Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. FARMERS' BULLETIN No. 183. 'H.S *.« „.I --see revved« "binders at end of file MEAT ON THE FARM: BUTCHERING, CURING, AND KEEPING. ANDREW BOSS, Of the College of Agriculture, University of Minnesota. WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. I9O3. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY, Washington^ D. C, October 1, 1903. SIR: I have the Honor to transmit herewith the manuscript of an article on Meat on the Farm: Butchering, Curing, and Keeping, by Mr. Andrew Boss, of the University of Minnesota, an eminent author- ity on the subject, and to recommend its publication as a Farmers' Bulletin. Respectfully, D. E. SALMON, Chief. Hon. JAMES WILSON, Secretary. 2 188 CONTENTS. Butchering 5 Selection of animals 5 Condition _ 5 Breeding and other factors , 6 Age for killing $ Preparation of animals for slaughter Q Killing and dressing cattle 7 Bleeding g Skinning and gutting 9 Dressing veal I4 Treatment of hides 14 Dressing sheep _ 14 Kimng 15 Skinning I5 Gutting 16 Dressing hogs I7 Killing 17 Scalding and scraping • ig Gutting. 20 Dressing poultry 20 Keeping of meats 21 Cooling the carcass 21 Cutting up meat _ _ _ 22 The cuts of beef • 22 Uses of the cuts of beef ..-. 23 Cutting mutton _ _ _ 24 Cutting pork 25 Cutting veal 26 Keeping fresh meat .m 27 Cold storage 27 Snow packing 28 Cooking 28 Curing meats 29 Vessels for curing 29 Preservatives 29 Curing in brine and dry curing compared 30 Recipes for curing : 30 Corned beef 30 Dried beef * 3] Plain salt pork 3I Sugar-cured hams and bacon 32 Dry-cured pork 32 Head-cheese 32 Scrapple 33 Pickled pig's feet 33 Trying out lard 33 183 3" Curing meats—Continued. Page. Kecipes for curing—Continued. Sausage 33 Hamburg steak 34 Bologna sausage 34 Casings 35 Smoking meats 35 House and fuel 35 Filling the house 36 Keeping up the fire 36 Keeping smoked meats 36 Recipe for yellow wash 37 ILLUSTRATIONS. * Fiox. 1.—Tools for farm slaughtering 7 2.—Beef: Illustrating method of securing to stun 8 3.—Beef: Place to stick and manner of sticking 9 4.—Beef : Skinning the face, illustrating manner of starting to skin a beef. 9 5.—Beef: Removing the head 10 6.—Beef: Showing manner of unjointing fore leg and skinning shank... 10 7.—Beef: Unjointing the hind leg 10 8.—Beef: "Siding down;" knife held flat against the tightly stretched skin - 11 9.—Beef: Ready to raise 12 10.—Beef: Raising the carcass - 12 11.—Beef: Removing paunch and intestines 13 12.—Beef: Skinning shoulders and forearms .- - 14 13.—Beef raised out of the way of animals to cool 14 14.—Manner of sticking á sheep 15 15.—"Legging out" a sheep - - 16 16.—Fisting off the pelt 16 17.—Removing the intestines of sheep 17 18.—Manner of holding and sticking a hog 18 19.—Scalding a hog 18 20.—A convenient way of hanging up a hog - - 19 21.—Opening the abdomen to remove the intestines 20 22.—Tools for cutting meat 22 23.—Carcass of beef showing wholesale cuts 22 24.—Prime ribs of beef: a, Rolled roast; 6, folded roast; c, standing roast. 23 25._Square chuck of beef showing divisions: a, Neck; 6, shoulder; c, chuck ribs; d, cross ribs 23 26.—Loin of beef: a, Sirloin steak; b, porterhouse; c, sirloin strip 24 27.—Finished carcass of mutton t .- 25 28.—Method of cutting up a carcass of mutton 25 29.—Leg of mutton: Untrimmed and trimmed 25 30.—Mutton: Loin cut and rib cut for chops 25 31.—Shoulder of mutton: Untrimmed and trimmed *. 26 32.—Carcass of pork: Head, shoulders, middle, hams 26 33.—Hams: Trimmed and untrimmed - - - 26 34.—Side cuts of pork: a, Loin; b, fat back; c, spareribs; d, bacon strip; 6, trimmings; /, leaf 27 35,_Pork shoulders : Untrimmed and trimmed with trimmings 27 1.53 MEAT ON THE FARM. BUTCHERING. SELECTION OF ANIMALS. In the selection of animals for meat health should be given first consideration. No matter how fat an animal may be nor how good its form, if it is not in perfect health the best quality of meat can not bç obtained. If suffering from fever or any serious derangement of the system, the flesh will not be wholesome food. Animals are often killed that are infected with actinomycosis (lump3T jaw), tuberculosis (consumption), cholera, swine plague, and other diseases of like nature. There is little direct evidence of harmful results from the use of such animals as food when in the early stages of disease, but since it is almost impossible to distinguish between the incipient and the fully developed forms of the disease, or to know when it becomes virulent, the safer course is to discourage the use of anything known to be in imperfect health. Flesh from animals that have recovered from the ravages of disease before slaughter is not likely to cure well and is very difficult to keep after curing. Bruises, broken limbs, or like accidents all have the same effect on the meat as ill health, and, unless the animal can be bled and dressed immediately after such accident, it is not best to use the meat for food. This would hold true especially if there has been a rise in temperature of 2° or more. A rise in temperature at or just previous to slaughtering is almost sure to result in stringy, gluey meat, and to create a tendency to sour in curing. Condition.—First-class meat can not be obtained from animals that are poor in flesh. A reasonable amount of fat must be present to give juiciness and flavor to the flesh, and the fatter an animal is, within reasonable limits, the better will be the meat. The presence of large amounts of fat is not essential, however, to wholesome meat, and it is far more important that an animal be in good health than that it be extremely fat. " Never kill an animal that is losing flesh" is a maxim followed by butchers, and observation points to a logical reason for the saying. With an animal failing in flesh the muscle fibers are shrinking in volume and contain correspondingly less water. As a consequence the meat is tougher and dryer. When an animal is gaining in flesh the 183 5 6 opposite condition obtains ana a better quality of meat is the result. Also a better product will be obtained from an animal in only medium flesh, but gaining rapidly, than from a very fat animal that is at a stand- still or losing in flesh. Breeding and other factors.—Quality in meat is largely dependent on the health and condition of the animals slaughtered, and yet the best quality of meat is rarely, if ever, obtained from poorly bred stock. The desired "marbling," or admixture of fat and lean, is never of the best in scrub or native stock, nor do the "gaudy" fellows of the show ring, with rolls of fat on their ribs, furnish the ideal in quality of meat. There seems to be a connection between a smooth, even, and deeply fleshed animal and nicely marbled meat that is not easily explained. It is found that the two go together usually, unless the animals are carried along too far, in which case there may be a surplus of u spine," or outside, fat. Fine bones, soft, luxuriant hair and mellow flesh are always desirable in an animal to be used for meat, as they are indications of small waste and good quality of meat. Age for killing.—Age affects the flavor and texture of the meat to quite an extent. While it is not possible to state the age at which an animal will be best for meat, it is a well-known fact that meat from old animals is more likely to be tough than that from young ones. The flesh of very young animals frequently lacks flavor and is watery. An old animal properly fattened and in good health would be preferable to a young one in poor condition. Cattle are fit for beef at 18 to 20 months if properly fed, though meat from such animals lacks in flavor. The best meat will be obtained from animals from 30 to 40 months old, though they may be used at any age if in good condition. A calf should not be used for veal under 6 weeks of age, and is at its best when about 10 weeks old and raised on the cow. There is a law in most States against selling veal under 6 weeks of age. Hogs may be used at any age after .6 weeks, but the most profitable age at which to slaughter is 8 to 12 months. Sheep may be likewise used when 2 to 3 months of age and at any time there- after. They will be at their best previous to reaching 2 years of age, usually at 8 to 12 months. PREPARATION OF ANIMALS FOR SLAUGHTER. It is important that an animal intended for slaughter should be kept off feed from twenty-four to thirty-six hours. If kept on full feed the system is gorged and the blood loaded with assimilated nutrients is driven to the extremities of the capillaries. In such a condition it is impossible to thoroughly drain out the veins when the animal is bled, and a reddish colored, unattractive carcass will be the result.