SubscribeThere are two main methods of curing, Dry Curing is the oldest, each farmhouse would have its own recipe and a flitch of bacon would be kept in the inglenook above the fireplace.And here is a recipe for Boiled Bacon from THE BOOK OF HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT
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Bacon formed part of the rations for long distance sea journeys, heavy salting preserved the meat from ‘going off’ but by the time it reached the Americas it was tough and more like boot leather than bacon as we know it today.
The Wiltshire Cure was developed by the Harris family of Calne, Wiltshire and was revolutionary in its time (1840’s), they packed the roof with ice - as meat keeps fresh longer at lower temperatures it did not require so much salt. A milder cure was born. The term ‘Wet-cure’ means to immerse in a brine, unfortunately ‘mass produced’ bacon today is not only immersed in liquid but pumped with water and phosphates to speed up the process and add yield (and the more supermarkets squeezed the price, the more water was added), flavour was sacrificed for profit. I hope that when you taste our bacon it will redeem the name of ‘Wiltshire Cure’ as a brine cured bacon, with no added water that does not shrivel, but sizzles in your pan!
As bacon is frequently excessively salt, let it be soaked in warm water for an hour or two previous to dressing it; then pare off the rusty parts, and scrape the under-side and rind as clean as possible. Put it into a saucepan of cold water, let it come gradually to a boil, and as fast as the scum rises to the surface of the water, remove it. Let it simmer very gently until it is thoroughly done; then take it up, strip off the skin, and sprinkle over the bacon a few bread raspings, and garnish with tufts of cauliflower or Brussels sprouts. When served alone, young and tender broad beans or green peas are the usual accompaniments.
27. Bacon is good when the fat is almost transparent and of a delicate transparent pink tinge. The lean should adhere to the bone, be of a good colour, and tender. Yellow streaks in bacon show it is becoming rusty; when all is yellow, all is rusty and unfit to eat. Bacon and hams are frequently spoilt in the curing. Taste a little of the lean, and you will be able to judge whether it be too salt or not.
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368. It is a good plan to slightly sprinkle meat with salt a day or two before finally salting; this will draw out the blood. But the first brine should be thrown away, as it is apt to injure butcher's meat, and always has a tendency to make bacon rusty. The meat should be wiped thoroughly clean after the preparatory salting.
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381. Drying may be effected by simply draining your salted or pickled meat, and hanging it within the warmth of a fire in a dry kitchen, but smoked dried meat is preferred by most persons, and certainly deserves the preference. The fuel employed for this purpose must be wood; sawdust (not deal or fir sawdust) is generally employed. Care must be taken not to melt or scorch the meat; if dried in a common kitchen chimney, it must be hung high enough. The fire must be kept in a smothering state, which may be easily done with sawdust, and in a place set apart for smoking; it is or ought to be kept burning slowly night and day. The best way is to send your meat to persons who make a business of smoking--(not tobacco.) Do not dry your meat in a bakehouse, or strew it with bran when drained for drying; both will render the meat liable to be infested with those voracious little wretches called weevils. Drying meat by a malthouse kiln generally causes it to rust. After smoking, the wrappers should be removed and replaced with clean ones. It is not a bad plan to whitewash hams two or three times, when they are required to keep a long time.
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posted by empath at 6:53 PM on May 23, 2007