Recipe - For Curing Hams

FOR 500 POUNDS HAM
1 Peck and
1 One half ga Fine Liverpool salt
1 Three fourths pound Saltpetre [??? :)]
1 qt Hickory ashes well sifted
1 qt Molasses
2 Teacups cayenne pepper
1 Teacup black pepper

From: mariusj@best.com (Marius Johnston)

Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 12:44:51 0700
Yes and curing also (Housekeeping in Old Virginia was a great find! :)

[at the risk of being tedious here are the directions]

Mix these ingredients well together in a large tub, rub it into each ham
with a brick, or something rough to get it in well. Pack in a tight, clean
tub and weigh down. Let the hams remain six weeks: then take them out and
rub each one on the fleshy side with one tablespoonful black pepper to
avoid skippers. Hang in the meat house, and smoke with green hickory for
from ten to twelve hours a day for six weeks, not suffering the wood to
blaze. On the 1st of April, take them down and pack in any coal ashes or
pine ashes well slaked. Strong ashes will rot into the meat.

I wonder what it tasted like? Now, I can drive down hill to my local
Safeway and *buy* fresh meat govt inspected. I wonder though, are we
missing something? A lot of work, that is for sure.

bbqdigest V2 #055

From the BBQ recipe list. Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive,
http://www.erols.com/hosey.