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Category: Meat

Preserve Meat by Pickling with Salt

Preserve Meat by Pickling with Salt

“Salting is the process of preserving food with dry edible salt.  It is related to pickling in general and more specifically to brining (salty water) and is one form of curing. It is one of the oldest methods of preserving food.” (Source: Wikipedia) NOTE: While looking online at modern methods of preserving with salt, most of the information says to use canning salt, also called kosher salt, and not to use iodized salt. In 1800s cookbooks, pickling is usually the…

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Tasty Sauces for Chicken and Other Poultry

Tasty Sauces for Chicken and Other Poultry

Are you looking for different ways to cook chicken and other poultry?  You might want to try these recipes for poultry sauces from various cookbooks published in the 1800s. The word “poultry” is used for domestic fowls including chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks. “Fowl” is often used the same as poultry but may include game birds. NOTE: Poultry and Fowls are used interchangeably in older recipes. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS CHICKEN SAUCE An anchovy or two boned and chopped,…

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Hash Recipes to Use Leftover Meat

Hash Recipes to Use Leftover Meat

“Hash is a peculiarly American institution. In no other country is every remnant of cold meat turned into that one unvarying dish. When English people speak of hash, they mean something quite different—meat warmed in slices. Our hash, made with nice gravy, garnished with sippets of toast and pickles, surrounded with mashed potatoes or rice—is dignified abroad by the name of mince, and makes its appearance as an elegant little entrée.” (from an 1800s cookbook) INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS…

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The Proper Way to Boil Chicken / Poultry

The Proper Way to Boil Chicken / Poultry

“The method of preparing poultry by boiling is not strongly advocated. There is seldom a time when better results cannot be obtained by cooking meat at a lower temperature than at the boiling point. The method of boiling depends on if you want to make a broth or soup stock, or if you want to eat the meat.” INFORMATION FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS VINEGAR OR LEMON All kinds of poultry can be cooked quicker by adding a little vinegar or a…

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Ways to Cook Beef Liver

Ways to Cook Beef Liver

“Liver is usually much despised, but when well cooked, it is very palatable and it is the cheapest of all animal food. Veal liver is by some considered the best. Liver should be cut across the grain.” (from an 1800s cookbook). FRIED BEEF LIVER Cut it in rather thin slices and pour over it boiling water, which closes the pores of the meat, makes it impervious to the fat, and at the same time seals up the rich juice of…

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How to Make and Cook Corned Beef

How to Make and Cook Corned Beef

Corned beef is cured with large-grained rock salt, also called “corns” of salt. This was a way to keep meat when it couldn’t be eaten fresh before it spoiled. Corned beef was eaten either hot or cold. If cold, it was pressed under a heavy weight before serving. Image: Libby, McNeill & Libby Corned Beef, 1898 INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS TO CORN BEEF Rub each piece of beef well with salt mixed with one-tenth part of saltpeter, until the…

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Making Head Cheese and Scrapple

Making Head Cheese and Scrapple

Head cheese is not a cheese made from milk, but a pressed meat dish. It’s usually made from the heads of pigs and cows, although the brain, eyes, and ears are usually removed. Scrapple is also usually made from the head, but thickened with corn meal or buckwheat flour. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS PORK HEAD CHEESE This is made of the head, ears, and tongue of a pig. Boil them after cleaning them, in salted water until tender. Strip…

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Roasting Meat in an Open Hearth Fireplace

Roasting Meat in an Open Hearth Fireplace

Years ago, meats were roasted in an open hearth, in FRONT of the fire, not over the fire like when  cooking outdoors. Roasting was a skill learned through practice. Cooks learned to build a clear, brisk, and steady fire. It was quite an accomplishment to cook a joint with a nice crust on the outside, yet tender and juicy inside.  INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ~ Roasting is done before the fire, and should not be confused with baking, which…

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