Pork packing

“ The party went to the great pork-packing establishment. Here the poor pig has hardly a chance to squeal between his easy rural life and sausage meat. The name of Mr. P. D. Armour is associated with an industry, or business, such as the good New England farmer never dreamed of in his simple life, when two pigs, killed after an heroic struggle, were the supply for his frugal pork barrel. ”

“ The freezing of meats such as beef and poultry, and holding them to a desirable season has rapidly become an important factor in packing house work. Not only beef, poultry, butter and other food products are accumulated, but pork cuts, such as hams, shoulders, bellies, etc., are frozen and carried indefinitely or until it appears desirable to thaw and cure them. ”

“ The investment capital used in pork packing is much greater than for beef, for in slaughtering cattle there is comparatively little left that requires storage, but in slaughtering hogs fully seventy per cent of the carcass goes into the curing department, to stay from thirty to ninety days; consequently a much larger and more expensive set of buildings is required than for slaughtering cattle. ”

“ Hog killing and pork making on the farm have become almost lost arts in these days of mammoth packing establishments which handle such enormous numbers of swine at all seasons of the year. Yet the progressive farmer of to-day should not only provide his own fresh and cured pork for family use, but also should be able to supply at remunerative prices such persons in his neighborhood as appreciate the excellence and general merit of country or “homemade” pork product. ”

“ Every one thinks of pork in connection with Cincinnati. We had the curiosity to visit one of the celebrated pork-making establishments, "The Banner Slaughter and Pork-packing House," which, being the newest, contains all the improved apparatus. In this establishment, hogs weighing five or six hundred pounds are killed, scraped, dressed, cut up, salted, and packed in a barrel, in twenty seconds, on an average ”

“ If packing fresh beef and pork hearts, head meat, beef and pork cheek meat, giblet and weasand meat, they should be thoroughly washed in a mild pickle so as to remove the blood and slime before packing in the tierce. Head, cheek, and giblet meat should not be put into ice water when cut off on the killing floor, but should be promptly removed to a cooler where the temperature is 33° to 36° F., and spread or hung up on racks to refrigerate. ”

“ Shipping Ages. —The table on next page gives what is considered the age, in days, at which different kinds and weights of sweet pickled hams and sides are cured sufficiently to smoke; also at which different kinds of barrel pork are cured sufficiently to be sold; also the cuts which should and should not be pumped.
Second Pickle. —A wasteful practice in packing houses, is to throw away pickle as soon as the meat is cured. ”

“ Under the conditions then existing there was little of the hog sold fresh, for being killed as they were, in isolated places, there was little opportunity to make it available for general consumption, consequently fresh pork was sold only in the immediate vicinity of the slaughtering place and it was necessary to cure the balance. ”

“ Good to prime hogs, when cut up into pork, hams, shoulders and lard, will dress out 73 to 75 per cent, according to the testimony of the large packing concerns. That is, for every 100 lbs. live weight, it is fair to estimate 73 to 75 lbs. of product of the classes named. If cut into ribs instead of pork, prime hogs would net 70 to 72 per cent, while those which are not prime run as low as 65 per cent. ”

“ The hog is split through the center of the back-bone, after the shoulders and hams are removed, about six inches wide, and are packed 190 pounds to the barrel, but it is supposed to weigh 200 pounds when sold; the gain of pickle making up the difference in weight. When it is six months old, it will, weigh more than 200 pounds, and if repacked will make 104 to 105 barrels per 100 barrels when packed, and should be repacked at 200 pounds. When a number of pieces is not specified, mess pork is packed from eleven to fifteen pieces per barrel. ”

“ The following test will show the shrinkage on 100 pieces of dried beef hams, also the shrinkage each twenty-four hours after:
SHRINKAGE ON DRIED BEEF.
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Packages. —The packing of meats for shipment is best done in open type barrels or crates. Fancy meats should not be packed to exceed one hundred pounds per box so as not to injure the shape.
Skipper Fly. —The skipper, the larvae in the life cycle of a fly is the one pest needing close watching in a smoke house. This fly does not attack either green or salted meats, but will select a piece of pork ham in preference to a beef ham. ”

“ There’s just about one thing in which they agree with us, and that is on the question of pork. They are very fond of this, and you have all read, no doubt, the story told by Charles Lamb of the Chinese peasant whose cabin was burned, together with a pig who had shared it with the family. His despair at the loss of the pig was soon turned to rejoicing when he smelled the savory odor of roast pork and learned for the first time how good it was. But, outside of that, we don’t have much in common. They care very little for beef or mutton. ”

“ The object of first crumbing is to dry the surface that egg may cling to it; and where a thin coating is desired flour is often used in place of crumbs.
Larding is introducing small pieces of fat salt pork or bacon through the surface of uncooked meat. The flavor of lean and dry meat is much improved by larding; tenderloin of beef (fillet) , grouse, partridge, pigeon, and liver are often prepared in this way. Pig pork being firm, is best for larding. Pork should be kept in a cold place that it may be well chilled. Remove rind and use the part of pork which lies between rind and vein. ”

“ Brisket and flank, used for pickling in salt and smoked bacon.
The cheek is used for pickling in salt, also the shank or shin. The feet are usually used for souse and jelly.
For family use the leg is the most economical, that is when fresh, and the loin the richest. The best pork is from carcasses weighing from fifty to about one hundred and twenty-five pounds. Pork is a white and close meat, and it is almost impossible to over-roast or cook it too much; when underdone it is exceedingly unwholesome. ”

“ They must be cut thin; the coals must be bright and hot; and the meat turned very often. Serve on a hot platter.
Fried Pork.—For frying, pork should not be cut [Pg 280] over a half an inch thick: Cook slowly from forty minutes to an hour, with the pan closely covered, to keep in the steam. Pork requires a long, slow process to develop its flavor and tenderness. Nearly everyone cooks it too fast, and for too short a time. When thoroughly steamed and nicely seasoned with salt, pepper, sage and a little onion, well fed pork is as toothsome and dainty as turkey. ”

“ Slice half a pound of fat salt pork very thin and bind with soft strings over the breasts and upper parts of the bodies. Lay in a dripping-pan; pour in a cup of boiling water, and roast one hour in a good oven, basting often. Then clip the strings, lay the pork in the pan; dredge the chickens with flour, and, as this colors, baste once with butter, and twice afterwards with gravy. When the chickens are done to a fine brown, lay upon a hot dish with the pork about them. Strain and skim the gravy, pepper it, thicken with a little browned flour and serve in a boat. ”

“ The system of bacon curing has completely changed of late, as has the cutting up of the pig for curing; now the pig is merely divided down the back, the head is cut off, the shoulder bone taken out, and the backbone and the major part of the lean meat is taken off. When the side of pork has brine or pickle forced into it by means of what are termed force pumps, the sides are then packed on each other, a layer of salt, etc. being used between each side. ”

“ When of a fine brown, and tender and done all through, cover the edges of a large, flat china dish with fresh green parsley and place the pig, kneeling, in the center of the dish. Place in its mouth a red apple, or an ear of green corn, and serve hot with the gravy; or serve cold with grated horse-radish and pickle. Roast pig ought to be evenly cooked, through and through, as underdone pork of any kind, size or age is exceedingly unwholesome. It ought also to be evenly and nicely browned on the outside, as the tender skin when cooked is crisp and palatable. ”

“ To be at any time fit for table, pork must be perfectly sweet, and thoroughly cooked; great attention also should be given to it when it is in pickle, for if any part of it be long exposed to the air, without being turned into, or well and frequently basted with the brine, it will often become tainted during the process of curing it.
TO MELT LARD. Strip the skin from the inside fat of a freshly killed and well-fed pig; slice it small and thin; put it into a new or well-scalded jar, set it into a pan of boiling water, and let it simmer over a clear fire. ”

“ Pork should never be bought except from a butcher whose honesty you are sure of, and who knows where the pork was fattened. It is not a very healthful meat at the best, and none should be used unless corn-fed. There is much bad or diseased pork sold, and it is very dangerous food. If the flesh feels flabby or clammy to the touch, it is not good, and should not on any account be used. If there are kernels in the fat, let it alone. The fat should be hard, the lean white and fine in the grain, and the rind thin and smooth. ”

“ It is not essential that the meat or fish should be fresh. I have seen pig meat eaten after three days' decomposition. Neither is the rawness an impediment, for it is customary in certain localities to eat pork absolutely raw, for ceremonial reasons. Besides pork, venison, and fish, an occasional wild chicken or other bird snared in the forest, or a hornbill killed with an arrow, helps to keep his larder supplied. ”

“ During the last ten days or fortnight, the feeding may be pushed, and more barley-meal, pea-meal, and milk allowed. Too many pigs should not be kept together in the same sty, nor should they be of unequal ages, as the larger are apt to persecute their younger co-mates, and drive them from the trough. Porkers are killed at different ages, varying from about three months to seven months old. We consider that the true dairy-fed pork is in perfection when the animal does not exceed the age of about three months, or ranges from three to four months. ”

“ Our American meats are as a rule heavy, rich in fat and in marked contrast with the light, mild, sweet flavored pork well streaked with lean, found so generally in the English market and cured primarily in Ireland and Denmark. What is wanted is a long, lean, smooth, bacon hog something after the Irish hog. Here is a hint for our American farmers.
England can justly boast of her hams and bacon, but for sweet, tender, lean pork the Normandy hogs probably have no superior in the world. They are fed largely on meat-producing food, as milk, peas, barley, rye and wheat bran. ”

“ If it is desired to store the pork for a long time, it should be left in the strong brine and in order to freshen it so that it will not be so salty, the pork should be washed in fresh water. It is best to handle one barrel at a time as it is to be sold or used in the market. The water in which the pork is soaked should be as cold as possible; in fact, it would do no harm to put a little ice in it. By allowing the pickled pork to soak in the fresh water, a great deal of the salt will be drawn from the meat. ”

“ Farm-kitchen refuse is harmless when mixed with milk and greens, but porkers fed on city swill and garbage do not yield palatable meat.
Pigs seldom have fair play. Most farmers lower the value of the pork they raise by not giving the animals fresh air, sunshine, some exercise, and clean sties. ”

“ There are various makes of prepared flours in the market, under as many various names. As a rule they are very handy to the camper, as they are put up in small packages, by which the necessity (65) of breaking out a large package is avoided, and they also avert some mistakes of omission common to men doing work they are not accustomed to do.
Fils-d’une-chienne:—Fry out the fat from some salt pork. Soak hard-tack in water till it is soft. Drop it in the hot fat and cook.
SOUPS. Beef Stew:—Take 1 pound of lean meat, wash clean, and put it in cold water over a slow fire. ”

“ The alterations latterly effected in the breeds of swine have tended materially to improve pork, and to render it more sought for and valued. We can recall to mind when the thought of pork was associated in our minds with visions of coarse-grained meat and oily fat, and with forebodings of a fit of indigestion. Nothing could tend more effectually to banish such fancies than a sight and taste of the small, fine-grained joints, delicate as poultry, and of excellent flavor, which have taken the place of those ungainly legs and Brobdignagian loins and hands of "olden times." ”

“ In dressing the animal for the tables of the emperors and of rich Romans they would stuff it with such delicate food as larks and nightingales and serve it with wine and rich gravies. To eat pork in such ways would seem very odd in our days.
In many countries pork is the favorite meat. We find it so in Germany and France. In Ireland every peasant raises his pig, which makes its home in the same hut with him and thinks itself one of the family. In the end the man often has to sell his pig to help him out of debt, and looks on the porker as "the gintleman that pays the rent." ”