Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Directions for Cutting Up a Hog , Victorian-Style: Lovingly Dedicated to My Son, Timothy Baran
Yesterday, my culinary arts student, chef-in-training, and professional cook fabricated a finger instead of the carrot he was chopping. So after spending the better part of yesterday afternoon in a hospital emergency room, we are off to a hand specialist today, some couple of hours away from home.
In keeping in the spirit of our recent drama, it seemed like a good time to share how the cooks at Simons Mansion dissected pigs for kitchen purposes. First published in the 1860's "Miss Beecher’s domestic receiptbook: designed as a supplement to her Treatise on domestic economy."
Split the hog through the spine, take off each half of the head behind the ear, then take off a piece front of the shoulder and next the head, say four or five pounds, for sausages.
Then take out the leaf, which lies around the kidneys, for lard.
Then, with a knife, cut out the whole mass of the lean meat, except what belongs to the shoulder and the ham.
Then take off the ham and the shoulder. Then take out all the fat to be used for lard, which is the loose piece, directly in front of the ham.
Next cut off a narrow strip from the spring, or belly, for sausage meat. Cut up the remainder, which is clear pork, for salting, in four or five strips of nearly equal width. Take off the cheek, or jowl, of the head for smoking with the ham; and use the upper part for boiling, baking, or head cheese.
The feet are boiled and then fried,, or used for jelly. It is most economical to try up the thin flabby pieces for lard to cook with. (Editor's note: "Try" is not a typo).
The fat leaf try by itself, for the nicest cooking.
Clean all the intestines of the fat for lard. That which does not readily separate from the larger intestines, use for soap grease.
Of the insides, the liver, heart, sweet-breads, and kidneys are sometimes used for broiling or frying. The smaller intestines are used for sausage cases.
In salting down, leave out the bloody and lean portions and use them for sausages.
Except for the language, Timothy said that fabrication techniques have changed little through the decades.
In keeping in the spirit of our recent drama, it seemed like a good time to share how the cooks at Simons Mansion dissected pigs for kitchen purposes. First published in the 1860's "Miss Beecher’s domestic receiptbook: designed as a supplement to her Treatise on domestic economy."
Split the hog through the spine, take off each half of the head behind the ear, then take off a piece front of the shoulder and next the head, say four or five pounds, for sausages.
Then take out the leaf, which lies around the kidneys, for lard.
Then, with a knife, cut out the whole mass of the lean meat, except what belongs to the shoulder and the ham.
Then take off the ham and the shoulder. Then take out all the fat to be used for lard, which is the loose piece, directly in front of the ham.
Next cut off a narrow strip from the spring, or belly, for sausage meat. Cut up the remainder, which is clear pork, for salting, in four or five strips of nearly equal width. Take off the cheek, or jowl, of the head for smoking with the ham; and use the upper part for boiling, baking, or head cheese.
The feet are boiled and then fried,, or used for jelly. It is most economical to try up the thin flabby pieces for lard to cook with. (Editor's note: "Try" is not a typo).
The fat leaf try by itself, for the nicest cooking.
Clean all the intestines of the fat for lard. That which does not readily separate from the larger intestines, use for soap grease.
Of the insides, the liver, heart, sweet-breads, and kidneys are sometimes used for broiling or frying. The smaller intestines are used for sausage cases.
In salting down, leave out the bloody and lean portions and use them for sausages.
Except for the language, Timothy said that fabrication techniques have changed little through the decades.
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