851. - To Cure A Ham

For a ham of sixteen pounds, take a pound and a half of common salt, with an ounce of saltpetre. Leave it some days, then put in one pound of molasses; let the ham lie a month in the pickle; then hang it up.

852. - Practical Housewife's Christmas Ham

Soak the ham. be the weight whatever it may, half the usual time in water; remove, wash well with cold water, place in a pan large and deep enough to contain it, cover with beer or good ale, and let it remain until the required time for soaking a ham of the size used has expired. Boil as usual until the skin can be readily removed; then place the ham in a tin or an earthenware dish, and cover with a common flour and water paste, or surround with batter. Bake in a moderately heated oven until done, remove the paste or batter, cover with bread-raspings, and serve hot.

Cooked in this manner, a ham acquires the most delicious flavor.

853. - Hams

Skimmed milk, or milk and water, will be found preferable to plain water for soaking hams; and they may also be boiled in milk and water.

Where vegetables are plentiful, it is desirable to boil ham with three heads of celery, a couple of turnips, half a dozen small onions, and a large bunch of sweet marjoram, thyme, etc, put in after the pot has been skimmed. These will extract the salt and soften the meat. A piece of coarse fresh beef, or any kind of meat, in addition, will materially improve the ham, as, in this manner of boiling it, the juices of the meat and vegetables insinuate themselves between the fibres of the ham, after having dislodged the salt, by which means the meat is enriched and rendered tender. At first sight this will appear an extravagant way of boiling a ham, but it should be considered that the broth will serve the purposes of the family." If the meat and vegetables are not approved, two pounds of fresh beef dripping will answer nearly as well.

856. - To Roast

Take a very fine ham (a Westphalia, if you can procure it), soak it in lukewarm water for a day or two, changing the water frequently. The day before you intend to cook it, take the ham out of the water, and, having removed the skin, trim it nicely, and pour over it a bottle of an inferior white wine; let it steep till next morning, frequently during the day washing the wine over it; put it in a cradle-spit in time to allow at least six hours for slowly roasting it; baste with hot water continually. When done, dredge it with fine bread raspings, and brown before the fire.

856. - Spring, Or Forehand Of Pork

Cut out the bone; sprinkle salt, pepper, and sage dried, over the inside; but first warm a little butter to baste it, and then flour it; roll the pork tight, and tie it; then roast by a hanging jack. About two hours will do it.

857. - Ham Gravy

Take the wine in which the ham was steeped, and add to it the essence or juice which flowed from the meat when taken from the spit; squeeze in the juice of two lemons; put it into a saucepan, and boil and skim it; send it to table in a boat. Cover the shank of the ham (which should have been sawed short) with bunches of double parsley, and ornament it with any garnish you may think proper.