INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the pickling ingredients. In theory thicker joints, such as ham,
should have a stronger brine - make the brine up in 90% of the
quantity of water. Thinner joints, such as bacon and bath chaps,  which
are the jowls of the pig, should have the mixture in 120% of  the
water. Put the meat into the brine, making sure that there are no  air
pockets, put a scrubbed board on top and a big stone on top of  that to
weight the meat down - DON'T use an iron weight- and leave in  the
brine for 4 days per pound of each big joint. Thus each joint  should
be weighed before being put in, and each removed at its  appointed
date. Bacon and small joints should only be left in for two  days per
pound. After 4 or 5 days, turn the joints round in the  brine, and
after every so often. If, in hot weather, the brine  becomes ropey
(viscous when you put your hand in), remove meat, scrub  in clean water
and put it into fresh brine. When the meat is taken  out of the brine,
wash it in fresh water, hang it up for a week in a  cool dry place to
dry, then, if you want, smoke it. It can be eaten  "green" ie not
smoked at all. It should keep indefinitely, but use  small joints and
bacon sides before hams. Hams improve with maturing.  Bacon is best
eaten within a few months. Cured hams and shoulders  should be
carefully wrapped in greaseproof paper and then sewn up in  muslin bags
and hung in a fairly cool dry place, preferably at a  constant
temperature. If you paint the outside of the muslin bag with  a thick
paste of lime and water, so much the better. Like this they  will keep
for a year or two and improve all the time in flavour until  they are
delectable. Light turns bacon rancid, so keep it in the  dark. Keep
flies off all cured meat.  Recipe from "The Complete Book of Self
Sufficiency" John Seymour  Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V4 #4 by "Rfm"
<Robert-Miles@usa.net> on  Feb 01, 99

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
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Calories: 35
Calories From Fat: 0
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 14070.3mg
Potassium: 5mg
Carbohydrates: 9.1g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 9g
Protein: 0g