Page:Art of Cookery 1774 edition.djvu/375



AKE care when you salt your meat in the summer that it be quite cool after it comes from the butchers; the way is, to by it on cold bricks for a few hours, and when you salt it, lay it up on an inclining board, to drain off the blood; then salt it a-fresh, add to every pound of salt half a pound of Lisbon sugar, and turn it in the pickle every day; at the month's end it will be fine: the salt which is commonly used, hardens and spoils all the meat; the right sort is that called Lowndes's salt; it comes from Nantwich in Cheshire: there is a very fine sort that comes from Malden in Essex, and from Suffolk, which is the reason of that butter being finer than any other; and if every body, would make use of that salt in potting butter, we should not have so much bad come to market; observing all the general rules of a dairy. If you keep your meat long in salt, half the quantity of sugar will do; and then bestow loaf sugar, it will eat much finer. This pickle cannot be called extravagant, because it will keep a great while; at three or four months end, boil it up; if you have no meat in the pickle, skim it, and when cold, only add a little more salt and sugar to the next meat you put in, and it will be good a twelvemonth longer.

Take a leg of mutton piece, veiny or thick flank-piece, without any bone, pickled as above, only add to every pound of salt an ounce of salt-petre; after being a month or two in the pickle, take it out, and lay it in soft water a few hours, then roast it; it eats fine. A leg of mutton, or shoulder of veal does the same. It is a very good thing where a market is at a great distance, and a large family obliged to provide a great deal of meat.

As to the pickling of hams and tongues, you have the receipt in the foregoing chapters; but use either of these fine salts, and they