frohe wrote:
> Nonnymus wrote:
>> I'm tempted to see if I can make a small quantity- just for the fun of
>> it- out of something readily available- a butt roast. Does anyone
>> have a good technique to make a country ham I could slice into chips
>> for morning biscuits?
>
> from frohe's recipe files
> 8 lb salt
>
> 2 lb sugar
>
> 2 oz saltpeter
>
>
>
> Prepare the mixture with extreme care. Take half of it and put the rest
> aside. Use the half you have taken to rub the meat very thoroughly all over,
> rind sides as well. Stuff salt hard into the holes where the bones come out
> in the hams and into any cavities. Success lies in getting salt into the
> meat quickly, it's a race between salt & bacteria. If the latter win, you
> may lose an awful lot of valuable meat. Unless the weather is too warm, 36°F
> or 2°C is ideal but don't let the meat freeze, if you follow these
> instructions, the bacteria won't win. Cover all surfaces with the salt and
> leave on a salting tray, or a shelf, or in a box (with holes to let the
> pickle - the juices drawn out by the salt- to drain away, with all the
> joints carefully packed on top of each other. Be careful when doing this
> first salting to put roughly the right amounts of salt on each piece; not
> too much on the thinner bacon sides, but plenty on the hams. After three
> days give another good rubbing with half the remainder of the salt (ie 1/4
> of the whole). Put the meat back in a different order to ensure even
> distribution of the salt all round. After another week, haul it out again
> and rub well with the last of the salt mixture. Put it back. Now leave it in
> the salt for 2 days per lb for big joints such as ham, and 1 1/2 days per
> pound for small joints and bacon. If you calculate on roughly a fortnight
> for a big side of bacon and three weeks ofr a large ham, you won't be far
> wrong. Take the joints out at the allotted time, scrub them lightly with
> warm water to get the loose salt off, string them and hang them up for a
> week or a fortnight in a cool dry place. Then either smoke them or not as
> the fancy takes you.
>
>
>
> Recipe from "The Complete book of Self Sufficiency" by John Seymour
>
>
>
Printed out and saved. Thanks

Nonny

--
---Nonnymus---
No matter how large your boat,
the person you are talking with will
have a close friend with a larger one.
---Observation by my son