that the Tender-Quick penetrates more fully into the muscle fibres and into the fat.

Tender, Uniform Cure The thorough penetration of the Tender-Quick pickle into the tiny muscle fibres provides a place of deposit for the meat juices—helps bring about the tendering process and makes possible a mild, uniform cure. Every part of the meat is evenly cured. There are no under-cured or partially cured

Make the curing pickle by mixing at the rate of 2 lbs. Tender-Quick per gallon of water, stirring the Tender-Quick until it dissolves. The water should have been boiled and allowed to cool before using. Use a clean crock or curing container for packing in the meat. After the meat is packed in the container, pour in the Tender-Quick curing pickle until the meat begins to shift. Place a weight on the meat and pour in enough additional pickle to fully cover the meat. After the meat has been in the cure 5 or 6 days pour off the pickle and repack the meat, changing the position of the pieces by putting those that were on top at the bottom. Then weight the meat down and recover with the pickle. The meat should remain in cure about 2 days per pound; for example 6 lb. pieces 12 days, 8 lb. pieces, 16 days, 10 lb. pieces 20 days, etc. Smaller pieces will be ready to use in about a week. Corned beef that is to be used up in a reasonable time after it is cured can be left in the pickle until used. Corned beef that is to be kept for a long period of time may be canned, or it may be taken from the pickle, washed in tepid water, and thoroughly dried. Then wrap in parchment paper and hang in a cool, dry place. See directions for canning corned beef and corned beef loaf on page 83.

C O O K I N G C O R N E D BEEF Corned Beef Boiled Dinner Too often, fine corned beef has been rendered tough and tasteless by over-boiling. Corned beef never should be boiled except for about the last eight to ten minutes when cabbage has been added to cook with the meat. To prepare delicious corned beef, place the meat in a kettle of hot water and cover with a lid. Allow the meat to simmer—not boil— for several hours until it becomes tender. Vegetables which you may add according to taste, such as carrots and potatoes, should be put in with the meat during the last half hour of cooking, but cabbage should be cooked with the meat for the last eight minutes only. While the cabbage is cooking be sure to remove the lid and let the water boil. This brief period of boiling will not harm the meat. Cabbage contains volatile sulphur compounds which cause very strong odors if the cooking period is too long. A strong flavor may also result from over-cooking or cooking in a closed container. Corned Beef L o a f Another delicious way to serve corned beef is to make it into a loaf. This makes a delightful dish to be eaten cold at supper time; it also may be sliced and served with other cold meats buffet style when you are entertaining. Sandwiches made with corned beef loaf are fine for school and picnic lunches. To prepare this delicious loaf, corned beef is first cooked in the regular manner, that is, simmered for several hours until tender in a covered kettle. When the meat is completely

cooked remove from the kettle and run through a food or meat chopper while the meat is still hot. Then immediately pack the chopped meat with the juices in a pan or dish that is about as deep as it is wide. A narrow strip of thin board that is not quite as wide as the pan should next be placed over the top of the meat and weighted down. This will have the effect of pressing or molding the meat to the shape of the container. Putin a cool place and the loaf will soon be formed. Sugar-Crusted Corned Beef In addition to the regular way of cooking and serving corned beef with cabbage, sauerkraut, or other vegetables, you will find the following recipe gives corned beef an extra touch in appetizing appearance and a more delicious flavor. To prepare this sugar-crusted corned beef, wipe off the meat in the usual manner. Then place the meat in water in a covered kettle, adding a few bay leaves and cloves as well as a little vinegar. Allow the corned beef to simmer slowly until tender. Now comes the final touch which makes a real delicacy of corned beef. When the meat has been sufficiently cooked, place it in an open roasting pan, fat side up. Score the fat with a knife criss-cross fashion, making about one inch squares. Insert a whole clove at each cross-section and sprinkle brown sugar liberally over the meat, then place in a quick oven leaving it just long enough for the sugar to crust over. A little paprika sprinkled over the top will give a touch of color. The sugarcrusted corned beef is now finished and is delicious served either hot or cold.

BUTCHERING L A M B

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ECAUSE of the small size of the lamb, it is i particularly well adapted for farm slaughter.

T h e carcass chills out quickly and cures easily. L a m b s generally dress out approximately 50 per cent, which means t h a t an 80-pound lamb will m a k e approximately a 40-pound carcass.

A sharp knife, a steel, a place to hang the lamb and a low bench or box, are all the equipment needed for lamb slaughter. A V-shaped trough of proper height is very convenient, if much slaughtering is to be done. Thrifty, well-finished lambs make the most desirable carcasses. Lambs should be kept off feed for twelve hours prior to slaughter, but should be allowed free access to water. Before slaughter, lambs should be handled carefully. Rough handling, especially grabbing them by the fleece, causes bruised and unattractive carcasses. Bruised meat is not only unsightly, but has poor keeping quality. Lambs should be handled

legs to one hind leg. The sticker grasps the lamb by the lower jaw with his left hand and forces his knee against the top of the head, thus stretching out the neck. A knife is pushed through the throat just back of the jaw bone with the cutting edge of the knife towards the backbone. This severs both veins and arteries, and unconsciousness and death follow very quickly. Some prefer to cut outward, after making the sticking cut, and some recommend breaking the neck, by bearing down on the top of the head and pulling back on the chin. The latter plan accomplishes the same purpose as stunning cattle. Permitting the lamb to struggle promotes bleeding. For this reason, holding the lamb is preferable to tying.

Removing H e a d with the left hand under the throat and the right hand at the dock. The lamb should be laid upon its left side. An assistant may hold the lamb, by grasping it in the fore and hind flanks. If no assistance is at hand, the lamb may be secured by tying the two front

After bleeding, the lamb is placed squarely on his back. The skin is ripped down the center of the throat to the point of the jaw. Skin out the head and unjoint it at the first joint. The head should be washed in cold water and the tongue and brain removed.

Scoring at Joint The fore shanks are ripped down the back and skinned to a point just above the knees or the shanks may be ripped in front. The joint at the base of the cannon bone is scored and broken. The break-joint at the lower part of the shin or cannon bone, indicates lamb. Round joints indicate mutton.

Pulling Pelt Backward Upon reaching the point of the breast bone, the incision divides, so as to loosen the pelt on both sides of the breast. The pelt over the point of the breast is firmly grasped and pulled backward. In some carcasses, the pelt adheres so tightly over the brisket, that a knife may be necessary to loosen it. Both sides of the neck should be skinned out as far as possible.

Breaking the Joint With the neck, breast and fore shanks skinned out, the pelt over the front part of the belly is "'fisted" off. This operation is done with the tightly clenched fist, exercising care not to tear the thin membrane or "fell," which should be left upon the carcass to protect it. In all "fisting" operations, the hands and arms should frequently be washed in clean warm water, to prevent soiling the carcass.

Skinning Fore Shank

Fisting Pelt Backward

Fisting Pelt Forward Sawing the Breast Bone After the pelt is "fisted" loose from the belly, it is ripped down the center. Split the breast bone with a saw, while the lamb is still on its back.

The pelt over the rear portion of the belly is "fisted" off forward and the skin ripped. An incision is made between the tendons of the hind legs and the bone and a stout cord used to tie the hind legs together loosely. With the carcass "legged" out and the belly and neck skinned, the carcass is ready to be hung up by the hind legs.

Loosening the Gullet The throat is now split down the center and the windpipe and gullet trimmed out as far back into the chest cavity as possible. The hind legs are stretched forward, and the pelt covering them ripped over the back of the hock to a point just back of the udder or cod. The back hoofs are unjoin ted at the hoof head to preserve the tendons of the hind legs for hanging the carcass.

Ripping Hind L e g

Ready for H a n g i n g

Fisting Pelt O v e r Back Hanging the carcass at a height of 7 feet will be found to be a very convenient height to complete the dressing operation. The clenched fist is used to "fist" the pelt from the sides of the carcass, fisting toward the back bone. The ' T e l l " covering t h e carcass should not be torn.

Fisting Pelt D o w n w a r d over the Shoulder

The fist should be forced upward over the loin and pelt removed from the hind leg upward, and never downward.

After the side has been fisted out, the fist should be forced in over the top of the shoulder. The Pelt Must A l w a y s be R e m o v e d Downward From the Shoulder and Upward from the Hind Leg. The temptation to skin from the foot towards the carcass is strong. However, this will mutilate the carcass by removing the "fell."

Fisting Pelt U p w a r d over Loins

Fisting Pelt U p w a r d over L e g s Lamb should be dressed in the shortest possible time after butchering. Gases quickly form in the digestive system after killing, and if dressing is delayed a portion of this gas may escape through the walls of the digestive tract, giving the meat a "woolly" taste. The hands should be kept absolutely clean when dressing and handling the lamb carcass, in order to assure an attractive carcass of good flavor. The fell, which is a protective tissue over the meat, should not be broken when the pelt is fisted loose and the carcass dressed. The pelt should always be removed downward

from the shoulders and upward from the hind legs, as this will help protect the fell. Before lambs are killed they should be penned up twenty-four hours before slaughter in order that the fleece will be dry. It is difficult to keep the wool from touching the carcass at times during dressing, but the dryer the fleece the cleaner the carcass will be. Lamb should have plenty of water during the twenty-four hours before killing, but no food, as a lamb with a full stomach is harder to dress and gases in the digestive system form more rapidly than where the stomach is empty.

Loosening the Rectum A narrow bladed knife or jackknife is useful to loosen the rectum. The aitch bone of the lamb is not split in dressing.

Loosening Pelt A r o u n d Tail Some knife work is necessary to skin around the tail or "dock," as the pelt usually adheres very tightly here.

Pulling Pelt from Back If the "fell" has not been broken thus far, the loosened pelt may be pulled down the back.

R i p p i n g Belly W a l l

Removing Viscera

A short center line incision is made through the upper belly wall. Into this, the clenched fist, grasping the knife, is forced. The fist crowds the intestines away from the heel of the knife as the belly wall is ripped downward. The viscera are removed the same as those of cattle, leaving the kidneys and kidney fat in the carcass. The paunch and liver are torn loose as the abdominal viscera are held with the left hand. The diaphragm is cut through where the white tissue joins the red, making possible the removal of the heart and the lungs. Wipe out any soiled places inside the carcass. Separate the heart from the lungs.

The carcass should be washed with tepid water. The blood in the vessels along the back should be massaged out, by working from the center of the back toward the flanks. After the fore shanks are pinned back and the tail pinned down, the carcass is ready for chilling and should chill about 24 hours. The lamb pelt is generally of sufficient value to merit careful attention. If it cannot be sold green, it may be air-dried by hanging over a fence or partition, flesh side up. It should remain in a wellventilated place, until thoroughly dried. As an alternative method, the flesh side may be rubbed with fine salt and the pelt permitted to cure.

Points to R e m e m b e r W h e n Butchering L a m b s 1. 2. 3. 4.

Keep hands clean when dressing lamb. Fist pelt properly in order not to tear the "fell." Remove viscera, wash carcass, and chill as soon as possible after butchering. Dress lamb quickly as gases form rapidly in the digestive system.

Cutting Up the Lamb Carcass The black guide lines on the picture at the left clearly show where to make the cuts to separate the lamb carcass into the most desirable pieces for using fresh or for curing. The flesh of lamb is light pink, deepening in color as it ages. The lamb meat is firm and fine grained, the fat is white, hard, and flaky. The lamb carcass, like beef, has thirteen pairs of ribs. Ordinarily the lamb carcass is not split. In warm weather, however, the carcass may be split in halves down the backbone with a meat saw to aid in chilling. A sharp butcher knife, saw, cleaver, and boning knife are the necessary tools for cutting up the lamb carcass. There are many different ways of cutting the lamb carcass. Just how the cuts are made depends a good deal on how the meat is to be used, whether most of it is to be used up fresh, canned, or cured. The larger cuts, like the legs and shoulders, are the best cuts for curing. A leg of lamb, when neatly trimmed and cured, has somewhat the appearance of a ham. Corned lamb is easy to make and the breast and shank are good cuts for corning. One of the best ways to use the small pieces and trimmings is to make lamb patties or lamb and pork sausage.

Removing the Shoulder Saw off the shoulder between the fifth and sixth ribs, as ordinarily a five rib chuck is preferable. After the shoulder is removed, cut off the neck on a line flush with the top of the shoulder, and saw off the shank. Separate the right and left shoulders by sawing through the backbone. Where a narrow shoulder is preferred, saw between the third and fourth ribs instead of between the fifth and sixth.

S a w i n g off the Breast Piece Turn the carcass on its side with the legs toward you and remove the breast with a saw, cutting forward from the flank.

S e p a r a t i n g the R a c k from L o i n To remove the rack cut between the last two ribs and complete the cut with a saw through the backbone.

Start the cut with a knife and complete with the saw through the backbone.

R e m o v i n g L a m b Sirloin The sirloin is cut from the loin end of the carcass in whatever thickness is desired. The sirloin makes an excellent small size roast.

The rack is used for making a crown roast or, after splitting, rib chops are cut from the rack.

Finish the cut by sawing through the backbone.

S e p a r a t i n g L o i n from the L e g The loin is separated from the leg at the small of the back or at the pin bone.

Splitting the L a m b L e g s The legs are separated by splitting them down the center with the saw.

Cuts for Curing/ Cooking/ Canning

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HE picture above shows the lamb carcass after all of the major cuts have been made and the pieces reassembled in their proper positions. This picture will help you understand the following suggestions for using the different lamb cuts. One of the shoulders is shown cut as a standard cut shoulder and the other one a long cut shoulder. The long cut shoulder is made only when it is desired to make a long boneless rolled shoulder or a mock duck.

S H O U L D E R - A long cut shoulder is used for making a boneless rolled shoulder. Remove the neck bone and ribs from the shoulder. Next un-

joint the shoulder blade and remove arm and blade bones, working from the inside of the shoulder. Unjoint and remove arm bone from the shank and remove meat from around joint end of shank bone. The shoulder is then rolled and tied, making an attractive long cut boneless shoulder. This can be used fresh as a roast or can be pumped and cured with TenderQuick.

Boned a n d Rolled Shoulder Ready for Curing

N E C K —Cut the neck in slices about threequarters to one inch thick. They can be used for braising, stewing, or cooking in casserole. Another method of serving is to remove bone from the center of the slices and fill with sausage made from the trimmings. S H A N K —Remove the shank when making a square cut lamb shoulder where it is desired to cure the shoulder, make shoulder chops, or to bone and roll the shoulder. The shank is used for stewing, meat broth, or small shank roast. B R E A S T —The breast, when boned and rolled, makes an attractive cut. Remove rib ends and breast bone and roll by starting at the shank, rolling tightly, and tie with heavy cord. The rolled breast is used for roast or for curing and canning. R A C K —An attractive crown roast of lamb or rib chops is made from the rack. For making rib chops, split the rack lengthwise through the center and make chops by slicing between the ribs.

Crown Roast of L a m b For making a crown roast the size of the roast depends on the number of ribs used. It is difficult to make a crown roast of lamb unless there are about six or eight ribs cut from each side of the rack. Usually eight ribs are used for the average size roast. For making a crown roast, place the rack rib side up and saw ribs from each side of the backbone, as pictured above. Then trim out the backbone with a knife without separating the sets of ribs. Next remove a strip of meat about two inches wide from the end of the ribs and trim out meat between the ends of the ribs by trimming down one side of the rib, across and up on the next rib.

Bend the rack and mold into shape and tie the two sets of ribs together. Paper frills placed on the ends of the ribs add to the attractive appearance of the crown roast after it is cooked. Illustration above shows the crown roast after it is formed, and the piece of backbone and two inch strip of meat that was trimmed from the rib ends. When cooking wrap rib ends with salt pork and fill crown with bread stuffing.

L O I N —The loin may be boned, rolled, and tied for making into a delicious, easily carved roast, or it may be cured and canned. To bone the loin, loosen the tenderloin on each side of the backbone, pulling the tenderloin back, then remove the ribs and backbone. After the loin is boned, tightly roll it and tie with strong white cord. Lamb chops may also be cut from the loin. The thin outer membrane or fell should be removed from the chop cuts like rack and loin before cooking. Illustration above shows fell being removed. F L A N K — T h e flank makes an excellent piece for stewing when cut into small chunks, or it can be ground up with other trimmings for making lamb patties.

For using the lamb leg fresh, the two most popular methods are to make either a French or American style leg. The illustrations below show detailed steps in making both the French and American style legs.

S I R L O I N — T h e sirloin makes a small roast of excellent quality when boned, rolled, and tied. After sirloin is removed from the rack, trim out the backbone and hip bones. When bones are removed, mold and roll the sirloin into shape, tying together with heavy cord at the flesh ends. Illustration at the right shows the boned and rolled sirloin ready for roasting or ready for curing with T e n d e r - Q u i c k .

French Style Leg Illustration above shows first step in making French style leg, which is scoring around the leg about two inches above the joint.

Cut at Break Joint Next cut at the break joint on inside of leg. The break joint is indicated by faint jagged lines just above the hock joint.

L E G —The lamb leg, when neatly trimmed in the regular manner, as pictured above, makes an excellent piece for pumping and curing. It has somewhat the shape and appearance of a ham and after curing can be wrapped and kept for future use. One of the best ways to use the small pieces and trimmings is to make lamb patties or cured lamb and pork sausage. Lamb patties are improved by adding one-third pork, which tends to bind them together and prevent crumbling when cooking.

Break over Table Edge After cutting at the break joint, grasp shank and bend down over edge of table until broken.

Mock Duck Made from L a m b Shoulder

Next, twist shank until it comes free from the leg bone.

A m e r i c a n Style Leg The American style leg has most of the bone removed and when cooked will fit into a smaller pan or oven than the French style. First, cut across break joint and remove shank bone, then cut meat with point of knife down each side of leg bone and remove leg bone at knuckle joint. Slit a pocket by separating fell from meat on inside of leg and tuck shank meat into this pocket. Use small skewers to hold shank meat in place.

American Style leg with the bones removed

French Style leg showing shank bone removed

An attractive and unusual way to use one of the lamb shoulders is to make a long cut shoulder, bone and shape it into a duck. The mock duck is easy to make and attracts favorable attention when served at special dinners. To make the duck, trim a long cut shoulder from the carcass, as pictured above. To bone the shoulder, first unjoint shoulder blade, then lift meat from the top of shoulder blade and with point of knife loosen meat down each side of blade bone. Then cut meat from shoulder blade and pull the shoulder blade out. Next cut meat from around arm bone, unjoint and remove arm bone from shank by breaking them apart over edge of table. Next remove meat from around joint end of shank bone and saw off joint end. Saw off tip end of shank and split to form mouth and remove excess fat from shoulder. Next mold shoulder into shape of duck and sew while continuing to mold in shape. Use half a cranberry for making each eye, and carve slits in side of duck to indicate wing feathers.

Illustration above shows completed duck and bones that are removed from shoulder.

CURING L A M B Dry Cure

Sweet Pickle Cure

IRST pump the larger pieces, and pieces that have bone, with a Tender-Quick pumping pickle, pumping 1 oz. to oz. of pickle per pound of meat. The pumping pickle is made by mixing 23^ lbs. of Tender-Quick per gallon of water. After the meat is pumped, use about 7 lbs. TenderQuick per 100 lbs. of meat. Divide the Tender-Quick into approximately three equal parts and first rub the meat with one-third of the Tender-Quick. Then in three or four hours rub on the second one-third, and after twenty-four hours rub on the balance. Pack the meat in a stone crock, box or barrel for curing, putting the larger pieces on the bottom and the smaller ones on top. Overhaul and repack the meat in a different position when the curing time is about one-half up. The meat should remain in cure for about l j ^ days per pound; for example, 6-lb. pieces 9 days; 10-lb. pieces 15 days. Where a light cure is desired, leave the meat in cure only one day per pound. When the curing time is finished, brush off the surplus cure, or lightly wash each piece in tepid water and let the meat drain thoroughly. After the pieces are thoroughly dry, wrap them in parchment paper and hang away in the driest, coolest, best-ventilated place available. If the meat is damp when hung away, or kept in a damp, warm place, it will mold much faster than if it is kept dry and cool and in a well ventilated place. A little mold, however, does not hurt the meat as it can easily be washed off with vinegar or trimmed off when the meat is used.

First pump the larger pieces, and pieces that have bone, with a Tender-Quick pumping pickle, pumping 1 oz. to 13^2 o z - °f pickle per pound of meat. The pumping pickle is made by mixing 23^ lbs. of TenderQuick per gallon of water. After the meat is pumped, pack it in a stone crock or clean, well scalded barrel, putting the heavy pieces at the bottom and lighter ones on top. Then mix a TenderQuick Curing Pickle at the rate of 2 lbs. Tender-Quick per gallon of water. The water should be previously boiled and allowed to cool. Stir the curing pickle until the Tender-Quick is completely dissolved. Pour the curing pickle over the meat until the meat pack begins to shift, then weight the meat down with a clean stone or other weight and pour in enough additional curing pickle so that the top layer of meat is a few inches below the pickle. It will take five or six gallons of curing pickle for 100 lbs. of meat, depending on how closely the meat is packed.

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Length of Time in Cure Leave the meat in the curing pickle about 2 days per pound; for example, a 10 lb. piece 20 days. Where a light cure is desired, leave the meat in cure 13^ days per pound. The meat should be overhauled and the position of the pieces changed when the curing time is about one-half up. When overhauling, it is best to remove the pickle, then change the position of the pieces by repacking, and pour the pickle back over the meat. After the curing time is up, wash the meat in tepid water and let it dry thoroughly. When it is thoroughly dry, wrap in parchment paper and hang away in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place.

Pumping L e g of Lamb and Boneless Rolled Shoulder with TenderQuick Pickle Before Putting in Cure

Rubbing Tender-Quick on Lamb for the Dry Cure after Pumping

Canning Meat with a Steam

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Pressure Cooker

UCCESSFUL canning of meats depends largely upon the attention you give to the following points:

Quality of the Meat

Meats for canning should be selected with the same care you would use in selecting fresh cuts for cooking. Never attempt to can meat that is tainted in any way. Always look over the meat and cut away any bruised spots or blood clots.

Cleanliness in H a n d l i n g the Meat Fresh meat is a perishable product and every precaution should be taken to see that your tables, knives, cans and jars and other utensils are absolutely clean and sanitary. Clean any part of the meat that may be soiled with a cloth wrung from cold water.

Proper Preparation of the Meat for Canning There are four general ways in which meat may be prepared for canning. Meat may be raw, seared, boiled, or cured, before canning. These four methods each have their advantages and are discussed in detail later.

Hermetic Sealing of the Container Either tins or wide top glass jars may be used in canning meats but they must be so constructed that they may be sealed air-tight to prevent the entrance or development of bacteria, yeasts and molds.

Complete Destruction of All Organisms thatMight Cause Spoilage All meats must be canned in a steam pressure cooker to insure perfect safety. The high temperature which can be obtained only under steam pressure is absolutely essential for safely canning meats. This is the only method recommended by the

U. S. Department of Agriculture which says: "The water hath, the oven and the steamer without pressure are inadequate for canning meats and cannot he used safely . . . If a pressure canner is not available, other methods of preservation should he used for meats

Correct Storage A f t e r Canning Containers should be carefully cleaned and stored in a clean, cool, dry place. Containers should be marked to show contents and date of canning It is well to store the cans or jars with a space between them for the circulation of air. Watch for any trace of leakage along the seams of cans or around the rubber of the jars. Cans which bulge at the ends or leak indicate spoiled contents. Before putting cans or jars away in their final storage place, it is well to keep them under observation for about ten days in order to give containers that may not be properly sealed time to show indications of spoilage.

Careful Examination of Food Before Serving While it is unlikely that you will have any spoilage if you carefully follow the methods and precautions contained in the directions for canning with a steam pressure cooker, it is only good sense to inspect the canned foods as you would fresh foods before serving. When the containers are opened, there should be no sudden outburst of gas or spurting of liquid. If the contents have a peculiar odor, or a s o f t , m u s h y , slimy, or moldy appearance, the meat should not be used. Do not taste food that you suspect is spoiled. Spoiled canned foods should be burned and not fed to poultry or animals. Do not mistake a darkened lining of the tin for spoilage as this is perfectly normal. Heat all meat thoroughly after it is removed from containers before serving. Do not taste meat until after it has been heated.

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Follow Directions Carefully Complete instructions for canning meat come with each pressure cooker and you should make yourself thoroughly familiar with all of the cooker's working parts and all of the manufacturer's specific directions and cautions. If tins are to be used, be sure that you have a sufficient supply on hand and that you are thoroughly familiar with the can sealer mechanism. If glass jars are to be used, make sure that the lids, rubbers, and sealing devices are all in perfect shape. Rubbers should be of the best quality and new each year. Jar lids with cracked linings should be discarded. The contents of the jars or cans should be heated to a temperature of 170 degrees before the jars or cans are sealed. This will expel any gases or air from the food and can. Then the containers are sealed and processing begun in accordance with the time table given with your pressure cooker. Remember to observe the following points: 1. Make sure the petcock of pressure cooker is clean and the safety valve in working order. 2. Have sufficient water in the bottom of the cooker to create a good supply of steam. 3. Set the containers on a low rack or trivet in pressure cooker, to permit circulation of steam. 4. Do not crowd the cooker so tightly as to retard steam circulation. 5. Always let steam escape freely through the open petcock for 7 to 10 minutes before closing the

petcock to build up pressure. {,This is essential for driving out the air and creating a pure steam atmosphere. The reading on the dial of the pressure gauge is not a true index of the inside temperature unless this rule is followed. 6. Do not permit pressure to fluctuate. To do so will pull the juices out of the jars, and also make it impossible to reckon processing time correctly. By lowering the heat before the right pressure has been reached, it is possible to keep pressure at just the right point throughout the processing period. 7. When the processing time is up, remove the cooker from the heat and in case you are canning in glass, allow the pressure gauge to return to zero of its own accord before opening the petcock. Do not attempt to hasten this process in any way. After gauge indicates zero, open the petcock gradually and let remaining steam escape. Remove jars and tighten the lids. WThen canning in tin, open the petcock on the cooker as soon as the processing time is up. After all steam has escaped, open the cooker, remove the cans and plunge them at once into cold water. 8. As soon as the containers are cold, dry them well, label, and leave for about 10 days in house temperature to watch for indications of spoilage. 9. Store cans or jars in a cool place. Leave sufficient space between jars for air to circulate freely.

Canning—Raw, Seared or Boiled Canning Meat, Raw Remove the bones and cut the raw meat into pieces convenient for packing. Fill containers to within % inch from top and add about one teaspoon salt to each quart container.

Exhaust Before Processing Add no water as the meat will make its own juice. Exhaust air and gases by placing containers in boiling water to come up at least half way to the top of the containers, and boil for about 10 or 15 minutes until contents are heated through. Then seal containers and process in your pressure cooker in accordance with time and pressure instructions furnished with each cooker. Some feel that meat packed raw does not give as satisfactory results as when meat is cured or pre-cooked before canning.

Canning Meat, Seared The time necessary to sear meats depends upon their thickness. Steaks 2 inches thick require about 15 minutes and other pieces require more or less time in proportion to their thickness. Roasts, meat loaves, sausage patties, steaks, and chops should be seared without flour until delicately brown on the surface and thoroughly heated through. Floured meat causes a thick hard crust which retards heat penetration and often gives the meat an inferior flavor. Lamb and mutton should have most of the fat removed and can be seared in bacon drippings, lard, or butter. Care should be taken not to burn the meat. Additional browning can be done when the meat is reheated for serving.

Heat grease in a roasting pan or skillet and sear meat quickly on all sides to prevent the loss of juice during cooking. Add salt, pepper and other seasoning to taste. Add boiling water to the grease in the roasting pan. Turn and baste the meat frequently until nicely browned and heated through. Pack pieces into containers solidly so that it will not require more than two or three tablespoons of liquid from the searing pan to fill each container to within one fourth inch from the top. The containers should be sealed while hot. Then process in your pressure cooker in accordance with time and pressure instructions furnished with each cooker.

Canning Meats, Boiled Cut the meat into serving portions and barely cover with boiling water, simmer for ten to fifteen minutes until completely heated through. Do not use any more water than necessary as the remaining liquid contains meat juices which will be lost unless it can be completely used up in filling the containers. It is not necessary to cook the meat tender as the canning process will finish the cooking. Where meat is to be used for hash, all tough cuts and cracked bones can be put in a pressure cooker or kettle with water and cooked until meat is tender enough to slip from the bones before packing. Pack meat firmly into cans and fill up all spaces between the meat with the liquid in which the meat was boiled. Add seasoning and seal at once while hot. Then process in your pressure cooker in accordance with the time and pressure instructions furnished with each pressure cooker.

Recipes for Canned Meats Roast Beef Select the beef for roasting, trim and wipe with a damp cloth. Heat grease in a roasting pan and sear meat quickly on all sides to prevent the loss of juice during cooking. As soon as well seared, salt and pepper to taste. Add boiling water to the grease in the roasting pan. Baste frequently, turning the meat from time to time until it is nicely browned and heated through. Leave whole or slice and pack into cans. Add boiling water to the gravy in the roasting pan and while hot, fill can to 34 inch from top. Exhaust 5 minutes if meat and gravy have cooled; if cold, exhaust 10 minutes; if hot, exhausting is not necessary. Seal while hot and process No. 1 cans 40 minutes at 15 pounds pressure; No. 2 cans 60 minutes at 15 pounds pressure and No. 3 cans 80 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Cool quickly. Dry, label and store. If meat is fat, processing must be prolonged 10 minutes. Beef R o a s t — R u m p or Chuck Sear meat in roasting pan in hot oven until well browned but do not cook done, allowing 10 minutes to each pound of meat. When well browned, add 1 cup of boiling water for each pound of meat. Slice for serving. Pack into cans and fill cans to within 34 inch of top with pan gravy. Seal while hot and process No. 2 cans 60 minutes at 15 pounds pressure;No. 3 cans 75 minutes. Roast L a m b Trim in rows with small tufts of parsley, season to taste. Add a few carrots to roasting pan. When nicely browned, slice and pack into cans. Add boiling water to the gravy in the roasting pan and while hot, fill can to within 34 inch from top. Exhaust 5 minutes if meat and gravy have cooled; if cold, exhaust 10 minutes; if hot, exhausting is not necessary. Seal while hot and process No. 1 cans 40 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. No. 2 cans 60 minutes at 15 pounds pressure and No. 3 cans 80 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Cool quickly. Dry, label and store. If meat is fat, processing must be prolonged 10 minutes. Roast V e a l Lard and trim with parsley. Season to taste, but add a few carrots and one small onion to roasting pan. When nicely browned, slice and pack into cans. Add boiling water to the gravy in the roasting pan and while hot, fill can to within 34 inch from top. Exhaust 5 minutes if meat and gravy have cooled; if cold, exhaust 10 minutes; if hot, exhausting is not necessary. Seal while hot and process No. 1 cans 40 minutes at 15 pounds pressure; No. 2 cans 60 minutes at 15 pounds pressure and No. 3 cans 80 minutes at 15 pounds pressure.

Beefsteak Cut sirloin of beef into steaks. Sear quickly on both sides in hot fat. Season with salt and pepper. When nicely browned, pack into cans. Fill cans with hot gravy made by adding water to pan grease. Seal while hot and process No. 2 cans 55 minutes at 15 pounds pressure and No. 3 cans 75 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Cool quickly. Dry, label and store. Swiss Steak with Mushroom S a u c e Cut steaks 1 inch thick from round of beef. Divide into pieces which will pack well in cans. Score lightly with sharp knife, then sprinkle with flour and pound to break fibers and work flour into meat. Brown in hot fat. Pack into cans allowing enough space for generous amount of sauce. 2 4 4 6 2

red peppers or pimientos cut fine teaspoonfuls salt tablespoonfuls flour tablespoonfuls fat cupfuls mushrooms, stem and pieces

Brown flour in pan in which steak was cooked. Add 1 pint of cold water gradually, stirring to keep smooth. Add salt, mushrooms, and pepper, bring to a boil. Fill cans and seal while hot and process No. 2 cans 55 minutes, No. 3 cans 75 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Pork, Mutton or L a m b Chops Remove the bone. Then sear both sides of the chops quickly in hot grease, and season. Pack nicely browned pieces into cans and add brown gravy made by putting water in the pan grease. Seal while hot. Process No. 2 cans 55 minutes at 15 pounds pressure and No. 3 cans 75 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Cool quickly. Dry, label and store. Beef Stew The less tender cuts or scraps of meat may be used in making beef stew. Cut the meat into 1-inch squares and sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper. Melt fat in frying pan, add chopped onions, carrots, and celery, brown lightly; add the meat and brown, stirring frequently to keep from scorching. When nicely browned, add canned tomatoes or tomato puree, and cheesecloth bag of spices—bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, mace and thyme. Cover mixture with water and simmer for 45 minutes if canned, or 2 hours if served at once. Remove spices, add salt, pepper and paprika to taste. While hot, fill cans and seal. Process No. 1 flat cans 35 minutes at 15 pounds pressure; No. 2 cans 60 minutes at 15 pounds pressure and No. 3 cans 75 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Cool quickly. Dry, label and store.

Delicious Tender-Quick Cured Corned Beef Canned for Summer Meals C a n n i n g C o r n e d Beef After Corned Beef is cured and ready to can, place meat in kettle, cover with cold water, and bring slowly to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour. Remove meat, cut in pieces, and pack into cans. Reheat the liquid and season with bay leaves and cloves if desired. While hot, fill cans to within inch from top and seal. Process No. 2 cans 60 minutes at 15 pounds pressure and No. 3 cans 75 minutes at 15 pounds. Cool quickly. Dry, label and store. Corned L a m b Lamb is delicious when corned in a Tender-Quick curing pickle, the same as corned beef. The shoulder, shank, and breast are excellent pieces for corning. Make the Tender-Quick curing pickle just the same and follow the same directions for corned lamb as for corned beef. See page 63. C o r n e d Beef L o a f After corned beef is cured, cook in the regular manner and when done run through a food or meat chopper while the meat is still hot. Then immediately pack the

chopped meat with the juices in a pan t h a t is about as deep as it is wide. Place a narrow strip of board t h a t is not quite as wide as the pan over the top of the meat and weight the board down in order to press the meat. P u t in a cool place and it will form a loaf. For keeping corned beef loaf for future use, can and process it immediately after the meat has been run through the food chopper.

1 DIAGRAM OF BONE STRUCTURE 2 REMOVING AITCH BONE 3 OPENING TO TRIM AROUND BONES

4 TAKING OUT BONES 5 BONED AND ROLLED HAM FOR CURING OR COOKING

B O N I N G A H A M : Lay ham skin side down with butt end toward you. With boning knife remove meat from around aitch bone and disjoint aitch bone from straight leg bone. Then remove entire leg bone and shank bones by cutting through top of ham along these bones and trimming around them. When the bones have been removed, mold ham back into shape, and tie with heav/ white cord. The cord should be tied around the ham crosswise about every inch.

Roast H a m With A p r i c o t Stuffing 12-Pound Ham 1 Pound of Dried Apricots 4 Tablespoonfuls of Butter Cupful of Finely Chopped Celery Yi Cupful of Finely Chopped Parsley

M Cupful of Finely Chopped Onion 4 Cupfuls of Fine Dry Bread Crumbs 1 Yi Teaspoonfuls of Salt

Stuffed ham is as good sliced cold as it is hot from the oven, so choose one weighing at least twelve pounds, to provide for a generous left-over. After boning the ham wash and drain the apricots, but do not soak or cook them, and cut into narrow strips with scissors. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the

celery, parsley and onion, and cook for a few minutes. Add the bread crumbs and salt, then the apricots, and stir until well mixed and hot. Wipe the boned ham with a damp cloth, lay it fat side down and cut a few gashes in the thickest part of the lean to make more room for stuffing, but be careful not to cut through to the outside fat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, spread some of the hot stuffing over the meat, and beginning at the hock, sew the cut edges together to form a pocket. Gradually work in the rest of the stuffing. Then sew up the butt end and rub the outside with

salt, pepper and flour. Place, fat surface up, on a rack in an open pan without water, and sear in a hot oven— 480° F.—for thirty minutes, or until lightly browned. Then reduce the oven rapidly to very moderate heat— - 325° F.—and continue the roasting until the meat is tender. At this temperature a twelve-pound ham will require about five hours to cook. Do not cover and do not add water. While roasting leave the ham fat side up and the melting fat trickling down will eliminate the necessity for basting.

H o w to Cut a H a m Often, the meat of an entire ham is more than the housewife wants to cook at one time. A good way to use an average size ham is shown in the picture above. The butt, which is about 34 the entire weight of the ham, can be cut off first and baked. After making this cut a piece of waxed paper should be placed over the exposed portion of the meat on the remaining portion of the ham to retard drying and mold. The center portion of the ham, which contains more meat and less bone than either the butt or the shank, can be sliced off for baking, broiling or frying when you need meat. Slices for baking should be thick while slices for broiling or frying should be somewhat thinner.

When thoroughly done lift the roast ham onto a hot platter, clip and carefully draw out the strings and garnish with parsley or celery tops. Serve with savory brown gravy made from the pan drippings seasoned with a little chopped parsley, celery seed, lemon juice and tabasco sauce. In carving, start at the butt end of the ham and cut straight down across the grain of the meat and through the stuffing. Every slice will be the right blend of both and will be shapely, and full of flavor.

T w o W a y s to Use S h a n k After the butt and center slices have been used, the shank may be skinned and boiled whole or cut up in either of the ways shown at the left. When the shank is cut into four pieces as shown, the two center pieces may be used for baking. The other two pieces should be used for seasoning. If the shank is split into three pieces as shown, the two split shank pieces may be boiled and the knuckle, which contains more meat when the shank is cut this way, may be baked. With a large ham, the same general procedure can be followed, or, to get cuts of a more readily usable size, the ham may be cut up as shown in the picture above.

Killing and Dressing Poultry

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OULTRY will dress cleaner and the flavor of the meat is improved if the birds are kept off feed for 24 hours before killing. During this time, see that they have plenty of clean, fresh drinking water. The best method of killing poultry is sticking. The two best methods of picking are Dry Picking and Scald Picking. Where the feathers are to be used, or with young birds where scalding might cause the tender skin to break when picked, the dry picking method is preferable. However, scald picking can be done more quickly than dry picking, but the birds cannot be kept as long before cooking or canning as when dry picked.

Killing a n d Dry Picking A small pointed, narrow blade knife with a straight cutting edge is best for sticking. Poultry should be thoroughly bled as the meat of a poorly bled bird more quickly loses its keeping quality, firmness, and flavor. The feet should first be tied together and the bird hung head down. Insert the knife blade in the roof of the mouth directly back of the ears and sever the jugular vein. Then force the blade into the brain. When stuck in this manner the bird will die instantly and be completely relaxed, causing the feather muscles to loosen so that the bird can be plucked more easily. Both hands can be used for picking. The large tail and wing feathers are pulled first, then the feathers from the breast and sides, and then the feathers from the thighs and legs. Next pick the soft body feathers between the legs, and then the back feathers. The neck and wing feathers are picked last. Be careful to pull with the slant of the feathers rather than against it, to prevent tearing the flesh. After the bulk of the feathers have been removed, the bird should be gone over and any feathers or pin feathers that have been missed should be removed. Turkeys, ducks, and geese are killed and dry picked the same as chickens.

Scald Picking When poultry is to be scald picked it is best to stick by placing the bird between your legs with its head forward, with your thumb under the bill and forefinger back of head. Insert the knife just back of the jaw bone with the cutting edge of the blade toward the neck, and cut through to the opposite side. Withdraw the knife and force back the head to break the spinal cord. This has the same effect on the feather muscles as piercing the brain. After sticking, drop the bird in a barrel to prevent excess flopping. Only a few chickens should be stuck at one time as after the chickens are lifeless for a short time, they become stiff and the feathers set, making it difficult to pluck without tearing the skin. Have the scalding water 126° for springs and broilers and 130° for mature birds. A bit of salt added to the scalding water makes the feathers come out easier. Hold bird by the feet, dip in scalding water, at the same time keeping it moving, and lift out after a second or two, allowing air to strike feathers. Repeat this operation three times. Then lay on a bench and remove feathers by starting from the breast or legs. A few feathers held in the hand while removing feathers makes picking easier and prevents burning the hand.

Be careful not to scald chickens too much as this prevents the feathers from coming out easily and may cause the flesh of young birds to tear. After the feathers have been removed, dip chickens in scalding water once or twice to draw the skin tight and plump the birds. They should then be cooled in a barrel of cold water.

Drawing Poultry Remove the head with cleaver about half way between head and body. The legs are removed at the hock joints with boning knife or cut off with cleaver. The crop and windpipe can then be removed by cutting through the first layer of skin over the crop and working the crop loose before cutting it off. The windpipe can then be pulled out. Turn the bird with the legs toward you, making a cut about 3" long above the vent and draw out the gizzard and intestines. Cut the liver from the intestines, using care not to cut off the gall bladder. Care should be taken that the oil sac at the end of the back is removed and that all of the lungs, kidneys and ovaries are taken out. Any large lumps of fat should be removed from chickens that are to be canned as these resist heat penetration. Some of the jars may be filled with slices of the finest white meat for exhibits, gifts and special occasions. Others may contain the smaller pieces for fricassee, chop suey, chicken and noodles or chicken a la king. Separate jars of chicken livers and hearts may be packed. Never pack gizzards with any other pieces. It is not unusual to get the meat of a to 4 lb. chicken into a single quart jar. The meat may be left dry or may be packed with pan gravy, un-floured, or good rich chicken broth.

olds are best for canning as they have more meat in proportion to the amount of bones. Canning chicken is a very economical practice because the old chickens with their firmer meat and full flavor make better canned chicken than the young ones. Many farmers find it profitable to cull their flocks and put the excess poultry down in a pickle of Morton's Tender-Quick until they find time to can them. This not only saves feed but keeps them supplied with delicious chicken with a minimum effort.

Can Chicken O n e of Three Ways: Raw, Cooked or Cured in T e n d e r - Q u i c k Canning Poultry Raw Pack the pieces tightly into jars or cans and without covering them place the containers in boiling water and allow the contents to heat thoroughly. If preferred the containers may be put in oven at about 350° for 30 or 40 minutes until red or pink color has almost disappeared. Seal immediately and process in your pressure cooker in accordance with time and pressure instructions with each pressure cooker.

Canning Poultry The method for canning chicken can be followed for all poultry such as duck, geese, turkey and wild game birds. Legs, thighs and wings should be removed at the joints. Separate and remove the breast in one large piece, cut balance of chicken in suitable size pieces. If the legs are too long for containers cut off lower ends with a cleaver. The thighs, legs and breast, at least, of old roosters should be boned out and parboiled if they have not been kept in a pickle of Morton's TenderQuick while waiting to be canned. Plump, two-year-

Canning Cooked Poultry Put a small amount of fat in a skillet or pan, brown the pieces on all sides and heat them through. The pieces should not be rolled in flour nor should flour be used to thicken the gravy when canning chicken as it retards heat. The chicken may then be packed into cans and the cans filled with boiling gravy which can be made by adding water to the pan gravy and heating. Seal the containers while hot and process in your pressure cooker in accordance with the time and pressure instructions you received with your pressure cooker. If preferred, the chicken may be canned without the addition of the gravy. Be sure to exhaust the containers where contents were not hot when put into the containers. Glass jars should be only partially sealed before processing and immediately after they have been removed from the pressure cooker, the caps must be screwed up tight.

Fried C h i c k e n ( S p r i n g Frier) Clean in the usual manner, split lengthwise or cut into quarters. Sear in hot grease, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fry until nicely browned in the same way as preparing for the table. The canning may be done in different ways, as follows: Canning dry without removing the bones: Pack in cans, add no liquid. Exhaust 10 minutes and seal. Process No. 2 cans 60 minutes at 15 pounds pressure and No. 3 cans 75 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Canning with gravy without removing the bones: Pack in cans, fill with boiling gravy made from the pan grease by adding water, and seal. Process No. 2 cans 60 minutes at 15 pounds pressure and No. 3 cans 75 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Canning after removing bones: Cut meat from bones and pack into cans, add hot gravy. Exhaust 5 minutes if meat and gravy have cooled, and seal. Process No. 2 cans 70 minutes at 15 pounds pressure and No. 3 cans 90 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Roast Fowl Clean the fowl, wash and wipe dry. Rub with salt and spread with butter. Place in uncovered roaster with a pint of hot water, and place in hot oven. Brown thoroughly, basting frequently. Cook until done, although not entirely tender. Cut into pieces, and pack into cans. Add 1 teaspoonful salt to each pint can. Fill cans with hot gravy and seal. Process No. 2 cans 60 minutes at 15 pounds pressure and No. 3 cans 75 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Wild D u c k Dress ducks as poultry is dressed. Soak in salted water for 2 hours cupful salt to 1 gallon of cold water). Drain well and put 3 tablespoonfuls dressing in each duck. Salt outside and lay a piece of salt pork across top. Put in roasting pan, add 1 cupful hot water, brown in hot oven for 30 minutes, basting frequently. Put in No. 3 can, add 1 cupful pan gravy, and fill can to within y 2 inch of top with boiling water and seal. Process 90 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. On all of the above recipes, when cans are removed from cooker, cool quickly, then dry, label and store.

Canning Poultry that has been kept in a Pickle of Morton's Tender-Quick When poultry is killed and dressed, make a pickle by mixing \ x/2 pounds of Morton's Tender-Quick per gallon of water. The water should first be boiled and allowed to cool. Pack the dressed poultry in a clean crock or jar and pour in Tender-Quick pickle until the meat is covered. Weight the meat down to keep it under the level of the pickle. Keep the crock in a cool place until you are ready to use the chicken fresh or to can it. When you are ready to can it, process exactly as you would with fresh raw chicken or if you prefer, the chicken may be cooked before canning.

Tender-Quick Improves Flavor a n d A p p e a ranee The Tender-Quick Pickle will not only keep your chicken until you are ready to can it, but it will give the meat a fine appearance, make it firm and bring out all of its natural, delicious flavor.

What Cooking Does to Meat

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EAT is cooked to develop flavor, to make it more palatable and attractive and to sterilize it. When meat is cooked, heat melts the fat found in or around the muscle fibers so that a portion of the fat and extractives flow into the pan. Meat during cooking loses moisture and this loss is accompanied by an increasing dryness and firmness of the muscle fibers, even when the meat is submerged in water. The moisture exuded from the meat during the cooking process contains extractives, so called because they dissolve in water. These extractives carry much of the meat flavor. Extractives are found in the fat drippings of roasted meats from which gravy is generally made and in meat broth from stewed meats which is the basis of soups and stews Heat changes connective tissue to gelatin. Water is essential for the solution of gelatin. Consequently, stewing which requires water is a more efficient method of softening and improving tenderness in meat containing a large amount of connective tissue than is roasting. The longer the meat is stewed the greater the amount of connective tissue converted to gelatin; thus meats with a great deal of connective tissue should be simmered several hours. It has been found that a temperature just below the boiling point is the most efficient temperature for converting connective tissue to gelatin. Heat changes the color of the meat. When beef is cooked to the rare stage, the dull, bluish red which is characteristic of the raw meat has changed to a bright rose red. Well-done beef is brownish gray in color, and medium-rare is light pink. Well-done pork and veal have a uniform grayish color, while well-done lamb is brownish gray. Cooking meat brings about these changes rapidly and develops flavor and aromas which all of us find exceedingly appetizing.

Two Main Methods for Cooking Meat There are several terms used to describe methods of cooking meat. All of these methods may be classified under two headings: "Cooking meat for tenderness" and "Cooking tender meats." Tender cuts of meat require only enough cooking to brown the surface appetizingly and to heat the interior to just the right stage—rare, medium-rare, or well done as desired, or as suited to the kind of meat. Tender cuts are suited to cooking in dry heat. Roasting, broiling, pan-broiling, and frying are all methods of dry heat cookery. Less tender cuts require a longer cooking time at a lower temperature in moisture in order to soften the meat and change the connective tissue to gelatin. Some of the less tender cuts require additional seasoning to increase their palatability.

Methods of C o o k i n g Tender Meats Broiling Broiling is to cook directly by radiant heat, before or over hot coals, before or under a gas flame or electric unit. To pan-broil is to cook uncovered on a heated surface, such as a heavy skillet, any melted fat being poured off as it accumulates. The object in broiling or pan-broiling is to cook the meat so that the surface is appetizingly browned and the interior is cooked uniformly to the desired degree. The length of time varies with the thickness of the meat. The best way to find out if a piece of broiled or pan-broiled meat is cooked to the desired doneness is to cut a little gasli in the meat, preferably next to the bone, and look at the color. This will show you whether or not the meat is done. For very thick steaks and chops the temperature will probably need to be lowered after the steak or chop is browned. The total time for a medium done steak 1 inch in thickness is usually about 7 to 9 minutes but varies with the temperature used; steaks l Y inches in thickness require from 12 to 18 minutes or longer. An average time for lamb chops is 8 to 10 minutes and for veal 10 to 15 minutes. The guide charts for cooking meat will help you find the cuts which are especially suited for broiling.

Roasting Cooking meat in dry heat in an oven is called roasting or baking. With our modern ovens, this is much easier to manage than the old fashioned method of turning a piece of meat slowly on a spit before a fire. Tender meats, or less tender meats which have been ground (such as meat loaf) are most suitable for roasting or baking. If you will look at the charts for cooking beef, pork, and lamb, you will find certain cuts that are best suited for roasting. Roasting is the simplest method of cooking meat, but the rules are worth knowing. In roasting a solid cut or a molded meat loaf, place the meat on a rack in an open pan as this will help avoid overcooking the meat on the bottom. If the roast has a layer of fat on one side, the fat must be on top. Put no water in the pan and leave the meat uncovered. Some recommend that veal be roasted in a covered pan to avoid drying it out. The drippings do not scorch and the meat needs no basting when a moderate oven temperature of about 300 to 350 degrees F. is maintained. When roasting beef, lamb, fresh pork or a molded meat loaf, decide for yourself whether or not to sear the meat, that is, cook it in a hot oven (500 degrees F.) for

the first fifteen or twenty minutes to brown the surface. Searing adds to the attractive appearance and flavor of the outer part of the roast and starts the fat trickling down to baste the lean, but searing causes a little more shrinkage than you will get when a low to moderate temperature is used throughout the cooking period. If you do not care to sear the meat, use a constant moderate temperature throughout the entire cooking period. This causes less shrinkage and cooks the meat most evenly but it produces the least browning and requires the most time. The length of time for roasting depends on the kind of meat and the size of the piece. A rolled rib roast usually requires more time per pound for cooking than a standing rib roast of the same weight. This is probably because a rolled roast is more compact in shape. Pork roasts require a longer cooking time because of a possible infection with trichina. The trichina parasite is destroyed when pork is thoroughly cooked through. Approximate times for roasting meats are usually given as a certain number of minutes per pound ranging from 16 minutes per pound for rare beef to 30 minutes per pound or more for pork.

When to Salt a Roast There is a difference of opinion about the proper time to salt roasts. It is commonly supposed that salt tends to draw out the juices. Recent research shows, however, that salt does not penetrate to any considerable depth in that short period of time and the effect of its presence on roasting losses is negligible. Most Home Economists recommend that roasts be salted at the rate of one teaspoonful per pound at the beginning of the roasting period.

When to Baste a Roast To baste means to wet the surface of the meat with the fat drippings. Basting is a practice which might be expected to promote juiciness, but roasts that have been placed in the pan with the fat side up have enough fat to baste themselves. Strips of fat used for covering or larding roasts are probably more effective in improving flavor than basting. Veal and lamb which has little natural fat or which has not been larded should be basted with fat in pan every 15 or 20 minutes. A small amount of water in the pan is sometimes needed when roasting lamb. HOW

LONG TO COOK VARIOUS K I N D S OF

Kind of Meat

Degree of Doneness

Time per Pound

Oven Temperature

Cured pork Well-done 25 minutes 250° F. Fresh pork Well-done 30 minutes 300°-350° Beef Rare 16 minutes 400°-425° Beef Medium-done 22 minutes 400°-425° Beef 30 minutes 400°-425° Well-done 25 minutes 250°-275° Veal Well-done 35 minutes 275°-300° Lamb Well-done

F. F. F. F. F. F.

MEAT

""Interior Temperature at which Meat is Done

160°-175° 170°-185° 124°-135° 140°-149° 158°-167° 149° F. 158° F.

F. F. F. F. F.

*These readings are for use with a roast meat thermometer and should not be confused with oven temperatures.

Methods of C o o k i n g Less T e n d e r Meats Braising usually means searing meat in a small amount of fat until nicely browned and then cooking with a small amount of moisture in a covered container until tender. Searing browns the meat, develops a characteristic surface flavor attributed to the decomposition of fat and extractives exuded from the meat, and starts the cooking. Some of the more familiar braised meat dishes are: pot roasts, Swiss steaks, veal fricassee, veal birds, lamb casserole, rolled flank steaks and pork rolls. Covered oven roasts such as stuffed heart, or a covered roast of veal, may also be considered as braised meats. Simmering.—To simmer meat, just enough water to cover the meat should be used and the water should be held at a temperature just below the boiling point. Actual boiling should be avoided as it tends to toughen the meat. Simmering for a long time slowly changes the tough connective tissue to gelatin which is soluble in water. It is this gelatin in soup stock that gives it a jelly-like consistency when cold. When meat is cooked by simmering, most of the extractives (substances that give meat its good flavor) are left in the broth, and it is a good plan to use the broth in making gravies or for cooking vegetables. When vegetables are added to meat when it is simmered, it is called a stew. Vegetables should be added when the meat is almost done. Vegetables that require a longer cooking time, such as potatoes, parsnips and turnips are added first. Later, vegetables such as peas, carrots, celery, and cabbage which require a shorter cooking period are added. A meat pie is made by covering a vegetable stew with baking powder biscuit dough and baking in an oven.

Making Soup Stock Cuts which contain much gristle and bone may be used for most meat stocks. The tough, much used muscles in such cuts are unusually rich in flavoring materials. In making soup stock, the aim is to extract as much flavor and other soluble material as possible. Long simmering is the way to do this. Cutting the meat in small pieces will help because the water in which meat is cooked can then dissolve out more material than when the pieces are large. Sometimes a part of the meat is browned before simmering to give added color and flavor. Scraps of cooked meat can be used in addition to the fresh meat. Cold water is added to the meat and bone. Adding about 1 teaspoonful of salt to each quart of water and letting the meat and bone stand not over one half hour before heating helps to extract the juices. Heat slowly to the simmering point, and simmer three or four hours. When the meat is tender, add any desired savory vegetables and seasoning and cook them just long enough to secure the flavor. Next remove the bones. If desired, strain the broth.

Appetizing Dishes From Left-Overs

M

ANY "left-overs" that are now served in unappetizing "warmed-up" form can be made into delicious dishes if more attention is given to correct seasoning. Seasoning gives character and quality to food, enhancing natural flavor, or actually creating flavor where it is lacking. Seasoning plays a very important part in meat cookery, and especially in the use of the cheaper, less tender cuts, and in the preparation of "left-overs." Odds and ends of soup meat, steaks, roasts, and chops which have lost their original flavor are far too valuable to be thrown away, yet when served as "warmed-up" dishes they seldom meet with approval. With the aid of Morton's Meat & Poultry Seasoning "left-overs" can easily be made into delicious dishes which will please every member of the family, but which will neither look nor taste like "left-overs." Bread stuffings made savory and delicious with Morton's Seasoning need not be limited to poultry but can be used to excellent advantage in the preparation of round and flank steaks, shoulder roasts of lamb, veal, and pork, and other meats. Stuffings also serve the purpose of making meat go farther as they are generally well liked. The thrifty housewife will find the use of stuffings, which have been seasoned with just the right amount of Morton's Seasoning, a happy solution to the question of serving a variety of economical yet appealing meat dishes. Morton's Meat & Poultry Seasoning is truly an allpurpose Seasoning. It contains Salt, spices, peppers, and all the ingredients necessary to make foods more appetizing and their preparation easier. There was a time when housewives who were aware of the importance of correct seasoning in meat cookery were obliged to keep on their shelves and experiment with a large and expensive assortment of spices, herbs, and condiments. A "pinch of this" and a "dash of t h a t " often produced delicious dishes for a few women but for the vast majority of women proper seasoning was a "hit or miss" affair. Morton's Meat & Poultry Seasoning was created to help simplify cooking. It is complete in one handy package—nothing to add or mix— and perfectly blended to improve a variety of meat dishes. When you use this famous seasoning you help banish guesswork from your kitchen . . . and for

converting "left-overs" into appetizing dishes, there is nothing that equals it. Meat L o a f a n d Variations "Meat Loaf" describes a mixture of highly seasoned chopped meat and crumbs, baked in a loaf or roll. A meat loaf may be made of one kind or a combination of left over cooked meats (see Savory Meat Loaf) or of one kind or a combination of uncooked meats. Cooked meats should not be combined with uncooked meats in the same loaf. I t may be served hot or cold. Meat loaf offers many possibilities for using inexpensive meats and with careful preparation and just the right seasoning will be attractive in appearance and appetizing to taste. The accompanying sauce plays an important part in adding interest. Any one of a variety of sauces, such as brown mushroom sauce, tomato sauce, and horseradish sauce may be used. Combination M e a t L o a f 1 lb. each of beef, veal, and pork, ground C. cracker or stale bread crumbs

1 small onion (finely chopped) 1 egg

\}/2 t b s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Mix all ingredients together, form into a loaf, and bake hours in a moderate oven (350°). Serve hot or cold. Veal Loaf 3 lbs. ground veal lb. ground ham or salt pork y 2 c. soft stale bread crumbs 2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. minced onion 1 tbsp. minced parsley 1 egg, slightly beaten 3^ c. meat stock or milk

t b s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Combine materials, mix thoroughly and add meat stock or milk to moisten. Pack firmly into a bread pan. Bake 13^ hours in a moderate oven (350°). Remove from pan and serve with tomato sauce. Beef L o a f 3 lbs. round steak (ground) 13^ c. soft stale bread crumbs

1 small onion, cut fine 1 tbsp. chopped parsley 1 egg slightly beaten

lJda t b s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Mix all ingredients together. Shape in a roll, place on rack in roast pan. If desired, place several bacon slices across top. Bake in a moderate oven (350°) about one hour. Serve with brown mushroom sauce.

Brown Mushroom S a u c e 4 tbsp. butter or other f a t 4 tbsp. flour 2 c. meat stock

1 tbsp. minced onion 3 4 t s p . MORTON'S SALT

34 lb. mushroom caps

Cook onion in butter or other fat. Add flour and salt. Cook until brown. Add meat stock, cook 2 minutes and strain. Peel and slice mushrooms and cook 5 minutes in a small amount of butter or other fat. Add to brown gravy and serve very hot. This is especially good with beef loaf or veal loaf. Savory Meat L o a f 3 c. soup meat or any left-over cooked meat (chopped) 1 c. meat stock or strained tomato

2 c. soft stale crumbs 1 tsp. finely chopped onion

1 t b s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Combine meat, crumbs, onion and seasoning. Add stock or tomato. Press into a greased pan and bake 35 or 40 minutes in a moderate oven (350°). Serve with hot horseradish sauce. Hot Horseradish S a u c e 3 tbsp. butter or other fat 3 tbsp. flour 1 c. hot meat stock

34 c. milk 3 tbsp. prepared horseradish

3 4 t s p . MORTON'S SALT

Melt butter or other fat, add flour and salt. Add stock and milk gradually. Cook well and add horseradish just before serving. Serve very hot. H a m b u r g Steaks Select a cut of round steak (about 1 lb.) and put through a food chopper. Add 2 tsp. Morton's Seasoning and 1 tsp. finely minced onion or a few drops of onion juice. Mix well and shape into cakes of uniform size. Put into a greased skillet and cook slowly at first, then more rapidly until well browned. Remove from pan. Add more fat if necessary and make a brown gravy by using 1 tbsp. flour to 1 tbsp. fat and 1 c. meat stock or water. Add Morton's Salt to taste, pour over steaks and serve. Hamburger sandwiches are especially nice for picnics and Sunday suppers. Prepare as above—making cakes larger and flatter. Broil in skillet or on grill over open fire. Serve between slices of bread buttered or unbuttered.

Round Steak with Dressing 1 round steak cut 34 inch thick (about 2 lbs.) 3 c. crumbs made from stale bread 1 small onion (finely chopped) 2 tbsp. melted butter or other fat 24 c. water 1 t b s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Combine last 5 ingredients. Pound steak, spread dressing on one half and fold the other half over it. Sew or skewer along the edges. Dredge with 4 tbsp. flour and 3^ tsp. Morton's Seasoning. Brown in fat, place in baking dish

or roast pan, add a little water or tomato juice and bake in a moderate oven (350°) for about 2 hours. Flank steak, chuck steak, or veal steak may be used instead of the round. Escalloped Meat a n d Vegetables 1 c. chopped soup meat or any left-over cooked meat 1 c. cooked cabbage 1 c. cooked string beans 1 c. buttered crumbs

1 1 1 1

c. c. c. c.

cooked carrots cooked turnips cooked potatoes meat stock or tomato juice

2 t s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Make a layer of cabbage in bottom of greased baking dish. Then add remaining vegetables (diced) in layers. (The kinds and amounts of vegetables may be varied.) Add part of the stock or tomato juice. Spread meat seasoned with Morton's Seasoning over the top. Add remaining liquid and cover with crumbs and bake in a moderate oven (350°) until reheated and crumbs are well browned. Pork Chops En Casserole 4 pork chops (about 1 lb.) sprinkled with 2 tsp. of MORTON'S SEASONING

1 c. fine bread crumbs 2 c. strained tomato F a t drippings

Trim off excess fat from pork chops. Roll them in bread crumbs to which 3^ tsp. Seasoning has been added. Fry in skillet until brown. Then place in a casserole or baking dish, add strained tomato and cook in slow oven (300°) for 2 hours. Meat a n d Spaghetti Casserole 134 c. spaghetti 1 c. milk 1 egg (well beaten) J4 c. meat gravy or white sauce

1 c. chopped cooked meat 1 small onion (finely chopped) 1 c. buttered crumbs 2 t s p . M O R T O N ' S SEASONING

Break spaghetti into small pieces and cook in rapidly boiling salted water until tender. Drain, add milk and cook slowly until milk is absorbed. Add egg and meat gravy or white sauce. Arrange meat and spaghetti in layers in a greased baking dish and add crumbs. Place in a pan of hot water and bake in a moderate oven (350°) until firm. Serve with tomato sauce.

V e a l Birds lbs. veal cutlets (cut thin) 1 tbsp. melted butter 1 pt. meat stock or water 1 tbsp. chopped parsley

1 c. soft bread crumbs 1 tbsp. flour 4 slices bacon or 4 tbsp. bacon fat

1 t b s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Cut veal into strips 3 inches long and 2 inches wide. Make a stuffing with Morton's Seasoning, crumbs and butter. Spread on veal strips, roll and tie or skewer. Roll in the flour and brown in bacon fat. Remove meat, add 2 tbsp. flour to fat in pan and brown. Add meat stock or water and parsley. Return veal to pan, cover and simmer until tender. Beef Birds Beef birds are prepared the same as veal birds, using round steak cut thin instead of veal cutlets.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Select 6 pieces tenderloin, cut lfA to 2 inches thick. Cut a slit in the side to form a pocket. Fill this with dressing made as follows: l j ^ c. soft bread crumbs V2 c. chopped celery 1 small onion chopped

2 tbsp. bacon f a t A c. meat stock or water

2 t s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Lightly brown onion in bacon fat. Add crumbs, celery and Seasoning. Moisten with stock or water and mix well. Place a portion of stuffing in each pocket and skewer with toothpicks or small skewers. Season each piece with Morton's Seasoning (allow 1 tsp. Seasoning for the 6 pieces). Brown on both sides in bacon fat. Cover and cook slowly until tender, turning several times. Make a gravy of fat in pan (2 tbsp. flour to each 2 tbsp. fat and a cup of water), add Morton's Salt to taste and pour over the meat.

Stuffed Peppers 6 2 3 1

sweet green peppers c. cooked meat (chopped) tbsp. flour small onion (finely chopped)

3 tbsp. butter or other f a t IA c - m e a t stock or milk llA c. buttered crumbs 2 tsp. MORTON'S SEASONING

Cut tops from peppers. Remove seeds and parboil 5 minutes. Make a sauce with butter or other fat, flour, Morton's Seasoning, and meat stock or milk. Add chopped onion and meat and fill peppers with this mixture. Cover with buttered crumbs. Place in a baking dish and cover bottom with water. Bake in a hot oven (400°) until crumbs are brown. Cottage Pie c

1 c. minced cooked meat

lA

1 c. m e a t s t o c k or g r a v y

2 t s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

- mashed potato

Mix meat, gravy and Seasoning. Cover bottom of greased baking dish with mashed potato. Add the meat mixture and spread over it the remaining mashed potato. Bake in hot oven (400°) long enough to thoroughly reheat. If desired, sliced cold cooked potatoes may be used instead of mashed potatoes.

Swedish Meat Balls 1 lb. round steak, chopped

A c. stale bread crumbs

1 egg, s l i g h t l y b e a t e n

2 t s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Combine materials and make into balls inches in diameter. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Brown balls in 2 tbsp. of bacon fat. Remove from frying pan and add 2 tbsp. flour. Stir until well blended and add 2 c. meat stock or water. Cook until smooth, add Morton's Salt to taste, add balls, cover and simmer 13^ hours. Serve with dumplings, steamed rice or spaghetti. Sauerbraten ( G e r m a n Pot Roast) Pot Roast cut from chuck or round (5 to 6 lbs.). 1 pt. vinegar

Piece of suet l A

t b s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Cleanse meat with damp cloth. Pat in the Seasoning. Cover with vinegar to which has been added an equal amount of water. Let stand in refrigerator several hours—preferably over night —turning once or twice. To cook, remove from vinegar and drop into a hot iron kettle (which has been well greased with the suet) to brown on both sides. Add 1 c. water and cook very slowly, at simmering point, until tender (about 3 hours). If desired, the following vegetables may be added 1 hour before meat is done: 8 slices of carrots, 2 sprigs of parsley and 1 onion sliced. When meat is tender, remove all to a hot platter, and make gravy by blending 3 tbsp. flour with 3 tbsp. fat in kettle, and adding 3 c. water. Add Morton's Salt to taste. Swiss Steak R o u n d s t e a k (1 lb.)

A t b s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Cut steak into pieces for serving. Rub in the Seasoning, roll in 3 tbsp. flour and brown in 2 tbsp. hot fat in frying pan. When well browned add enough hot water to cover and simmer about 1 hour. Remove meat to hot platter and pour the gravy over it. Add Morton's Salt to taste.

Meat Croquettes 1 c. white sauce made with 3 tbsp. butter or other fat, 3 tbsp. flour and 1 c. milk 2 c. chopped cooked meat 1 tsp. lemon juice y tbsp. chopped parsley 1 egg (for dipping) 1 t b s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Mix meat, Morton's Seasoning, lemon juice, and white sauce, add parsley. Spread on a plate to cool. Shape into croquettes. Roll each croquette in fine crumbs, dip in egg, slightly beaten, and again in crumbs. Fry in deep fat. Any meat or mixture of meats may be used. H a m Timbales

Baked H a m Select a 10 to 12 lb. ham. Wash thoroughly, cover with cold water and soak over night, 8 to 12 hours. (Soaking may be omitted, but ham will be less tender.) Remove from water, cover with cold water, bring slowly to boiling point and simmer until tender. Allow ham to cool in water in which it was cooked. Remove from water, and take off skin. Score the fat side with diagonal gashes about 1 inch apart. Rub with 2 tbsp. Morton's Seasoning. Insert whole cloves at each crosssection. Cover with fine dry bread crumbs using 3 tbsp. brown sugar to each cup of crumbs. Bake 1 hour in a moderate oven (350°). Serve with raisin sauce or pickled spiced pears. Raisin S a u c e % c. brown sugar \ y c. hot water }/2 c. vinegar

3 tbsp. cornstarch 2 tbsp. butter V2 c. raisins (cut in halves)

1 f e w g r a i n s o f M O R T O N ' S SALT

Combine sugar and cornstarch, add hot water, and cook 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Serve very hot. Spiced B a k e d H a m 12 to 15 pound ham 1 teaspoon mustard y 2 cup brown sugar

y teaspoon paprika y cup vinegar 6 red apples whole cloves

Wash and scrape the ham thoroughly and soak it overnight in a large pan with cold water to cover. In the morning wipe the ham dry. Place the ham fat side up, and cover. Bake in a slow oven (300 degrees F) allowing about 25 to 30 minutes to the pound. When more than half done, remove the rind. Sprinkle the fat surface with mustard and paprika, add the vinegar and continue to cook, basting frequently. About % hour before serving, sprinkle fat surface with brown sugar, dot with whole cloves. Place the washed and cored apples around and continue baking uncovered without basting. A half ham can also be fixed in this same manner.

2 tbsp. butter or other fat c. stale bread crumbs % c. milk

2 eggs y tbsp. chopped parsley 1 c. chopped ham

1 t s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Melt butter or other fat, add crumbs and milk and cook 5 minutes—stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Add ham, parsley, seasoning and eggs, slightly beaten. Turn into greased molds. Place in pan of hot water and bake in a moderate oven (350°) until firm. Serve with mustard sauce. Mustard S a u c e 2)/£ tbsp. flour 1 tsp. mustard y

t s p . MORTON'S SALT

1 tsp. sugar

y 2 1 2

c. water tbsp. vinegar egg yolk slightly beaten tsp. b u t t e r

Mix flour, mustard, salt and sugar in top of doubleboiler. Add water and vinegar slowly to form a smooth paste. Add butter and cook over hot water until thick, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add egg yolk and cook 2 minutes. Serve very hot with Ham Timbales. Makes about 1 cup of sauce.

Stuffed O n i o n s Remove skins from six good sized onions. Parboil ten minutes in boiling salted water (enough to completely cover). Drain and turn upside down to cool. Remove a portion of the centers of onions and fill cavities with a mixture prepared as follows: Combine 1 c. chopped cooked meat, 1 c. stale soft bread crumbs, with onion centers finely chopped and Y tsp. Morton's Seasoning. If desired, moisten mixture with meat stock, melted butter or other fat. Place in a shallow baking dish and cover bottom with water. Sprinkle with buttered crumbs, and bake in a moderate oven (350°) until onions are tender. Serve on rounds of buttered toast. Stuffed onions, served around a mound of noodles or spaghetti with tomato sauce makes a very decorative and appetizing dish. This is a splendid recipe for "leftovers." Start with it and you will continue to use and enjoy Morton's Seasoning. Tomato S a u c e 3 tbsp. butter or other fat 3 tbsp. flour 1 tbsp. minced onion

Yz t s p . M O R T O N ' S S A L T

Ys tsp. pepper 2 c. canned tomatoes

Cook onion in butter or other fat until slightly browned. Add flour, seasoning and tomatoes which have been strained and heated. Roast C h i c k e n Select a chicken weighing about 4 lbs. Dress, clean, stuff and truss. Rub entire surface with 1 tbsp. Morton's Seasoning, and Yl tbsp. Morton's Salt. Place it on its back on rack in roast pan. Place in a hot oven (400°) for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375° and baste every 10 minutes until tender. (A 4-lb. chicken will require about 1 Yl hours.) For basting, use Y c. butter melted in Y c. hot water.

H a m Pafties c

- cooked ham (ground) \ y 2 c. mashed potato 1 egg—beaten slightly

6 tbsp. rich milk Y tsp. finely chopped onion 2 t s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Combine materials. Mix well. Put into buttered custard cups or timbale moulds. Place in a pan of water and bake 15 minutes in a hot oven (400°). Serve with tomato sauce. Meat Pie Cut cold steak, roast beef or other cooked meat into 1-inch cubes. Cover with boiling water or meat stock. Add one half of a small onion (finely chopped) and cook slowly until tender. Make gravy by thickening with flour mixed with cold water (2 tbsp. flour for each cup of liquid in kettle). Add a tbsp. Morton's Seasoning and a few cold cooked potatoes cut in thick slices. Put all into pudding dish, cool and cover with a crust made of baking powder biscuit dough. Bake about 20 minutes in a hot oven (400°) until crust is a nice brown. Roast T u r k e y For roast turkey, follow the same general directions as given for roast chicken. Rub entire outside and inside with Morton's Seasoning, using about 2 tbsp. for the outside and 1 tbsp. for the inside. For stuffing and gravy use about double the quantities for roast chicken. Allow 15 to 18 minutes per pound for a young bird and 20 to 25 minutes per pound for a mature bird. Bread Stuffing l Y qt. soft bread crumbs (made of bread 1 day old)

4 tbsp. butter c. hot water

1 t b s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Melt butter, add water and pour slowly over crumbs to which Seasoning has been added. Mix lightly with fork until materials are well blended. Giblet G r a v y Pour liquid from roast pan. Skim off 4 tbsp. fat. Return to pan, add 4 tbsp. flour and brown. Add remaining liquid from roast pan and stock in which giblets have been cooked (there should be 2 c. in all). Cook well, add Salt to taste and giblets finely chopped.

S a u s a g e Surprise Make small thin patties of homemade sausage meat. Fry until well done, but not crisp. Make a baking powder biscuit dough, roll thin and cut into 4-inch circles. On one-half of each circle place a sausage patty, fold over the other half, press the edges together and bake until the biscuit dough is well done. A cream gravy made from fat left in the pan in which sausage was fried should be served with this dish. Escalloped S a u s a g e a n d Corn 1 lb. pork sausage (See the recipe for Home-made Pork Sausage)

1 can corn 2 tsp. MORTON'S SEASONING

Combine materials, place in a casserole or baking dish and bake in a slow oven (300°) for l j ^ hours. This is an easy and delicious dish to prepare for supper or luncheon.

S a u s a g e Appetizers A r e Popular at Parties Use the recipe for home-made pork sausage. Flour a molding board and rolling pin. Roll out the sausage to a quarter inch in thickness, as you would pie crust. Cut with small cutter (one inch in diameter), and fry slowly. Drain and serve on small round crackers or thin toast. A slice of stuffed olive or bit of pimento may be added for color. These tiny rounds of sausage make an attractive garnish for a roast. Make very small baking powder biscuits (about inches in diameter). Bake, split and fill with a thin patty of cooked sausage prepared according to above directions. Serve hot. Make very tiny sausage balls—cook slowly until well done. They should be well browned. Spear with a tooth-pick and serve with a slice of stuffed olive. Make very small, rather thick, baking powder biscuits. Hollow out center and fill with cooked sausage meat. Mix cooked sausage meat and chopped pickles. Cut whole wheat bread in small rounds (about 2 inches in diameter). Spread lightly with melted butter, fill with sausage mixture and press firmly together. Toast on both sides and serve very hot.

Sausage Loaf 2 lbs. sausage 1 egg, slightly beaten

1 c. bread crumbs Y c. milk or water

4 t s p . MORTON'S SEASONING

Mix sausage and Seasoning thoroughly. Add remaining materials, mix well, and shape into a roll. Place in roast pan and bake in a moderate oven (350°) 13^ hours, basting occasionally. Serve with apple rings or macaroni and tomato sauce.

Baked Apples and Sausage Core and peel 6 good cooking apples. Stuff the centers with seasoned fresh pork sausage. Sprinkle each with Y CU P sugar. Add about 1 cup of water, cover, and bake until tender. Baste frequently. S a u s a g e on Toasf % cup of dry sausage tablespoons butter }/2 small onion, minced 2 tablespoons flour

% CU P cream or rich milk Yl teaspoon salt Y teaspoon paprika

Cook the onion in the butter until slightly brown, stirring constantly. Add flour and when well blended, add the milk gradually, while stirring. Bring to boiling —add chopped sausage and seasoning. Serve hot over buttered slices of toast. S a u s a g e a n d Corn Fritters 1 cup sausage (ground or finely minced) 2^4 cups corn 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder

13^ teaspoons salt 34 teaspoon paprika 2 eggs

Chop corn, drain and add dry sifted ingredients; then add sausage and yolks of eggs beaten until thick and whites of eggs beaten stiff. Cook in deep fat. Drain on paper. S u n d a y Morning S a u s a g e s 12 sausages, link or patties 6 triangles toast

2 tablespoons flour 13^ cups crushed pineapples

Fry the sausages until brown. Toast the triangles of bread. To 2 tablespoons of fat left in the pan after cooking the sausage add the flour and brown. Then add the crushed pineapple, stirring constantly until it reaches the boiling point. Pour pineapple mixture over the toast and place 2 sausages on each triangle.

T

HE secret of fine meat curing and sausage making is the quality of the cure itself and the seasoning. Exactly the right ingredients all properly proportioned and blended—this is what makes meat curing and sausage making a pleasure and a success. There is no other way like the MORTON WAY—Morton's products are scientifically made to do a perfect job of meat curing and sausage making.

Printed in U. S. A,

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