Curing Hams
Ingredients
1 pound pound ham, uncooked
1 quart molasses
1 and 1 1/2 gallons fine liver
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 3/4 pound saltpeter
1 tsp. black pepper
1 quart hickory ashes, well sifted
Cooking Instructions
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 Tbls.ful 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.
My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” (Psalms 42:3)