To make 100 lbs. of Blood Sausage, use the following proportions which we will call Formula No. 1:
20 lbs. of Cheek Meat, either fresh or salted.
15 lbs. of Hearts, either fresh or salted.
15 lbs. of Pork Rinds, either fresh or salted.
20 lbs. of Pork Speck (back fat), either fresh or salted.
25 lbs. (3 gallons) of Hog or Beef Blood.
Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder in percentage proportion of cereal as allowed by your State Pure Food Law.
6 to 8 ozs. Zanzibar-Brand Blood Sausage Flavor.
½ lb. “B” Condimentine.
2 lbs. of Salt, to suit taste.
½ lb. Freeze-Em-Pickle.
Salted Meat is preferable in making Blood Sausage but fresh Meat can be used if desired.
First:—Take 25 lbs. of Fresh Hog or Beef Blood, and stir until the blood remains thin and will not congeal.
Second:—Put the Pork Rinds in a pudding net and boil until about three-quarters done. Care must be taken not to boil them too long, otherwise they will become too pulpy when boiled the second time in the Sausage.
Third:—Boil the Cheek Meat and Hearts until done. The Cheek Meat and Hearts should be boiled as slowly as possible. The slower the boiling the better will be the Sausage.
Fourth:—After they are cooked, put the Pork Rinds in a chopper or meat grinder and cut them as fine as possible. The finer the better. After the Cheek Meat and Hearts have been cooked, they should be cut up coarse by hand, or chopped coarse in a chopper.
Fifth:—The Pork Back Fat must be scalded by pouring boiling water over it for a few minutes. It should then be cut into small squares or cubes by hand or with a pork back fat cutting machine.
Sixth:—After the Meat and Fat are all cut, add to it:
25 lbs. of Beef Blood.
The legal amount of Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder.
6 to 8 ozs. Zanzibar Brand Blood Sausage Seasoning.
Salt to suit taste.
Seventh:—Mix these thoroughly and stuff into Beef Bungs, Beef Middles or Rounds. Fill the casings only three-quarters full.
Eighth:—Blood Sausage should be boiled very slowly, the water should not be hotter than 155 degrees. The length of time for boiling depends entirely upon the thickness of the Sausage. When done, the Sausage will float on top of the water and will be firm and plump. It will be necessary to prick the Casings when boiling to let out the air.
Ninth:—When the Sausage is cooked through, remove it from the kettle and place it in cold water; ice water is the best. Allow it to remain in this cold water until it is thoroughly cooled. Then, place on a board in a cooler and allow it to remain there 24 hours before cutting.
Tenth:—It is always advisable to use pickled or dry-salt cured Cheek Meat and Hearts for Blood Sausage instead of fresh ones. To cure them especially for Blood Sausage, they should be cured in brine made with Freeze-Em-Pickle according to directions in first paragraph of this article, for two weeks before being made into Sausage. Some prefer to grind the Hearts fine, and leave the Cheeks coarse, and if this is preferred, the Hearts can be ground with the Pork Rinds.
Formula No. 2, for making 100 lbs. of Blood Sausage:
30 lbs. of Pork Speck (back fat).
35 lbs. of Pork Snouts or Ears.
30 lbs. of Hog or Beef Blood.
Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder in the percentage proportion of cereal as allowed by your State Pure Food Law.
6 to 8 ozs. Zanzibar-Brand Blood Sausage Flavor.
½ lb. “B” Condimentine.
½ lb. of Freeze-Em-Pickle.
2 lbs. Salt.
Cook and handle Formula No. 2 the same as Formula No. 1, with the exception of leaving out the Hearts and Cheek Meat.
Use 70 lbs. of Pork Trimmings, 20 lbs. of Lean Beef, 10 lbs. of Pork Back Fat.
First:—Before being made into Sausage, the Back Fat must first be dry salted for two weeks in order to get it properly cured and firm.
Second:—After the Pork Back Fat has been dry salt cured, it should be cut up into small pieces of about one-half inch square.
Third:—The Beef should be first finely chopped; then the Pork Trimmings should be added and then the Pork Back Fat. The meat should be chopped until fine and while it is being chopped add:
2 lbs. of Salt.
½ lb. “B” Condimentine.
8 ozs. Best Granulated Sugar.
10 to 12 ozs. Zanzibar-Brand Summer Sausage Seasoning.
Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder in percentage proportion of cereal as allowed by your State Pure Food Law.
Fourth:—When the Meat is chopped, it should be packed tightly in pans or boxes which should be placed in a cooler having a temperature of about 40 degrees; these pans or boxes should hold about 50 lbs. and should be shallow, not over six to eight inches deep, so that the Meat can be thoroughly chilled through. The Meat in these pans or boxes should remain in the cooler from four to six days before it will be ready to stuff into the Casings.
Fifth:—Stuff the Sausage into Hog Bung Casings or Beef Middle Casings and hang them in a dry room in a temperature of about 45 to 50 degrees for two or three weeks.
Sixth:—They can then be smoked and are ready for the market.
ITALIAN STYLE
SALAMI SAUSAGE
Take 60 lbs. of Pork Trimmings.
20 lbs. Lean Beef.
20 lbs. Pork Back Fat.
Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder in percentage proportion of cereal allowed by your State Pure Food Law.
1 lb. of Freeze-Em-Pickle.
¾ lb. of “B” Condimentine.
8 ozs. of Granulated Sugar.
2 lbs. of Salt.
10 to 12 ozs. of Zanzibar-Brand Summer Sausage Flavor.
2 to 3 ozs. of Vacuum-Brand Garlic Compound or Garlic Condiment.
First:—Before being made into sausage, the Back Fat must first be dry salted for two weeks to get it properly cured and firm.
Second:—Chop Pork Trimmings and Beef quite coarse, coarser than for Summer Sausage. While chopping add the Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder, Freeze-Em-Pickle, Salt, Sugar, Seasoning, “B” Condimentine and Garlic Compound or Garlic Condiment, and when it is partly chopped add the Back Fat which has previously been cut in cubes about one-half inch square. By adding the Back Fat last it will still be in quite large pieces when the Meat is sufficiently chopped. The Fat should show quite prominently in Salami, as it must be fatter than Summer Sausage. Two or three ounces of Vacuum-Brand Garlic Compound or Garlic Condiment should be added while being chopped to give it a delicious Garlic flavor. See pages 260 and 261. The quantity maybe varied according to the demands of the trade.
Third:—When the Meat is chopped, it should be packed tightly in pans or boxes, which should be placed in a cooler having a temperature of about 40 degrees. These pans or boxes should hold about 50 lbs. and should be shallow, not over six to eight inches deep, so that the Meat can be thoroughly chilled through. The Meat in these pans should remain in the cooler from four to six days before it will be ready to stuff into Casings.
Fourth:—Stuff the Sausage into Hog Bung Casings or Beef Middle Casings and hang them in a dry room in a temperature of about 45 to 50 degrees for two or three days, then wrap twine around them nicely as shown in cut and again hang up to dry for two to three weeks.
Fifth:—They can then be smoked with cool smoke made with hardwood sawdust only. Wood makes too much heat. Then they are ready for the market.
HOLSTEIN
STYLE
SAUSAGE
Take 50 lbs. of Pork Trimmings.
40 lbs. of Beef Trimmings.
10 lbs. of Pork Back Fat.
First:—Before being made into Sausage, the Back Fat must first be dry-salted for two weeks in order to get it properly cured and firm.
Second:—Put the Beef into the chopping machine and while chopping it add:
2 lbs. of Salt.
¾ lb. “B” Condimentine.
1 lb. of Freeze-Em-Pickle.
8 oz. of Best Granulated Sugar.
Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder in percentage proportion of cereal as allowed by your State Pure Food Law.
1 small teaspoonful of Vacuum-Brand Garlic Compound or Garlic Condiment.
Let the Beef chop until about one-half done before adding the Pork; then chop the Pork and Beef some before adding the square cut pieces of Pork Back Fat.
Third:—After the Meat is chopped and spiced put it in shallow boxes or pans not over eight inches thick, and put it in a good cooler. Keep the Meat in a cooler for from 4 to 6 days so it is thoroughly cured before it is stuffed.
Fourth:—Stuff in Beef Round Casings and let the Sausage hang in a dry room at 45 to 50 degrees of temperature for a week.
Fifth:—Then give them a good smoke and they are ready for the market. Cool smoke is produced with hickory, hard maple or oak saw dust only. Wood gives off too much heat.
See directions for momentary dipping on page 117. This method can be used equally well on the empty casings. After the casings have a light orange color take them out of the solution and wash them well in hot water, cut and tie them, then stuff the casings and hang the sausage up to dry.
After the sausage has hung a week or two and is dry, hang it in the smoke house for a few days to give it a smoke flavor and it is ready for shipment. This will save a large shrinkage and the sausage will have a better appearance. Sausage that has had the casing colored before being stuffed need not become rancid, as it is not exposed to the heat in a smoke house, which heat always causes the stearin and oil in the fat to separate, and as soon as this change takes place the sausage begins to become rancid.
SWEDISH STYLE METWURST
Take 60 lbs. of Beef. (Boneless Chucks, Briskets and Shank Meat can be used.)
30 lbs. of Pork Ham Trimmings.
10 lbs. of Back Fat.
First:—Before being made into Sausage, the Back Fat must first be dry-salted for two weeks in order to get it properly cured and firm.
Second:—Cut up the Pork Back Fat into square half-inch cubes by hand or with a Pork Back Fat Cutting Machine.
Third:—Put the Beef and Pork on the block and when partly or coarsely chopped add the cubes of Back Fat, and when the Beef and Pork are cut fine, the Pork Back Fat should show prominently through the meat.
While it is being chopped add:
2 lbs. of Salt.
¾ lb. “B” Condimentine.
Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder in percentage proportion of cereal as allowed by your State Pure Food Law.
1 lb. Freeze-Em-Pickle.
8 ozs. Best Granulated Sugar.
10 to 12 ozs. Zanzibar-Brand Swedish Style Sausage Seasoning.
Fourth:—After chopping fine, put the Meat in a trough and knead it with the Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder until it is tight and hard.
Fifth:—Pack the Meat tightly in 50 lb. pans or boxes which place in a cooler having a temperature of about 40 degrees; these pans or boxes should be shallow, not over 6 to 8 inches deep, so that the Meat can be thoroughly chilled through. The Meat in these pans or boxes should remain in the cooler 4 to 6 days before it will be ready to stuff into the Casings.
Sixth:—Stuff the Sausage into Beef Middles and hang them in a dry room in a temperature of about 45 to 50 degrees for two or three weeks.
Seventh:—They can then be smoked with cool smoke made with sawdust and are ready for the market.
See directions for momentary dipping on page 117. This method can be used equally well on the empty casings. After the casings have a light orange color take them out of the solution and wash them well in hot water, cut and tie them.
After the Sausage has hung a week or two and is dry, hang it in the smoke house for a few days to give it a smoke flavor and it is ready for shipment. This will save a large shrinkage and the Sausage will have a better appearance. Sausage that has had the casing colored before being stuffed need not become rancid, as it is not exposed to the heat in a smoke house, which heat often causes the stearin and oil in the fat to separate, and as soon as this change takes place the sausage begins to become rancid.
Take: 50 lbs of Pork Trimmings.
40 lbs. of Beef Trimmings.
10 lbs. of Pork Back Fat.
Before being used in the Sausage, the Pork Back Fat should be dry-salt cured for at least two weeks or it can be cut from dry salt sides.
First:—Cut up the Pork Back Fat into square half inch cubes by hand or with a Pork Back Fat Cutting Machine.
Second:—Chop the Pork Trimmings, Beef Trimmings and Pork Back Fat quite coarse, and while being chopped add:
2 lbs. Salt.
¾ lbs. “B” Condimentine.
1 lb. of Freeze-Em-Pickle.
10 to 12 ozs. Zanzibar-Brand Polish Style Sausage Seasoning.
8 ozs. of Granulated Sugar.
2 to 3 ozs. Vacuum Garlic Compound or Garlic Condiment.
Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder in percentage proportion of cereal as allowed by your State Pure Food Law.
Third:—After the Pork Trimmings and Pork Back Fat have been chopped and mixed with the Salt, “B” Condimentine, Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder, Freeze-Em-Pickle and Vacuum Brand Garlic, stuff into beef round casings.
Fourth:—After the sausage has been stuffed into casings place them in the smoke house and thoroughly smoke with wood. This Polish Style Sausage should not be boiled when made. It is boiled when eaten.
See directions for momentary dipping on page 117. This method will work equally well on the empty casings. After the casings have a light orange color take them out of the solution and wash them well in hot water, cut and tie them.
After the Polish Style Sausage is stuffed, hang it in the smoke house for a few hours, using wood so as to have a hot smoke. This drys it and gives it a smoke flavor. Then it is ready for shipment. This will save a large shrinkage and the sausage will have a better appearance. Polish Style Sausage that has had the casing colored before being stuffed need not become rancid, as it is not exposed to so much heat in a smoke house, which heat always causes the stearin and oil in the fat to separate, and as soon as this change takes place the sausage begins to become rancid.
BOCKWURST
First:—Take 45 pounds Beef, 20 pounds Veal, 20 pounds Lean Pork, 5 pounds Pork Back Fat (Speck).
Second:—The Meat should all be chopped very fine except the Speck, which should first be cut into small cubes and then added to the rest of the Meat when it is partly chopped so that small cubes of fat will show in the Sausage.
Third:—While chopping, add the following:
Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder in percentage proportion of cereal as allowed by your State Pure Food Law.
½ lb. of Freeze-Em-Pickle.
¾ lb. “B” Condimentine.
1½ to 2 lbs. of Salt.
8 to 10 ozs. of Zanzibar-Brand Frankfurt Sausage Seasoning.
3 tablespoonfuls of very finely cut Chives.
6 heaping tablespoonfuls of finely chopped Parsley.
Sufficient artificial ice to keep the meat cool while grinding, added a little at a time.
Fourth:—When the meat is all cut up fine and properly mixed with the spice, it should be stuffed in Narrow Sheep Casings and turned off in links about 2½ inches long.
Fifth:—As a rule Bockwurst is sold without smoking, but it can be given a light smoke if desired.
Sixth:—To prepare Bockwurst for the table, it should be steamed five or six minutes in hot water.
KEEPING SAUSAGE
IN WARM WEATHER
Pork Sausage, Bologna, Frankforts, Head Cheese, Liver Sausage, etc., can be kept in a good condition, by simply putting them, every night, in a solution of 1 lb. of Cold-Storine dissolved in three gallons of water. This solution should be kept in the Cooler. In the morning remove the Sausage from the solution, hang it up and expose it for sale, and what remains unsold in the evening, simply put back in the brine for the night.
In this way Sausage can be kept fresh and nice appearing for some time, and it will not shrink and dry up. This enables the dealer to keep a large, attractive display on hand in his shop without any danger of the goods spoiling.
By keeping the Sausage in this way, it does not dry out, nor become slimy or moldy as it would if hung up in the cooler. Sausage can also be shipped a reasonable distance in a Cold-Storine solution to better advantage than if shipped in any other way.
On arrival it should be removed from the solution, hung up and allowed to drain and dry. In the evening it should be replaced in the same solution for keeping over night.
Never put Smoked Sausage and Fresh Sausage in the same solution. Each kind of Sausage should be kept in a separate solution.
Fresh Tripe and Fresh Pig’s Feet turn dark and spoil very easily, but by placing them every evening in a Cold-Storine solution made of one pound of Cold-Storine dissolved in three gallons of water, they can be kept in a good condition for a number of days. Every morning they may be taken out of the solution, and those not sold during the day should be put back into the Cold-Storine solution overnight. The solution for Tripe and Pig’s Feet should not be used for storing anything else in it.
Sweet Breads and Brains can also be kept in the same way as Tripe and Pig’s Feet.
First:—Clean the Feet as carefully as possible and then cure them in brine made as follows:
6 lbs. of Salt.
1 lb. of Freeze-Em-Pickle.
5 gals. of Water.
The Feet should be cured in this brine from four to five days. This brine can be used over and over again for curing Pickled Pigs Feet, until it becomes thick from the substances drawn out of the Feet.
Second:—After the Feet have been cured for four or five days, cook them as follows: Heat a kettle of water boiling hot; then throw the Pigs Feet into it and keep the heat on until the water begins to boil; then check the fire or steam, and simply let the water simmer just as slowly as possible until the Feet are nicely cooked. The slower they cook, the better, and they ought to remain in the hot water for about four hours, when cooked at a low temperature.
Third:—When they are cooked through, turn on cold water and let the water overflow until all the heat is out of them, and nothing but cold water overflows, and then let the Feet cool well.
Fourth:—Split the Feet through the center and pack them. If they are to be packed in tierces and kept on hand for any length of time, the vinegar that is put over them should be 60 grains strong, but when they are packed in small packages for immediate use 40 grains is strong enough.
Fifth:--When packing the Feet add to every 100 lbs. 8 to 10 ounces of Zanzibar Brand Pickled Tongue Seasoning.
There are certain seasons of the year when Pickled Pigs Feet are in great demand, while there are other seasons when they are a slow sale. We, therefore, give here a formula for keeping Pickled Pigs Feet in vinegar so they can be kept for one year if necessary in a perfect condition. Salt, cure and boil the Pigs Feet the same as above, but instead of boiling them all done, boil them only about half done; then split them and put them in tierces and fill the tierces with 60-grain vinegar and store in cold storage. The 60-grain vinegar has a tendency to soften the meat. After they have been in this strength of vinegar for some length of time, they will become soft just as if they were thoroughly cooked, but if it is necessary to use them before they are soft, roll them into the engine room or in a place where it is very warm, and turn the tierces on their end. Keep the top of the barrel covered with water—we mean on the top of the head—so that the head will not dry. The bottom of the barrel will not shrink and dry because the vinegar on the inside keeps it moistened, but if the top is not kept wet the barrel will shrink and begin to leak. By allowing the Pigs Feet, which are packed in strong vinegar, to remain in a very warm place for a week or so, they will become nice and tender; they are then to be repacked with 40-grain vinegar in small packages for the market.
HOME-MADE PICKLED TRIPE
Select Tripe that is fresh and has not been lying around long enough to attract the bacteria ever present in the air.
Tripe should be prepared by thoroughly cleaning and washing the paunch in at least three or four changes of water. After that, a tub of cold water should be prepared and a lump of unslaked lime, the size of an English Walnut, should be added to about 50 gallons of water. Allow the lime to dissolve and then stir the water to thoroughly mix it. In this solution place the washed Tripe and allow it to soak for five or six hours. The water should be kept cold. A small piece of ice may be put in the water if necessary. Before the Tripe is put into the last soaking water, the inside should be scraped with a hog-scraper so as to remove the inside skin. The outside film or skin should also be scraped off. The boiling vessel should be thoroughly washed before the Tripe is placed in it for cooking. If there is any foreign substance whatever in the kettle, it will discolor the Tripe. On the other hand, it may be turned out perfectly white if the boiling vessel is in proper condition. Two ounces of B. Heller & Co.’s Lard Purifier mixed in 50 gallons of boiling water will assist to keep the Tripe White.
Scald the Tripe thoroughly and scrape both sides well with a hog-scraper. The Tripe is then ready to be cooked.
In cooking, allow the water to come to the boiling point. It should then be reduced to a simmer until the Tripe is thoroughly cooked. When cooked, cold water should be turned on and allowed to overflow until the Tripe has thoroughly cooled. After it is thoroughly cooled, pack in tierces with vinegar that is 60 degrees strong. Always use White Wine Vinegar. If it is desired to ship Tripe after it has been vinegar-cured, it should be repacked in vinegar 40 degrees strong.
To give the Tripe a nice flavor, add to every 100 lbs. of Tripe 8 to 10 ounces of Zanzibar Brand Pickled Tongue Seasoning.
Many have trouble through their inability to cook Tripe tender. This, in most cases, is owing to the fact that the Tripe is boiled too much in water that is too hot. Water in which Tripe is being cooked should be allowed to come to a boil, after that, it should be put on a slow fire where it will cook the Tripe by simmering. A simmer is water that is hot, but not boiling, or 155 to 160 degrees. Boiling water will always shrink and toughen Tripe. It will take longer to cook some Tripe than others, depending upon the age of the animal from which it is taken. Tripe should be allowed to simmer until it is cooked tender.
HOME-MADE MINCE MEAT
The following directions will make a delicious Mince Meat:
Take 4 lbs. of lean Beef, boil it until it is fairly well cooked and then chop or grind it very fine.
Add 8 lbs. of Hard Green Apples, cut into small cubes.
1 lb. of very finely chopped suet.
3 lbs. of seeded Raisins.
2 lbs. of Picked Currants, carefully washed and dried.
2 to 5 lbs. of Citron, cut up into small pieces.
1 lb. of Brown Sugar.
1 pint Cooking Molasses (pure New Orleans Molasses is the best, and it must be free from Glucose).
1 quart of Sweet Cider.
1 Tablespoonful of Salt.
1 Teaspoonful of Ground Black Pepper.
1 Teaspoonful of Mace.
1 Teaspoonful of Allspice.
½ Teaspoonful of Cinnamon.
A little grated Nutmeg.
A pinch of Cloves.
Mix the above thoroughly, then heat slowly on the stove and boil for half an hour.
If the Mince Meat is to be put in jars and sealed up tight, the hot Mince Meat should be put into pint and quart jars, the jars should be filled up to the brim and the tops screwed down tight immediately.
If the Mince Meat is to be kept in bulk and not sealed up in jars, add ½ pint of good Brandy after the Mince Meat has been cooked and allowed to become nearly cold, stirring the Brandy into the Mince Meat thoroughly and then pack into stone crocks, cover tightly and keep in a very cool place where the Mince Meat will not freeze. This Mince Meat will keep all winter.
The above quantities can be increased or decreased proportionately, according to the total amount of Mince Meat desired at one time.
Dry or concentrated Mince Meat is made same as above, except that dried apples are used instead of fresh apples, and no liquids are added. Wet Mince Meat is better than the dry and will give better satisfaction.
First:—Take nicely cleaned Pigs Feet, Pigs Snouts, Hocks, Tails or Ears, and put them in a kettle on a stove, or fire or in a steam jacket kettle.
Second:—Add just enough cold water to entirely cover them.
Third:—Boil until the Meat can be removed from the bones.
Fourth:—Remove the Meat from the bones, and put it back into the water in which it was boiled; then add to this water enough White Wine Vinegar to give it a nice sour taste. The quantity of vinegar will depend upon its strength.
Fifth:—Add the following proportions of spice, which can be changed to suit the amount of Souse you are making. For 100 lbs. Souse use:
2 lbs. of Granulated Sugar.
8 to 10 oz. Zanzibar-Brand Pickled Tongue Seasoning.
Sixth:—Mix the spice with the Meat, and boil about 15 minutes; then remove from the fire. Put the Souse into square tin pans, and allow it to set 24 hours before removal. If desired, a lemon and 2 or 3 good sized Onions may be cut into small pieces, and mixed in the Souse before it is boiled; some like this, and some prefer it without Onion or Lemon. Do not use too much Lemon as it will make the Souse taste bitter.
PICKLED PIG’S TONGUES
Take salted Pigs Tongues that have been cured for 30 days and scald them in hot water; then remove the skin and gullet. Boil slowly for three hours, the same as boiling Pigs Feet; the slower they are boiled the better; then cool the Tongues, in the same manner as directed for cooling Pigs Feet.
Another way is to take them out of the Brine and cook them, and then take off the skin and gullet after they are cooked. When handling large quantities, this latter method will not work as well as the first method, because after the Tongues are boiled, they must be cooled in the same vat, and after they are cooled, the skin does not remove so easily. That is why it is better to scald them in boiling water first and then remove the skin and gullet, then boil them.
Split the tongues through the center and pack in Vinegar the same as Pigs Feet and add to every 100 lbs. of Tongues 8 to 10 ounces Zanzibar-Brand Pickled Tongue Seasoning.
Home-made horseradish is a relish that every household demands. It is impracticable to put grated horseradish upon the market except when bottled, as exposure to the air discolors it and dries it out. An excellent bottled article which will prove a good keeper as well as a good seller can be made as follows: To ten parts of grated horseradish add one part of granulated sugar and one part of pure vinegar. In preparing horseradish none but white wine vinegar should be used. One of the best means of getting new trade is for a Butcher to sell home-made grated horseradish.
HOME-MADE SAUER KRAUT
Select sound cabbages and peel off the first or damaged leaves, then slice or shave with a cabbage cutter as fine as possible. The object desired in making first-class Sauer Kraut is to obtain a perfect fermentation under pressure with the aid of salt alone. The brine, therefore, results from the water contained in the salt and cabbage, no water being added. First secure a good strong cask, which should be well scalded and cleaned. Sprinkle on the bottom of this cask a small quantity of salt, then put in a layer of cabbage and while adding the cabbage sprinkle some salt through it, so that the salt is as much divided as possible and then tamp well with a wooden tamper, so as to pack it as tight and solid as possible. Continue putting in layer of cabbage and tamping this way until the barrel is full. The salt to be used should always be of the best grade and one pound of salt to one hundred pounds of cabbage should be used but may be varied according to the taste. Some prefer it saltier than others. After the cask is filled or as full as desired, the cabbage should be covered with a clean cloth on which should be laid hardwood boards. Use the boards taken out of the head of a whiskey barrel or tierce as this makes the best cover, as they fit in the barrel and are made of hardwood and will not give the cabbage a taste. Carefully weight the boards down with heavy stones, always remembering that the fermentation should be accomplished under pressure. Once a week take off the stone, board and cloth from the cabbage and wash them clean and replace the cloth and boards and stones on top of the barrel after they have been washed. By repeating the washing of the boards and cloth and stones every week, the top of the cabbage will be kept perfectly sweet and the foam which comes to the top is removed, so that the top of the Sauer Kraut will be as good as that in the bottom of the barrel. The Kraut should be left to ripen for about four weeks in a warm temperature. It is always best not to offer it for sale until it has sufficiently ripened and is tender and juicy and that it has the proper flavor. This can only occur after perfect fermentation has taken place.
This sauce is easily prepared and is in considerable demand by some trades. Select good, firm, green tomatoes, wash them thoroughly and cut away all defective portions of the tomatoes. They should then be sliced or quartered and placed in a salt brine made with one pound of salt to each gallon of water with a supply of green peppers. Let them cure in this brine for two weeks. They may then be taken out and chopped very fine, about ⅛ to ¼ inch in diameter. They are then ready for the vinegar, which should be pure in quality, the white wine vinegar being preferred. The vinegar should be first prepared or sweetened and spiced with pure granulated cane sugar, cloves, cinnamon, mustard seed and a small quantity of celery seed. This can be poured over the chopped tomatoes and peppers, either hot or cold. Piccalilli should be sold nearly or quite strained of its vinegar.
Chow Chow is a popular sauce that can be readily prepared. It is strictly a Chinese innovation which was introduced to the American palate during the first immigration of Chinamen. It is merely the cucumber pickle cut up into small pieces with the addition of cauliflower, onions, etc., over which is poured a preparation of mustard, vinegar and various condiments which taste may demand. Chow Chow is a good keeper and a good seller, but in order to retain its flavor and color, it should be carefully covered and kept from exposure to the air.
HOME-MADE DILL PICKLES
All butchers should put up home made pickles of all kinds and such relishes as horseradish and sauer kraut. Dill pickles are very popular and they are always salable in the butcher shop. They may be made as follows: Select large pickles of as near an even size as possible and soak in water over night; then wash them thoroughly. Next, take a barrel and put a layer of dill about one inch thick on the bottom of it, upon which place the pickles three layers deep. Over these pickles place another layer of dill and repeat the layer of pickles as in the first instance. Continue this operation of the layer of dill and then pickles until the barrel is as full as desired, leaving sufficient space for the brine. The brine should be made of the best quality of salt, using ½ lb. to each gallon of water. Brine thus made will make the natural soft home-cured dill pickles. After the brine has been placed over the pickles, place them in a cooler and let them ripen for about four weeks. The ripening process may be quickened about two weeks by leaving the pickles in a room of moderate temperature. Some prefer dill pickles hard and for such taste it is necessary to put a little alum in the brine. Pickles treated with alum must be labeled to show this. A piece about as big as an egg for a full barrel of pickles is the proper amount. Dissolve this in the brine. This will keep the pickles firm and hard. It will be found, however, that most tastes prefer the natural brine without the alum, as the soft pickle seems to have a more appetizing flavor. There is no appetizer more appreciated than the dill pickle and it comes nearer appealing to the general trade than most any relish that can be offered.
The Butcher who will make a specialty of dressed poultry will make a hit with his customers and good profit on sales if he will be careful to get his Chickens dressed decently, and to educate his customers to pay prices that will be commensurate with the quality of the meat offered. Very often it is almost an impossibility for the consumer to secure sweet, untainted Poultry Meat. Much of this trouble is owing to the fact that large shippers kill the Chickens, dry pick them or scald them, and the food that remains in the intestines ferments and taints the meat, with the result that the Chicken, when cooked, has an abominable taste.
When a Butcher is so situated that he can dress his own Chickens, and he would be fully justified in making all preparations in that direction, he ought to open, draw and wash out thoroughly every chicken as fast as it is killed, just as he would wash out Hogs, Calves or Sheep. Chickens that have been nicely drawn and washed immediately upon killing are always sweet in flavor, and the Butcher who will take the pains to offer such goods and to acquaint his customers of their quality can not only establish a large trade and a great reputation, but he can offer the public an article that is pure and sweet, and difficult to obtain. No doubt he could command the Chicken trade of any neighborhood by this means, down all competition, and obtain good prices for his Meat, as people would be willing to pay for the original weight of the chicken before drawing, and at the same time would be much better satisfied with what they get. If desired, the Butcher could weigh the chickens after they are dressed, tag and draw them, and then could say to his customers: “This Chicken weighed so much before it was drawn, but in order to retain the sweetness of the meat, we draw it as it ought to be drawn, wash it out, and sell it to you for just what it is worth.” A Butcher’s statement upon these points would not be doubted. Furthermore, the Butcher would not lose anything by this method, as Chickens shrink after they are dressed and kept two or three days before sold. The loss from this shrinkage is considerable. Therefore, the trouble and expense of drawing Chickens and handling them in the manner described would be fully repaid.
STICKY FLY PAPER
Every Butcher can make his own Sticky Fly Paper with very little trouble. It is made as follows:
1 lb. Rosin.
3½ oz. Molasses.
3½ oz. Boiled Linseed Oil.
Boil the three together until they get thick enough and then spread on heavy Manilla paper. The proper and quickest way is to take a sheet of heavy Manilla paper and spread the mixture on half of the surface of it, then double the paper over; the mixture put on the half will be quite sufficient to coat the face of the other half that is doubled over on it. The cost of making this sticky fly paper is very small and in an hour any Butcher can make enough Sticky Fly Paper to last the entire summer.
One of the things much neglected in many butcher shops is the making of Lard. Butchers who do not cut up enough hogs to have fat for making Lard each day, allow the fat to accumulate until they have sufficient so as to make it worth their while to render it. Many butchers do not keep this fat in the ice box, but let it stand anywhere, because they imagine that it does not spoil; then, when they make Lard out of it, they wonder why the Lard is not better.
Lard should always be made as soon as possible, and the fat trimmings should be kept in the cooler and not allowed to remain standing around in a warm place. To make high grade Kettle-Rendered Lard, always cut the rinds off of the fat. The rinds can be put into pickle and stored until a quantity has accumulated and then they can be cooked and utilized in Liver Sausage, Head Cheese or Blood Sausage. When the rind is cooked with the lard, it always causes more or less detriment to the lard.
Before rendering, if one has the machinery, the fat should be run through a regular fat hasher or a Meat Grinder, and it should be ground up into small pieces. The smaller it is ground the better, for if the fatty tissues are thoroughly mangled and disintegrated, the oil will separate more readily when the heat is applied. Those butchers not having a machine in which they can cut up the fat should cut it into small pieces by hand.
For making Kettle-Rendered Lard a steam jacket kettle is the best, but if one does not have steam, a common caldron will answer, but great care must be taken not to scorch the lard or allow it to become too hot when a caldron is used.
Before putting the fat into the kettle, put in a gallon of water for every 100 lbs. of fat, as the water prevents the lard from scorching. Then put in all the fat to be rendered and start the fire or slowly turn on the steam, as the case may be.
In rendering Lard the heat should be brought up gradually, so that quite a little of the fat is melted before the full heat is applied. If the heat is brought up too rapidly, it will cause the Lard to be darker in color than when it is gradually heated.
Lard should be boiled about 1½ hours after the entire mass is boiling.