Hams

The housekeeper's instructor; or, uni... · William Augustus Henderson · 1791
Source
The housekeeper's instructor; or, universal family cook
Status
success · extracted 12 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (8)
For curing the ham
For serving the ham
For curing tongues (using ham pickle)
For broiling ham or bacon slices
Instructions (29)
Curing the Ham
  1. Cut off a fine ham from a fat hind-quarter of pork.
  2. Mix together two ounces of saltpetre, a pound of coarse sugar, a pound of common salt, and two ounces of sal-prunella.
  3. Rub the ham well with the mixture.
  4. Let it lie a month in this pickle, turning and basting it every day.
  5. Hang it in wood-smoke in a dry place, so that no heat comes to it.
  6. If you intend to keep them long, hang them a month or two in a damp place; this will make them cut fine and short.
Boiling the Ham
  1. Never lay these hams in water until you boil them.
  2. Boil them in a copper, if you have one, or the largest pot you have.
  3. Put them into the water cold.
  4. Let them be four or five hours before they boil.
  5. Skim the pot well and often until it boils.
  6. If it is a very large ham, three hours will boil it.
  7. If it is a small ham, two hours will do, provided it is a great while before the water boils.
  8. Keep skimming the water all the time it boils.
  9. Be sure to boil your ham in as much water as you can.
Serving the Ham
  1. Take the ham up half an hour before dinner.
  2. Pull off the skin.
  3. Throw finely sifted raspings all over the ham.
  4. Hold a red-hot salamander over it.
  5. When dinner is ready, take a few raspings in a sieve and sift all over the dish.
  6. Lay in your ham.
  7. With your finger, make figures round the edge of your dish.
Curing Tongues
  1. Use the pickle you took the ham out of for tongues.
  2. Let them lie in it a fortnight.
  3. Then lay them in a place where there is wood-smoke to dry.
Broiling Ham or Bacon
  1. Have some boiling water ready.
  2. Let slices of ham or bacon lay in it for a minute or two.
  3. Then put them on the gridiron.
  4. This method takes out the violence of the salt and makes them have a fine flavour.
Original Text
Hams. CUT off a fine ham from a fat hind-quarter of pork. Take two ounces of ſalt-petre, a pound of coarſe ſugar, a pound of common ſalt, and two ounces of ſal-prunella; mix all together, and rub it well. Let it lie a month in this pickle, turning and baſting it every day; then hang it in wood-ſmoke in a dry place, ſo that no heat comes to it; and, if you intend to keep them long, hang them a month or two in a damp place, and it will make them cut fine and ſhort. Never lay theſe hams in water till you boil them, and then boil them in a copper, if you have one, or the largeſt pot you have. Put them into the water cold, and let them be four or five hours before they boil. Skim the pot well, and often, till it boils. If it is a very large one, three hours will boil it; if a ſmall one, two hours will do, provided it is a great while before the water boils. Take it up half an hour before dinner, pull off the ſkin, and throw raſpings finely fifted all over. Hold a red-hot ſalamander over it, and when dinner is ready, take a few raſpings in a ſieve, and fift all over the diſh, then lay in your ham, and, with your finger, make figures round the edge of your diſh. Be ſure to boil your ham in as much water as you can, and keep ſkimming it all the time it boils. The pickle you take your ham out of will do finely for tongues. Let them lay in it a fortnight, and then lay them in a place where there is wood-ſmoke to dry. When you broil any ſlices of ham or bacon, have ſome boiling water ready; let them lay a minute or two in it, and then put them on the gridiron. This is a very good method, as it takes out the violence of the ſalt, and makes them have a fine flavour.
Notes
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