head of celery, garnished fagot, two blades of mace, and four cloves, moisten
with common broth sufficient to float the ham, then set it on the stove to
braise for two hours. To obtain tenderness and sweetness in a well dressed
ham, it must never boil, but simmer gently by a slow fire. This rule ap-
plies to the braising of all salted or cured meats. When the ham is done
take the pan in which it was braised away from the fire and set to cool in
the open air, allowing the ham to remain in the braise ; by this means it
will retain all of its moisture — for when the ham is taken out of the braise
as soon as done and put on a dish to keep cool, all its richness exudes from
it. After the ham has partially cooled in its braise 5 take out and trim,
placing it in a braising pan with some of its own stock; and about one hour
before dinner put in the ovenj when warmed through, place the ham on a
baking dish in the oven to dry the surface, then glaze it; replace in the
oven again three minutes, to dry it, and glaze it again • by that time the ham
will have a bright appearance. Put it now on its dish and garnish it with
well dressed spinach, placed round the ham in tablespoonfuls, shaped like
so many eggs ; pour some bright Espagnole sauce round the base, and serve.
VIRGINIA MODE OF CURING HAMS.
Put a teaspoonful of saltpetre on the fleshy side of each ham, salt not too
heavily for five weeks ; if the weather is freezing cold, six weeks ; then
brush the hams well and rub them with hickory ashes. Let them stay for
one week, then hang and smoke them for six weeks with green hickory
chips✪ Virginia Mode of Curing Hams. After brushing, pack them in hickory ashes in a bulk.
— Mrs. P. C. M., in ^^ Housekeeping in Old Virginia."
TO CURE PORK.
First sprinkle little salt over the pork, then lay it in a vat four or five days,
then put the pork in a barrel and cover each layer with salt. The barrel
must be kept well covered. Next make a brine strong enough to float a
potato, and add to two hundred pounds of meat, two ounces of saltpetre.
FOR KEEPING CURED MEATS.
Procure a large box, cover the bottom with a layer of common field
corn (shelled) ; put a layer of the meat, another of corn, alternately, in this
way until the box is nearly filled, having a thick layer of the corn on top.
This is an excellent remedy for keeping hams, shoulders, or side meat.
The corn can be used for fattening hogs and other purposes after the meat
has all been used from the box. All who try this plan will like it.
— Mrs. Dan Rogers, Grand Cane, La,
CHAPTER IX.
POULTRY.
TO CLEAN AND TRUSS POULTRY.
The practice of sending poultry to the market undressed is one that de-
mands as earnest opposition from housekeepers as that of the adulteration
of food. The meat is rendered unfit for eating ; is sometimes infected with
poison and the increase in weight makes poultry a very expensive food.
All poultr}' should be dressed as soon as killed. The feathers come out
more easily when the fowl is warm, and when stripped .off toward the
head. If the skin be very tender, pull the feathers out the opposite way.
Use a knife to remove the pin feathers. Singe the hairs and down by
holding the fowl over a gas jet, or over a roll of lighted paper held over
the fire. Cut off the head, and if fowl is to be roasted, slip the skin back
from the neck and cut the neck off close to the body, leaving skin enough
to fold over on the back. Remove the windpipe ; pull the crop away from
the skin on the neck and breast, and cut off close to the opening into the
body. Be careful not to tear the skin. Always pull the crop out from
the end of the neck, rather than through a cut in the skin, which, if made,
has to be sewed together. Cut through the skin about two inches below
the leg joint ; bend the leg at the cut by pressing it over the edge of the
table, and break off the bone. Then pull, not cut, out the tendons.
Page 69 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1905. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
head of celery, garnished fagot, two blades of mace, and four cloves, moisten with common broth sufficient to float the ham, then set it on the stove to braise for two hours. To obtain tenderness and sweetness in a well dressed ham, it must never boil, but simmer gently by a slow fire. This rule applies to the braising of all salted or cured meats. When the ham is done take the pan in which it was braised away from the fire and set to cool in the open air, allowing the ham to remain in the braise ; by this means it will retain all of its moisture — for when the ham is taken out of the braise as soon as done and put on a dish to keep cool, all its richness exudes from it. After the ham has partially cooled in its braise; take out and trim, placing it in a braising pan with some of its own stock; and about one hour before dinner put in the ovenj when warmed through, place the ham on a baking dish in the oven to dry the surface, then glaze it; replace in the oven again three minutes, to dry it, and glaze it again • by that time the ham will have a bright appearance. Put it now on its dish and garnish it with well dressed spinach, placed round the ham in tablespoonfuls, shaped like so many eggs ; pour some bright Espagnole sauce round the base, and serve.
VIRGINIA MODE OF CURING HAMS.
Put a teaspoonful of saltpetre on the fleshy side of each ham, salt not too heavily for five weeks ; if the weather is freezing cold, six weeks ; then brush the hams well and rub them with hickory ashes. Let them stay for one week, then hang and smoke them for six weeks with green hickory chips. After brushing, pack them in hickory ashes in a bulk.
— Mrs. P. C. M., in "Housekeeping in Old Virginia."
TO CURE PORK.
First sprinkle little salt over the pork, then lay it in a vat four or five days, then put the pork in a barrel and cover each layer with salt. The barrel must be kept well covered. Next make a brine strong enough to float a potato, and add to two hundred pounds of meat, two ounces of saltpetre.
FOR KEEPING CURED MEATS.
Procure a large box, cover the bottom with a layer of common field corn (shelled) ; put a layer of the meat, another of corn, alternately, in this way until the box is nearly filled, having a thick layer of the corn on top. This is an excellent remedy for keeping hams, shoulders, or side meat. The corn can be used for fattening hogs and other purposes after the meat has all been used from the box. All who try this plan will like it.
— Mrs. Dan Rogers, Grand Cane, La,
CHAPTER IX.
TO CLEAN AND TRUSS POULTRY.
The practice of sending poultry to the market undressed is one that demands as earnest opposition from housekeepers as that of the adulteration of food. The meat is rendered unfit for eating ; is sometimes infected with poison and the increase in weight makes poultry a very expensive food. All poultry should be dressed as soon as killed. The feathers come out more easily when the fowl is warm, and when stripped .off toward the head. If the skin be very tender, pull the feathers out the opposite way. Use a knife to remove the pin feathers. Singe the hairs and down by holding the fowl over a gas jet, or over a roll of lighted paper held over the fire. Cut off the head, and if fowl is to be roasted, slip the skin back from the neck and cut the neck off close to the body, leaving skin enough to fold over on the back. Remove the windpipe ; pull the crop away from the skin on the neck and breast, and cut off close to the opening into the body. Be careful not to tear the skin. Always pull the crop out from the end of the neck, rather than through a cut in the skin, which, if made, has to be sewed together. Cut through the skin about two inches below the leg joint ; bend the leg at the cut by pressing it over the edge of the table, and break off the bone. Then pull, not cut, out the tendons.
Records on this page
Virginia Mode of Curing Hams