Chapter XIII: Preface (6)

Begin skinning at once while the carcass is lying on its side by splitting the skin through the face from the head to the nose as shown in Fig. 4. Skin the face back over the eyes on both sides and down over the cheeks, cutting around the base of the horns so as to leave the ears on the hide. Split the skin down the throat to meet the cut made in bleeding. Start the skin in slightly on the sides of the neck and down to the jaws. Now remove the head by cutting just back of the jaws toward the depression back of the head as shown in Fig. 5. The atlas joint will be found at this point and may be easily unjointed with the knife.

At this point the carcass should be rolled on its back and held in position by a small, strong stick, say 18 inches long, with a sharp spike in both ends. Insert one end in the brisket and the other in the floor or ground. This will hold the carcass in position. Then split the skin over the back of the four legs from between the dew-claws to a point three or four inches above the knees. Skin around the shin and knee, unjointing the knee at the lowest joint as seen in Fig. 6 and skin clear down to the hoof.

The brisket and forearms should not be skinned until after the carcass is hung up. Now cut across the cord over the hind shin, splitting the skin from the dew-claws to the hock up over the rear part of the thigh to a point from four to six inches back of the cod or udder. Skin the hock and shin, removing the leg as shown in Fig. 7. In splitting the skin over the thigh turn the knife down flat with the edge upward to avoid the cutting of flesh. While the hind leg is stretched ahead it is skinned down over the rear of the lower thigh but do not skin the outside of the thigh until the hind-quarters are raised. After the legs are skinned split the skin of the carcass over the midline from the breast to the rectum.

Now begin at the flanks and skin along the midline until the side is nicely started. With a sharp knife held flat against the surface have the hide stretched tightly and remove the skin down over the sides with steady down-strokes of the knife, as shown in Fig. 8. But it is necessary that the hide should be stretched tightly and without wrinkles. Care should be taken to leave a covering of muscles over the abdomen of the carcass as it keeps it better. In siding the beef, it is usual to go down nearly to the back bone, leaving the skin attached at thighs and shoulders; skin over the buttock and as far down on the rump as possible, always avoiding cutting the flesh or tearing the membrane over it. A coarse cloth and a pail of hot water should be at hand while skinning and blood spots wiped quickly from the surface, but the cloth should be nearly dry, as the less water used the better. Open the carcass at the belly and pull the small intestines out at one side. Use a saw or sharp ax in opening the brisket and pelvis. After raising the windpipe and belly and cutting loose the pleura and diaphragm along the lower part of the cavity, the carcass will be ready to raise.

Fig. 9 shows the carcass ready for raising, and Fig. 11 shows the block and tackle rigging attached to the carcass about to be raised.

When the carcass is raised to a convenient height, skin the hide over the thigh, rump and hips. While in this position, it is well to loosen the rectum and small intestines and allow them to drop down over the paunch. The fat lining, the pelvis and the kidney fat should not be disturbed nor mutilated. The intestines may be separated from the liver to which they are attached by the use of a knife. The paunch is attached to the back at the left side and may be torn loose. Let it roll on the ground and cut off or draw off the gullet. The carcass at this point is shown in Fig. 11. Now raise the carcass a little higher and take out the liver, having first removed the gall bladder. Now remove the diaphragm, lungs, the heart, and finish skinning over the shoulders, forearms and neck, as shown in Fig. 12. Sponge all the dirt and blood off with a cloth, split the carcass in halves, using a saw, cleaver or sharp ax, wash out the inside of the chest cavity and wipe it dry.

Trim off all bloody veins and scraggy pieces of the neck and leave the beef to cool before quartering.

Fig. 13 shows the finished carcass hanging high up and cooling.

KILLING AND DRESSING MUTTON.

If the sheep is an old one, it should be stunned. If a young one, dislocating the neck after cutting the throat serves the same purpose. This is accomplished by placing one hand on top of the head, the other under the chin, and twisting sharply upward. Lay the sheep on its side on a platform, with its head hanging over the end. Grasp the chin in the left hand and stick the knife through the neck back of the jaw, turning the cutting edge of the knife toward the spinal column and cut the flesh to the bone. By so doing it is impossible to cut the windpipe. (See Fig. 14.)

Split the skin over the back of the front leg from the dewclaws a little above the knee. (See Fig. 15.) Open the skin over the windpipe from breast to chin, starting in slightly on the sides of the neck. Split the skin over the back of the hind leg through the middle line and skin the buttock. Raise the skin over the udder or cod and flanks. Skin around the hocks and down to the hoofs, cutting off the feet at the toe joints. Run the knife between the cord and bone on back of the chin and tie the legs together just above the pastern joint. Do not skin the legs above the hock until the carcass is hung up.

Hang the sheep up by the hind legs, split the skin over the middle line; start at the brisket and “fist off” the skin. This is done by grasping the edge of the pelt firmly in one hand, pulling it up tight and working the other with the fist closed between the pelt and the body, over the fore-quarters downward and upward and backward over the hind-quarters and legs. It is unwise to work down on the skin over the hind legs, as it would rupture the membrane. The wool should always be held away from the flesh as a matter of cleanliness, and the skin on the legs should be pulled away from the carcass rather than toward it. When the pelt has been loosened over sides and back, it should be stripped down over the neck and cut off close to the ears. Remove the head without skinning by cutting through the atlas joint.

GUTTING.

Remove the entrails by cutting around the rectum and allowing it to drop down inside, but do not split the pelvis. Open down the belly line from cod or udder to breast bone; take out the paunch and intestines, leaving the liver attached to the diaphragm. It is not best to split the breast. Reach up in the pelvis and pull out the bladder. Wipe all blood and dirt from the carcass with a coarse cloth wrung dry from hot water. Double up the front legs and slip the little cord found by cutting into the fleshy part of the forearms into the ankle joints.

KILLING AND DRESSING HOGS.

A good sticking knife, hog hook, scrapers, a barrel or a trough for scalding, and a convenient place for working are the important necessities. Set the barrel at the proper slant with the open end against a table or platform of the proper height, with the bottom securely fastened; a strong tackle built for the purpose is desirable, but not necessary. Hogs should not be excited or heated, and in catching and throwing them bruising must be avoided. However, it is not necessary to stun hogs before sticking them. At slaughter houses they are usually hung up by one hind leg. If there is no hoisting appliances, lay the hog on its back and hold it there until stuck. Two men can handle a hog if they will but work with intelligence. By reaching under the animal, one at the fore leg and the other at the hind leg, they can turn a heavy hog on its back easily. One man, standing astride the body, with his feet close against the side and holding its front feet, can control it while the other does the sticking.

The knife should be eight inches long, straight bladed and narrow, and stuck into the hog’s throat just in front of the breast bone, the point directed toward the root of the tail and held in line with the back bone. This is necessary to prevent cutting between the ribs and the shoulders, which would cause the blood to settle there with waste in trimming of the shoulder. When the knife has been stuck in six or eight inches, according to the size of the hog, turn the knife quickly to one side and withdraw it. The arteries that are to be cut run close together just inside of the breast bone and both are cut when the knife is turned, providing the edges are sharp at the point.

The water for scalding when heated in the house should be boiling when removed from the stove. If put into a cold barrel it will be about the right temperature when the hog is ready for scalding. During the scalding process the water should be about 185 to 195 degrees, if the scalding tub holds only enough water to scald one hog. Water at 150 degrees will scald a hog, but, of course, more time is required. In large packing houses where a large tub is used and steam is continually blowing into the water, the water is kept at 150 degrees. Too hot water is likely to cause more trouble than too cold, and for this reason it is always best to have a thermometer at hand. Of course, the temperature may be reduced by putting in a little cold water. A hog should not be scalded before it is dead or the blood in the small blood vessels near the surface of the skin will cook and give a reddish tinge to the carcass.

To make the hair easy to remove and to cleanse the skin of the hog and free it from all the greasy filth which forms a scurf on the skin of all hogs, our Hog-Scald should always be used. Hogs scalded with the aid of Hog-Scald do not require so much heat to loosen the hair, it requires much less labor to clean them, and the dressed hogs will look much nicer and the rinds will cure and smoke nicer than when it is not used. No Farmer or Butcher will dress his hogs without Hog-Scald after giving it a trial. For description and price list on Hog-Scald, see page 278.

While being scalded the carcass should be kept moving constantly to avoid cooking the skin. While scalding, the hog should occasionally be drawn out of the water for air, when the hair may be tried. When both hair and scurf slip easily from the skin, scalding is completed. Remove the carcass from the water and begin scraping. The head and feet should be cleaned first, as they do not clean easily when cold. Use a “candlestick” scraper on the head. Use the hands and a knife if you haven’t this tool. The feet and legs are easily cleaned by grasping them firmly with the hands and twisting them around and back; pull the little bristles of the body by hand and remove the scurf and fine hair with the scraper, long corn knife or other tool. Wash the entire carcass with hot water and shave it with a sharp knife. Insert a stick under the gambrel cords and hang up the hog.

Wash down with hot water, shave patches and rinse with cold water. Occasionally the hog is too large to scald in a barrel. Cover it thickly with blankets or sacks containing a little bran, pour hot water over it and the hair will be readily loosened.

GUTTING HOGS.

Split the hog between the hind legs, separating the bones with a knife. Run the knife down over the belly line, guiding it with the right hand and shielding the point with the lingers of the left hand and thus avoid the danger of cutting the intestines. Split the breast-bone with a knife or an ax and cut down through the sticking place to the chin. Cut around the rectum and pull down until the kidneys are reached, using a knife whenever necessary to sever the cords attached to the back. Do not disturb the kidneys or the fat covering them, excepting in warm weather, when the leaf may be removed to allow quicker and more thorough cooling. Remove the paunch and the intestines. The gall bladder lies in plain sight on the liver, and it lies attached to the diaphragm and hypatic vein. It should be stripped off after starting the upper end with a knife. Avoid spilling the contents on the meat. Insert the fingers under the liver and strip it out. Cut across the artery, running down the backbone, and cut around the diaphragm, removing them with the pluck, that is, heart, lungs, liver and gullet. Open the jaw and insert a small block to allow free drainage. Wash out all blood with cold water, and dry with a coarse cloth. In hot weather the backbone should be split to facilitate cooling. The fat should be removed from the intestines before they get cold. It is strong in flavor and should not be mixed with the leaf lard in rendering.

CLEANING CASINGS.

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Those who undertake to clean casings have great trouble in getting them white and many resort to lime and other methods for both bleaching them and freeing them of fat. Notwithstanding all such efforts, the casings remain dark and unattractive. The reason for much of this difficulty lies in the fact that the casings are not properly washed and cleaned in the first operation. Casings should be washed thoroughly in three different changes of water. The fat should then be scraped off from the outside. Water must also be run through the casings and they should be turned inside out so that they may become thoroughly washed and cleaned. After casings have been perfectly washed and scraped in this manner, they should be dry-salted by packing them in a liberal quantity of salt. Casings thus cured will remain sweet and white.

HANDLING HIDES.

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The proper handling of the hides of slaughtered animals, so as to obtain the best possible prices for them and avoiding excessive shrinkage before they are marketed, is a very important matter and should have the Butcher’s careful attention.

In the first place, it should be borne in mind that it is an easy matter to badly damage the hide of an animal before killing by prodding it with a pole. This of course should always be avoided.

The killing floor should be kept as clean as possible. If there is blood on the floor and this gets on the hair and remains there, when the hides are stacked up this blood comes in contact with the fleshy side of the hide next to it and will make a spot which gives the hide a very bad appearance. By keeping the hides entirely free from blood, they make a better appearance and bring a better price.

The greatest care should be given to the removal of the hide, so they are not scored, as this greatly reduces the value of the hides to the tanner. A good, careful skinner is worth several dollars a week more to the Butcher who kills many animals than a skinner who is careless in his work. (The hide should be so nicely removed from the animal that when it comes to the tanner it should look like it had been planed from the animal, it should be so free from cuts or scores.)

PROPER STORAGE OF HIDES.

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This is a point of very great importance. If many hides are kept on hand for any length of time before shipment, the difference in shrinkage between hides which are properly kept and those which are not so stored is very great. The careful storing and handling of hides will always repay the time and trouble necessary, not only in the weight of the hides, but in the condition in which they are marketed.

Hides should be kept in as cool a room as possible and all windows and doors should be kept closed, so as to have no circulation of air.

SALT TO USE IN SALTING HIDES.

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The best salt to use for this purpose is Crushed Rock Salt. Large lumps of salt are objectionable, on account of leaving indentations in the hides where they are pressed together, which injures their appearance in the eyes of the buyer.

One part of Fine Salt to three parts of Crushed Rock Salt makes a fine mixture for salting hides, as the fine salt quickly dissolves and makes a moisture on the hide, which the hide absorbs.

When re-using old salt for salting hides, always add about one-third of new salt to it, as this gives much better results. About one-third of the salt used is consumed in salting hides, so by adding one-third additional of fresh salt each time, the supply of salt is kept the same. Always keep the salt as clean as possible. If there is much dirt or manure in it these will discolor the hides and they will not make as good a showing to the buyer.

QUANTITY OF SALT TO USE ON HIDES.

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In large Packing Houses about 35 lbs. of salt is used for each hide. The Packers find that by using this quantity they get better results than if a smaller quantity is used. Very few Butchers in the country use as much salt as this on their hides, but they would find it greatly to their advantage to use about 100 lbs. of salt to every three hides, and if the proper quantity of salt is used, as described in the foregoing, it can be used over and over again with a loss of about one-third for each time used. It is much better for the Butcher to invest more money in salt and give the hides a proper amount, as he will thus save on the excessive shrinkage of the hides, which would amount to more than the cost of the salt.

HOW TO STACK HIDES WHEN SALTING.

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One of the most important features in salting hides is the way they are stacked when salted. The hides must be so piled that they are perfectly level and the salt must be distributed over every part of the hide. The flesh side should be up, and the salt should be rubbed over them evenly. The hides can be piled about two feet high. The legs of the hide should be kept straight and flat, so the salt gets into all crevices. The edges of the stack of hides should be kept a trifle higher all around than the center of the stack, so the natural moisture that comes out of the hide and the dry salt will remain on them. If the hides are salted on a slanting floor, or if the hides are piled up carelessly so the hides lie slanting, the brine composed of moisture of the green hide and the salt will run off and then the percentage of loss from shrinkage will be large.

HOW LONG TO CURE HIDES.

Hides should lie in the pack and salt for 25 to 30 days, so as to be fully cured and ready for shipment.

TRIMMING OF GREEN HIDES.

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Before the hides are salted the switches should be cut off of the tail and all loose ends of the hide should be cut off. The butt of the ears should also be split; if the hides go into the pack without attention to this point, it makes the pack very uneven on account of the thickness of the ear, and the salt does not have a chance to properly penetrate the ears, and they are liable to spoil. Loose pieces of meat that are carelessly left on the hides and all excessive fat should be trimmed off. Hides must not be salted until five hours or longer after the animal is killed, and they must not be piled closely, as this would prevent the animal heat from escaping. If hides are salted with the animal heat in them, very often the hair will slip, which will make No. 2 hides.

SALTING SWITCHES.

Switches should be spread out on the floor so they will thoroughly cool off. After they are thoroughly cool, they can be piled into a heap and salt applied so they are entirely covered. The more salt put over them the better, as they spoil very easily.

TANNING SKINS.

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Butchers can easily tan the skins of Sheep, Goats, Cattle and Calves with Tanaline, and they can often pick up fine skins of wild animals, which can also be easily tanned. By tanning the fancy skins that the Butcher frequently can get, he can sell them for three or four times as much as he would realize when sold to the Hide Buyer.

DIRECTIONS FOR TANNING SKINS.

First:--After weighing the skins, soak them in plain cold water; fresh or salted skins for 24 hours, and air dried skins for at least 48 hours. Then scrape off all the fat with a dull instrument, such as a putty knife or sharp piece of hard wood. Then wash thoroughly, with cold water, both sides of the skin.

Second:--Use, for every 30 pounds of skins, a 2-pound package of Tanaline and 4 pounds of salt. Dissolve 2 pounds of Tanaline and 4 pounds of salt in 5 to 6 gallons of cold water, and when thoroughly dissolved, place the skins into it. Have sufficient water so that all the skins are entirely covered. Tan small, thin skins in this solution for 24 hours. Goat, sheep, calf and dog skins should be allowed to tan from two to three days, according to their thickness. Cattle or horse skins, or skins of a similar nature, require one week in this solution to properly tan them. During the tanning process remove the skins and replace them in the same solution twice a day, so that the solution gets over all parts of the skins uniformly. After tanning, drain off all the solution that can easily be drained off, and spread the skins out with the flesh side up, away from the sun.

Third:--Make a heavy flour paste; thin enough to spread easily. Now cover the entire flesh side of the skin with a thin layer (about one-eighth inch) of this paste. Let the skins and flour paste dry for two to four days, according to the weather. The paste will absorb the moisture out of the skins and soften them.

Fourth:--When the skins become dry, work them so that the paste is shaken off. If the skins have been allowed to dry too long, they will be too hard to work, and they should be softened by sprinkling some dampened sawdust over the skins and leaving it on them over night. The skins should next be softened and worked by pulling them over the edge of a table or box, until soft and pliable.

POLISHING HORNS.

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If the horns are rough, first take a file and file through the rough horn, down to the solid horn, and file the horn into proper shape, smoothing the tip and shaping the large end to suit the fancy. After they have been filed, take sand paper and rub the horn with the sand paper until it is nice and smooth, then finish the rubbing with very fine sand paper, so as to take out all the scratches. After it has been sand papered, take a piece of glass and scrape it until very smooth. Polish by rubbing with powdered rotten stone and machine oil. The polishing must be done with the palm of the hand, and the horn should be rubbed until beautifully polished.

WHY DRIED BEEF DOES NOT THOROUGHLY DRY.

_Query.--R. B. writes: “We are having trouble with our Dried Beef. It doesn’t seem to dry out. We have it hanging in the cooler.”_

Ans.--Your beef doesn’t dry out because you keep it in the cooler. In order to dry beef, it is necessary to hang it in a dry room. You can hang it right out in the market for that matter and there it will dry rapidly, in fact, it will dry too quickly so that it will become hard. Dried Beef will dry some in the smoke house, but not sufficiently. We send you a copy of our book, “Secrets of Meat Curing and Sausage Making,” which will give you full particulars in reference to this entire subject.

BULL-MEAT PREFERABLE FOR SAUSAGE.

_Query.--Z. & R. write: There is a prevailing notion among local butchers that bull meat possesses qualities which make it superior to first-class steer or cow meat for making bologna and wieners. Is this not an erroneous idea? How can bologna and wieners be prevented from turning dark and shrinking within a few days after making if exposed to the air?_

=Ans=:--The opinion of your local butcher is correct as far as it concerns bull meat as the best meat for bologna and wienerwurst. The reason for this is that bull meat contains a great deal of gelatine in various forms and far more than even the meat of either steer or cow. If you take the bull meat and chop it up, you will find that it is sticky and binds together, while if you take meat from an aged cow and chop it up it will not bind together, is mushy and soft to the touch, and when cooked frequently crumbles and falls apart.

In answering your next question, we can say that the probable cause in most cases why sausage dries up, shrivels up, shrinks or turns dark within a short time after being made is because it was not properly handled. It is also possible that these effects of which you complain were due to causes produced by the way you salted your meat or what you salted it with. If you will follow our instructions on Bologna making given in our book “Secrets of Meat Curing and Sausage Making,” you should have no further trouble. The book is sent free.

HOW TO MAKE A PAPER BAROMETER

_Question.--J. K. writes: Can you tell me how a Barometer can be made with paper that tells what the weather is going to be?_

Answer.--Paper barometers are made by impregnating white blotting paper in the following liquid, and then hanging up to dry:

Cobalt Chloride 1 oz.
Sodium Chloride ½ oz.
Acacia ¼ oz.
Calcium Chloride 75 gr.
Water 3 fl. oz.

The amount of moisture in the atmosphere is indicated by the following colors:

Rose Red Rain
Pale Red Very Moist
Bluish Red Moist
Lavender Blue Nearly Dry
Blue Very Dry

SOUR SAUSAGE

_Question.--B. & W. write: We have been using your Bull-Meat-Brand-Flour through all of last winter, and found it satisfactory in every way. We have been using also your Freeze-Em Pickle. Since hot weather began our sausage has soured. We have lost over 100 lbs. of sausage through its souring. Can you tell us what is the probable cause of our sausage becoming sour?_

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Answer.--We will say that the cause of your sausage souring may be due to several things. Either your grinder has become dull, causing the meat you run through it to heat in the grinding, or it may be due to the fact that the meat was not cold enough to prevent it from heating while being ground.

Another cause for trouble of this kind is in the mixing machine. In mixing meat too much, a considerable quantity of air is forced into the meat, which will often cause it to sour during the warm seasons of the year. During hot weather it is advisable to grind a small quantity of ice with the meat to keep it cold.

We also advise the use of our “A” Condimentine preparation. This is a very useful product for keeping in condition all fresh sausage. It is entirely harmless, containing no substances injurious to health. Complies with all pure food laws.

We are quite positive that you are souring your meat in the grinding, or in the mixing. Please let us know if you have a mixing machine, or whether you mix your meat by hand. If you have no mixing machine you are souring your meat while grinding it. You should mix ice with your meat before grinding it. Grind the meat and the ice together, and use “A” Condimentine. Your troubles will then disappear.

SPICED BEEF

_Question.--W. C. K. writes: I was very much interested in your magazine “Success With Meat,” and wish you would send me a formula for the making and curing of Spiced Rounds of Fresh Beef. In our city we have a great demand for spiced beef and I want the very best formula obtainable, which I know you can furnish me. I have used Freeze-Em-Pickle for a good many years and always get splendid results from its use._

Answer.--We are very glad that you like “Success With Meat,” and are pleased to learn you have obtained such uniformly good results with Freeze-Em-Pickle.

To make rolled spiced beef take 100 lbs. of boneless beef plates and cure them in brine made as follows:

5 gallons of cold water.
5 lbs. of common salt.
1 lb. Freeze-Em-Pickle.
2 lbs. of granulated cane sugar.
6 to 8 ounces Zanzibar Brand Corned Beef Seasoning.

Cure the plates in this brine 10 to 20 days in a cooler. The temperature should not be higher than 42 to 44 degrees Fahr., but a temperature of 38 to 40 degrees is better for curing purposes.

The Zanzibar Brand Corned Beef Seasoning gives a delightful flavor to the brine. After the meat has been fully cured in accordance with the above formula sprinkle some Corned Beef Seasoning on the meat; then roll the meat and tie it tight with a heavy string. Some people also like a garlic flavor and if desired a small quantity of Vacuum Brand Garlic may be added to the brine or sprinkled over the meat before it is rolled. Where you want to cure rumps or rounds of beef that weigh from 12 to 25 lbs. each, we advise that you pump them just the same as a ham would be pumped with a pumping brine made as follows:

½ lb. of Freeze-Em-Pickle.
1 lb. of pure granulated sugar.
2 lbs. of salt.
1 gallon of water.

By following the above suggestions carefully you should have no trouble in turning out delicious corned beef.

SOUR HAMS--HOW TO PREVENT.

_Query.--F. B. writes: “Have you any chemical compounds that will help us to take care of some sour hams? We have some hams that are just a little sour and thought perhaps you would help us in the matter.”_

Ans.--We do not prepare anything which would help you in the least. The trouble arises from imperfect curing and the only time that we could have been of help to you would have been when you commenced to put the hams in the pickle; we could have then given you full instructions for pickling the hams in such a way that they could not have soured. In nearly all cases the souring is around the bone. In your case it is best to cut out the bone and trim away the sour meat. After being thus carefully trimmed, they can be rolled, tied and sold for boned hams. You can always avoid the danger of sour hams by exercising extreme care in properly chilling the meat before curing. Most all souring arises from the fact that the meat is not chilled through to the bone. If all the animal heat is thoroughly removed before curing, the hams will come out of the pickle cured all the way through.

If you will follow closely the directions contained in our book, “Secrets of Meat Curing and Sausage Making,” you will never have trouble with your hams. We take great pleasure in sending you a copy of this book free of charge.

FREEZE-EM-PICKLE LEGAL EVERYWHERE.

_Query.--S. G. Co.: You will please send us a 500-lb. barrel of Freeze-Em Pickle, if you can guarantee it to comply with the Pure Food Laws._

Ans.--Shipment of 500 lbs. Freeze-Em-Pickle, which you ordered by mail, went forward today. We beg to inform you that this product complies with requirements of all Pure Food Laws and is perfectly legal to use everywhere. We know that you will be highly pleased with Freeze-Em-Pickle. The Freeze-Em-Pickle process of curing meat gives it a uniform bright red color and a sweet sugar cured flavor and enables it to retain all of its albumen. It also prevents the meat from drying up and hardening when fried or cooked, or from crumbling when sliced up after being cooked. It may be used in the brine, or it can be sprinkled dry over the meat before it is packed for storage. See our directions for using it.

MAKING SOAP FROM RENDERED FAT

_Question.--C. J. B. writes: Can you give me a formula for making soap? I have a surplus stock of rendered fat that I would like to convert into soap._

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Answer.--We will give a very good formula for making soft soap and hard soap.

To 20 pounds of clear grease or tallow take 17 pounds of pure white potash. Buy the potash in as fine lumps as it can be procured and place it in the bottom of the soap barrel, which must be water-tight and strongly hooped. Boil the grease and pour it boiling hot upon the potash then add two large pailfuls of boiling hot water; dissolve 1 pound of borax in 2 quarts of boiling hot water and stir all together thoroughly. Next morning add 2 pailfuls of cold water and stir for half an hour; continue this process until a barrel containing 36 gallons is filled. In a week, or even in less time, it will be ready for use. The borax, and also one pound of rosin, can be turned into the grease while the grease is boiling.

Soap made in this manner is a first-rate article, and has a good body. The grease must be tried out, free from scraps, ham rinds, bones, or any other similar kind of matter; then the soap will be as thick as jelly, and almost as clear. To make soft soap hard put into a kettle four pailfuls of soft soap, and stir in it by degrees about one quart of common salt. Boil until all the water is separated from the curd, remove the kettle from the fire and draw off the water with a siphon (a yard or so of rubber hose will answer); then pour the soap into a wooden form in which muslin has been placed. For this purpose a wooden box sufficiently large and tight, may be employed. When the soap is firm turn out to dry, cut into bars with a brass wire and let it harden. A little powdered rosin will assist the soap to harden and give it a yellow color. This must be added in the kettle when the soap is boiled. If the soft soap is very thin, more salt should be added.

WHY BOLOGNA DRAWS WATER WHEN IT IS BOILED

_Question.--J. B. writes: I again write you for information. When I boiled my bologna the meat drew water. I added the water the second time I ground the meat. Why did the meat draw water while the sausage was being boiled?_

_I am glad to say that your advice in reply to my last letter enabled me to completely overcome the trouble I had with my corned beef. I am now using the galvanized iron tank as you recommended, and have discarded my old corned beef barrel. I will further say that since I began using your products, that I am selling three times as much sausage as I formerly did. I am greatly pleased with all the goods that I have bought from you._

(_Copyrighted by B. Heller & Co.; Reprint Forbidden._)

Answer.--There are three principal reasons for meat drawing water while the bologna is being boiled. The first is that you probably “killed” the meat in the grinding of it, by your knife not being sharp enough, or that your meat soured in the grinding of it by the meat not being cold enough. If you desire to work in some water while grinding the meat, use chipped ice instead of water. The ice will keep the meat cool and stiff, and the meat will not quash, or mash down. The use of ice will prevent the meat from getting warm.

Another cause for bologna drawing water while being boiled is that you have heated the bologna too hot while it was in the smokehouse, or you are boiling bologna at too high a temperature. Boiling bologna at 160 degrees Fahrenheit would hardly spoil it, but we recommend boiling bologna at 155 degrees Fahrenheit.

Possibly you boil the bologna too long. When you take your bologna out of the cooking water do you pour cold water over them? This also has a bearing on the case. Watch carefully all of the above points and you will not have any more trouble. Refer to our book.

OLD BARRELS INFECTED WITH GERMS WILL CAUSE ROPY BRINE

_Question.--W. & Sons write: Can you advise us about our corned beef pickle? We made it according to directions given in your book, “Secrets of Meat Curing and Sausage Making.” But our brine gets “ropy” as you call it. We use pure cane sugar. We keep our cooler at 38 to 40 degrees Fahr., and are at a loss to know what is the cause of our trouble. Please advise us in this matter._

(_Copyrighted by B. Heller & Co.; Reprint Forbidden._)

Answer.--Ropy brine can come about even when pure cane sugar is used in curing. This condition is caused by germs which develop in the brine and cause the brine to thicken. You will find that the barrels which contain your brine are infected with germs. The best way to get rid of these germs is to first empty the barrels; then put the barrels into a vat and boil them. Also scrub the barrels inside and outside. For this purpose they should be rinsed with boiling water to which has been added Freeze-Em, 4 ounces to each gallon, and afterwards a last rinsing with our Ozo washing powder, or soda, in the water that you use for washing the barrels. After the barrels are thoroughly washed and rinsed with cold water, they should then be put out of doors where the sun can shine upon them and in them for several days before they are again used and placed in the cooler.

Barrels in which corned beef is cured should be made of hardwood. If you are using a syrup barrel or a molasses barrel, you will find that the pores of the wood have become filled with syrup or molasses, which causes the brine to become thick. We think this is the cause of your trouble.

The best barrels to use are tierces that are made of oak, such as lard is shipped in by the packers. The wood of these tierces becomes saturated or filled with lard, and the lard prevents the brine from penetrating or soaking into the wood. Be sure that whatever barrels you use are made of hardwood, and not of white wood or other soft wood, of which many kinds of barrels are made.

HOW TO MAKE FERTILIZER FROM BEEF BLOOD

_Question.--J. E. P. writes: Please tell me how to utilize and handle beef blood so as to make fertilizer out of it. I am killing from ten to fifteen head of cattle each week, and thus have quite a quantity of blood._

Answer.--Blood in a packing house is handled as follows: It is first drained from the killing floor into vats and when the vats are filled, live steam is turned on and the blood is boiled until congealed. It is then put in large powerful presses and all the water pressed out, the congealed blood remaining in the press cloth. From the presses it is put through a fertilizer dryer and then is known as dried blood.

Where you only kill 10 to 15 head of cattle a week, it would not pay you to dry the blood in this way. A very fine fertilizer, however, can be made from the blood either for your own use or to sell by boiling the blood in a kettle over a fire or else putting it into a tank and blowing live steam in it; then separate from the water as best you can and mix with black earth, spreading it out thin in the sun to dry. The boiled blood should be mixed with about its own weight in black earth. This makes a wonderful fertilizer and ought to bring you many extra dollars.

ICE VS. ICE MACHINE IN SMALL PLANTS

_Query.--F. S. writes: “I would like to know if an ice machine can be had small enough for a retail meat market and would it be profitable to take the place of an ice box? If you can do so, please give me this information and where I can get the ice machine. Ice here for a summer’s use will cost about $75.”_

Ans.--You state that the cost of ice for the summer season in your market would be about $75.00; therefore, it will not pay you to put in an ice machine, as the cost of operating such a machine for an ice-box would be a great deal more than $75.00 for the season. For instance, if you could obtain electric power or a gas engine for operating the ice machine, you could figure on using at least $7.50 to $10.00 a month for power alone. In addition to this, you would have the expense of repairs and the wear and tear on the machinery, also the cost of ammonia and the interest on your investment. For a small plant, it is always cheaper to use ice for an ice-box, when it is possible to secure the ice at a reasonable figure.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POTATO FLOUR AND BULL-MEAT BRAND SAUSAGE BINDER?

_QUERY.--J. G. Co. writes: Will you kindly state the difference between your Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder and Potato Flour, as we have received several circulars from you on Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder and have always been using potato flour heretofore, and if you will explain to us the difference, and if your Bull-Meat Sausage Binder is better for us, we will be glad to use it._

Answer.--The difference between Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder and Potato Flour is this, potato flour is made from potatoes and the absorbing properties of a pound of potato flour or potato starch are much less than you would imagine. If you will take a gallon of water and put into this water one pound of potato flour and let it stand for one hour, all the Potato Flour will have settled to the bottom and you can pour off the gallon of water and then weigh the pound of potato flour and you will be surprised that it will weigh less than two pounds, it will have taken up less than one pound of water. Also make a test by putting one pound of Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder in a gallon of water and you will find that the pound of Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder will have absorbed almost the entire gallon of water. You can easily see by making this test the difference in the action of the flours when used in different kinds of sausage. When Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder is used it helps to hold the fat and then when the sausage is fried it looks different and tastes different than sausage made with potato flour. Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder absorbs fat and juice in the meat and tends to hold it in the meat and it does not fry out so readily. If you will try the Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder and make a test, you will prefer it to potato flour.

CAUSE OF BOLOGNA DRAWING WATER AND BEING SHORT GRAINED.

_Query.--J. L. B. writes: “Will you kindly answer the following questions: First, What is the cause of bologna drawing water while being cooked? Second, What is the cause of short grain bologna?”_

Ans.--We do not exactly understand your first question and cannot tell whether you mean that moisture draws out of the Bologna or whether water draws into the Bologna. As a rule, when the Bologna is cooked, especially in water that is too hot, it will shrink very much, become dry and crumble and break up. This effectually answers your second question also. The trouble you are experiencing is due to your method of making Bologna, which is not exactly right. In the first place good Bologna cannot be made without the use of a binder like our Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder. A binder and absorbent of this kind causes the meat to hold together. It also makes the juices of the meat remain in the Bologna. When Bologna does not properly bind, it shrinks up and gets watery inside.

This is owing to the fact that the meat does not hold together properly and the water, instead of being absorbed right into the meat as it should be, gets between the small particles of meat and separates them. If you use our =Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder= and follow the methods set forth in our book, “Secrets of Meat Curing and Sausage Making,” you will never have any trouble from your Bologna breaking up or getting crumbly or watery, as you call it.

CAUSE OF LARD FOAMING WHEN USING LARD PURIFIER.

_Query.--W. & Son write: “Will you kindly tell us what, in your opinion, accounts for our lard foaming after treating it with your B. Heller & Co.’s Lard Purifier when placed in the frying pan? Our customers are complaining about this feature, although the lard is nice and satisfies them in every other respect.”_

Ans.--The complaint which your customers make concerning the foaming and spluttering of the lard is in all probability due to the fact that all the water was not separated from the lard after treating the lard. Whenever lard is treated with our Lard Purifier, it must be heated hot enough and allowed to stand long enough so that all the water separates and settles out to the bottom. If this is always done, the lard will not splutter when used in the frying pan.

IMITATION BULL-MEAT-BRAND SAUSAGE BINDER.

_QUERY.--G. W. writes: “I find that I have been imposed upon by a salesman with a binder which is claimed to be Bull-Meat Binder. Owing to the fact that I have not been able to get satisfactory results from the use of it, I have examined the package closely, and find that the labels are not the same as yours. I enclose a rough drawing of what this label is like and would like to know if the goods are of your manufacture. It doesn’t act like your Bull-Meat Binder and I have had very poor success with it: in fact, so very poor that I have sent it back to the jobbers and told them that I could not use it.”_

Answer.--You most certainly received an imitation of Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder. The very fact that the preparation you received failed to give satisfaction =was=, in itself, sufficient to convince you that you had been imposed upon, as Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder always produces excellent results. Your idea of examining the label is the proper one. Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder is not only a Binder but also an Absorbent. It has its Flavoring Qualities as well as its tendency to Bind and Blend the Juices of the Meat, thus absorbing those constituents that enables Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder to give sausage such a Delicious and Superior Flavor. When purchasing our goods in the future, we would ask you to kindly examine them closely upon their receipt to see that you are receiving the Genuine and nothing but the Genuine. In this way it will not be necessary for you to spoil a lot of Sausage in order to find out that you have been imposed upon by irresponsible imitators who try to pirate our goods. Never use any goods shipped you until you have examined them closely to see that the name of B. Heller & Co. and no other is upon the label.

HOW TO CONSTRUCT A MODERN SMOKE HOUSE.

_Query.--The S. P. Co. asks: “Would you kindly tell us, and we will gladly pay you for the information, how to construct a modern, up-to-date smokehouse?”_

Ans.--We will be very glad indeed to tell you all about this subject without charging you any fee. We are always glad to tell customers or prospective customers how they can profitably conduct their business and make money. As you are located in California, where the weather is always warm, the building of a smoke house becomes simple, because the smoke house will not sweat like it does in a climate where the weather gets cold in winter. Here in the Middle West, or farther East, it is more difficult to get a good color on meats smoked in a smoke house in winter. One of the principal points to be considered in laying out your plans is to get the proper height, and the higher you build your house and the less floor space it occupies, the better will be your results. An 8×10 or an 8×12 foot house gives the best results. In this you could put an arch about nine or ten feet from the ground, and under the arch smoke your fresh sausage and above it smoke the meat. In this way the heat and smoke used for the sausage would also be utilized for smoking the bacon and hams and none would be wasted. If you build the way we have indicated be sure and put ventilators right above the arch so that cold air can be let into the smoke house during the real hot weather. If your fire gets too hot, you can feed cold air to the interior chamber, and if your smoke house is tall you can create a good draught and will soon get up a circulation which will cool the air so that the meat will not shrink too much. A smoke house built for simply two tiers of meat, that is, two rows, is better than one built wider. The walls of your smoke house can be built either of brick or wood, whichever you prefer, brick being the safer of the two. If you do not intend to smoke fresh sausage but only bacon and hams, it is unnecessary to put in an arch. In that case simply construct some iron bars about eight feet above the fire and on top of these put a heavy iron screen, so in case any hams should fall that they do not fall into the fire. Of course, you know that many smoke houses catch on fire and burn up, due to not having an iron screen above the fire and by meat falling directly into the fire.

PREVENTING PORK SAUSAGE FROM SOURING IN WARM WEATHER

QUESTION.--W. G. F. writes: “I make my own sausage, using your Bull-Meat-Brand Sausage Binder and your Sausage Seasoning. My sausage is good when it is fresh-made, but it soon becomes sour in warm weather. What can I do to prevent this trouble?”

(_Copyrighted by B. Heller & Co.; Reprint Forbidden._)

Answer.--The best and easiest way to overcome the difficulty you report about your fresh pork sausage souring in warm weather is to use our “A” Condimentine. In making your sausage, for each 100 pounds of meat add ¾ to 1 pound of Heller’s “A” Condimentine. This will prevent fresh pork sausage from turning gray and souring for from eight to ten days, according to the temperature in which the sausage is kept.