Introduction to Bacon & the Art of Living
The story of bacon is set in the late 1800s and early 1900s when most of the important developments in bacon took place. The plotline takes place in the 2000s, with each character referring to a real person and actual events. The theme is a kind of “steampunk” where modern mannerisms, speech, clothes and practices are superimposed on a historical setting. Modern people interact with old historical figures with all the historical and cultural bias that goes with this.
* A note on this letter. I searched for this information for almost seven years. I had various clues that such an invention was made, but for years, I could find no details or any information related to its invention. I knew the system was called “the Danish Method”, but was this the same as tank curing or the live brine system? Was the invention Danish, and if not, who invented it and when? Here, I provide all the answers. Mild-Cured Bacon is dealt with across two chapters: this chapter, William Oake’s Mild-Cured Bacon and the next chapter, Mild-Cured Bacon and the Curers of Wiltshire. Most of the information is given in this chapter, but the next chapter contains essential additional remarks.
narrative – the history of bacon
William Oakes Mild-Cured Bacon
March 1891
Dear Kids,
It is Sunday. I arrived in a small town with Andreas and his dad on Friday. The Østergaard family made plans to go away this weekend long before I arrived, and I insisted that they leave the plans unchanged. Going away with them allowed me time to write. I have so much to tell you. My first week was monumental. This week, in a way, I achieved everything we’d set out to accomplish on this journey. Uncle Jeppe divided my training in this meat plant into two parts. There is a lecture every morning before I start my work in the factory. It all came together in one volcanic lecture by Jeppe on Friday.
I expected a slow introduction to the art of curing bacon on the scale the Danes do it. I was wrong! Right at the outset, on my first day at Uncle Jeppe’s curing plant, I saw in operation exactly what I set out for when I left Cape Town. I now sit by the window in my small hotel room, looking out onto the main street of the beautiful town from where I am writing to you. (1) I am supposed to be celebrating, but I am tired. I can exhale for the first time since I conceptualized Woodys. The fact that I travelled to Denmark first when my main aim was to learn about the English curing of hams and bacon weighed on my mind. Was it an unnecessary detour? Now, I am convinced that I am in exactly the right place where my goal is coming to fruition. It is as if an invisible hand is guiding my actions. The feeling is surreal! The system of curing they use is known as the Danish system. Some call it tank curing, while others refer to it as Mild Curing, and it relies on what they refer to as “the live brine system” or the mother brine.
The most noticeable difference between the bacon my dad cured on my grandparents’ farm and Uncle Jeppes’ Danish cured bacon is that the Danish bacon is pale. My dad’s bacon looked far more appealing, but the Danish bacon is safer and lasts longer. How we make bacon in the Cape is according to ancient traditions, but how it’s done in Denmark is different. All this became apparent and was resolved completely within the first week of my stay in Denmark!
The Industrialisation of Bacon
On Friday morning, Uncle Jeppe called me to his office after I’d spent a week in his factory. It was only the two of us. “Eben”, he said, “it’s time we talk. I have a story to tell you. I know why you are here and will tell you what you are looking for.” Since I started in his factory, he rotated me between his different departments. I did deboning to learn the different cuts. I did meat trimming. The departments that I liked most were the brine preparation, pickling, and smoking departments.
I walked up the stairs to the second story of his very industrial-looking factory. In his office, I settled in the chair before his large desk. He sat forward in his creaking chair and folded his hands in front of him. He spoke with a heavy Danish accent. “You will find very few places on earth that cure their bacon as we do in this factory. Ya, in Denmark, you will, but in no other land except in Ireland. It is also true that the new system of producing bacon yields pale bacon! How you came here, yes, of course, is a mystery. You could not have known what I was about to tell you. Few people do. You came here because your ancestors hail from Denmark, and a spice guy in Johannesburg talked you into it. You said you met the spice trader purely by accident? Events brought you to Denmark, which has nothing to do with bacon curing, and you had no idea that Denmark is the best place to learn this. It is remarkable!”
Uncle Jeppe continued. “There is only one other place on earth where they cure bacon in the way we do, and that is in Ireland. The reason for this is quite simple. The invention is Irish!”
I was most intrigued! “The very early details are sketchy, but here is how I understood the development to have happened. “The man responsible for the invention was a young chemist, William Oake. It is reported that he was from Ulster in Northern Ireland. Friends told me that the earliest mention of mild cured bacon, as it became known, came from Antrim, Northern Ireland, as far back as 1837. It is fair to conjecture that the invention did not happen far from there or much earlier. Probably in the early 1830s. Antrim is in Ulster. The primary objective of the work around bacon in the 1800s also did not focus on colour, but on preservation and nutrition – the exact two key considerations that were probably the motivation for the earliest curing, going back possibly millions of years ago and definitely hundreds of thousands of years ago.”
This exact system William Oake invented sometime before 1837 is now used in Uncle Jeppe’s factory and across Denmark. He continued unabated. “Since you have seen this system firsthand over the last week,” it will be more meaningful to enlighten you with the details of Oake’s invention today! The complete system was not his invention. His particular contribution was putting the overall system together and the particular progressions are the “preserving principle” and improving the nutritional qualities. He found that it was not salt itself that preserved the meat. It was not even the saltpetre and added his own preservatives.
The genius of William Oake was not his preservative, but the fact that he was able to look at what others have done and taking the best from different systems, combine them into one system of curing. He put together a system or sequence of steps that incorporates all the different curing aspects, and progressions of many different people from around the world, which has been shown to make a difference or give better, more effective and faster curing. In our business, the driver is always speed, but there is no point in speed without curing. The object is properly cured meat that lasts!
He not only identified what works, but also what does not work or, we can say, works in different ways than was thought. One such example is the role of salt which was thought to have preserving properties. He found that salt does not preserve by itself. It is responsible for drawing out the albumen from the meat which is key in nutrition. It was, in his system, therefore of the greatest importance to reduce salt, but at the same time, how do we affect longevity? His complete system was dedicated to achieving this! Colour, to him, was secondary!”
The Timing of Oake’s Invention
My vigorous interest in the development of chemistry allowed me to put the invention of Oake within the context of the broader development of chemistry and its application in industry. No invention ever happens “in a vacuum.”
The formidable statesman of Chemistry, Justus von Liebig, started publishing his journal, Annalen der Chemie (often cited as just Liebigs Annalen) in 1832 with Friederich Wöhler. It would be one of the most critical journals in the field of organic chemistry on earth. Knowledge of chemistry was being made available around the world, and a survey of newspapers from Antrim indicates that Liebig’s progress in chemistry was regularly reported on here.
For sure, Liebig’s Annalen was published in German. From very early on his work was being translated into English and many other languages. It was likely available at institutions of learning in Ireland in the 1830s and the ideas that Liebig was propagating would have diffused into Ireland through people like Sir Robert John Kane. Robert Kane was known for his work in industrial and agricultural chemistry in Ireland. Liebig made significant contributions to organic chemistry and agricultural and biological chemistry and is often considered the founder of organic chemistry. Kane served as the President of the Royal Irish Academy and there can be little doubt that these men were aware of each other’s work.
Oake’s invention took place in these most foundational years of the science of chemistry, at a time when chemists started to stand on their own two feet, as it were, and were not only seen as servants of the medical profession and in an area where Liebig was well known and highly regarded. Von Liebig was himself, of course, stationed at Giessen in Germany but his reach was global.
It was during this time when Chemistry was formalised and nitrogen was recognised as essential for nutrition. In the 1830s, three notable scientists, Jean Baptiste Boussingault, Gerrit Mulder, and Justus von Liebig, proposed that the amount of nitrogen in food could indicate its nutritional value. Liebig further hypothesized that muscle movement is fueled by the oxidation of proteins, marking the beginning of what could be termed the ‘protein era’. Subsequently, most dietary guidelines in the 19th century were influenced by Liebig’s emphasis on the importance of protein and energy. In the context of meat curing, nitrogen plays a central role. This process involves using reactive nitrogen species such as nitric oxide, which can be derived directly from the proteins in the meat or from added nitrates or nitrites. This method would later become fundamental to tank curing techniques.
A major contributor from France came in this time, from the work of Dumas. He invented the method for the quantitative determination of nitrogen in food samples which is still used today and, by calculation, determines the protein content using the factor of famous 6.25. The relevance is that he invented this in 1826, painting the picture further of the vibrant state of chemistry by 1830.
In Germany, working in his Giessen laboratory, Liebig influenced the world, not just through his Annalen der Chemie but the men he trained from across the world. In 1837, Liebig hosted five international students in Giessen. Among them were three from England: T. Richardson, W. Eatwell, and Thomas Thomson. Thomas was the offspring of the Glasgow chemistry professor, who extended an invitation to Liebig to join the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) conference held in Liverpool in September of that year. (Blondel-Mégrelis, 2007) This trip would be important for the industrial application of chemistry in England. We will return to this event.
Most of the students of Liebig became giants in the field, and Thomas Thomson (1773-1852) was no exception. He supported Dalton’s atomic theory and visited Dalton in Manchester on 26 August 1804, when Dalton gave him an account of the new theory, which he introduced into the third edition of his ‘System’ published in 1807. This was the first detailed public announcement of the theory, as Dalton did not publish his ‘New System of Chemical Philosophy’ until 1808. Following the release of the second section of Dalton’s first volume in 1810, Thomson published an extensive collection of papers (Annals of Philosophy, 1813-14). In these, he utilized the atomic theory to clarify the composition of a vast array of compounds. His work significantly aided in popularizing the theory, particularly across Europe.
Thomson’s role as a leading chemist, heavily influenced by Liebig’s and an early adopter of the atomic theory would have made his work influential among his contemporaries, including those in Ireland. Additionally, his writings and textbooks were likely used as references and teaching materials in various parts of Europe, including Ireland.
Thomson would undoubtedly have been an influential figure in the life of young Oake. If not directly, then indirectly through Thomas Andrews, who was probably the most important Chemist in Ireland at the time. He was a pupil of Thomas Thomson, and in 1830, he journeyed to Paris. There, he met several prominent French chemists and briefly worked in the laboratory of Dumas. So, Thomas, Dumas and Andrews would have been influences of Oake and, undoubtedly, Liebig, indirectly through the English, Scottish and Irish chemists.
The influence of Liebig through these men was important. Liebig held the conviction that chemistry governed all phenomena in the realm of living nature summarised by the phrase, “Alles ist Chemie.” (‘Everything is chemistry.’) The chemical revolution swept through industry and would become the bedrock of industrial processes, which is what William Oake effectively achieved in the late 1830s. This concept, of basing industrial processes on systematic scientific thinking and basing the process on chemistry was, as it were, “in the air.” Liebig believed that with an understanding of chemical laws, everyone would have the capability to comprehend and enhance various aspects. The foremost goal, in his view, was to emphasize the teaching of chemistry, especially its pure form, which he likened to the main trunk of a tree. This was reflected in a prospectus promoting the Handwörterbuch, which maintained Liebig’s perspective: “Nobody is able to do completely without chemistry, nobody has been studying chemistry without any profit at all: chemistry is closely related with trade and industry, with medicine and the natural sciences, with everything connected with life”. (Blondel-Mégrelis, 2007)
The country probably best positioned to take advantage of the application of chemistry to industry and agriculture was England. Liebig himself was fascinated by technology from early on. While studying in Paris, he was notably influenced by Nicolas Clément’s lectures and the use of chemistry in various arts. In 1832, at Liebig’s urging, the publisher, Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn, a prominent German publishing house, best known for its significant contributions to the dissemination of scientific and literary works, agreed to publish the “Handwörterbuch der reinen und angewandten Chemie” (‘Dictionary of Pure and Applied Chemistry’), which later proved to be a valuable resource for technological chemists and manufacturers. Additionally, Liebig encouraged Vieweg to produce his own high-quality paper, akin to that of English standards. Following his visits to major paper mills in Ireland, Scotland, and England, Liebig shared insights with Vieweg on paper manufacturing techniques. (Blondel-Mégrelis, 2007)
En route to his Liverpool meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, at the invitation of Thomson Senior, in September 1837, Liebig seized the chance to tour various factories producing soda, sulfuric acid, soap, steel, and paper. This experience deepened his understanding of chemistry’s pivotal role in numerous industrial sectors and its essential contribution to a nation’s prosperity. In 1838, he famously described chemistry as “the real mother of every industry.” He regarded chemistry as the most valuable science and a crucial educational subject. He believed that someone well-versed in pure chemistry, even if inexperienced in practical applications, could quickly adapt to managing factories involved in soda, sulfuric acid, sugar production, or other industries. Liebig was confident that such a person could grasp manufacturing methods in just half an hour and implement significant improvements within the first hour. He believed that a thorough understanding of fundamental scientific principles and laws made practical applications straightforward and almost intuitive. (Blondel-Mégrelis, 2007) What Liebig describes here is exactly what happened to William Oake when he applied himself to the art of bacon curing as a trained chemist.
Liebig’s visits to factories and his discussions with men such as W. Crum, J. Muspratt, Ch. Macintosh and Trueman made him more concerned with industrial problems than before. He grew to believe that the advancement and popularization of chemistry education, both at the government level and in public perception, was a key objective. Soon after Liebig’s return to Giessen, Thomas Graham communicated with Liebig, expressing his aspiration to establish a chemical school in London. He cited Liebig’s successful example as his greatest inspiration and wrote to him “Your example of success is my most efficient stimulus”. (Blondel-Mégrelis, 2007)
Liebig was not only the creator of various systems within Chemistry but also their most passionate advocate. His works were translated and disseminated broadly. His “Agricultural Chemistry” was published in England as early as 1840, with the translation done in the Giessen laboratory by Playfair. Lyon Playfair, a Scottish scientist, was instrumental in translating Liebig’s work, bridging the language gap.
In the 1840 BAAS meeting, Thomas Graham, a British chemist known for his pioneering work in physical chemistry presented a summary of this influential book. William Gregory, a Scottish chemist, and an ardent supporter of Liebig’s work who played a key role in its promotion in the UK, commented after Graham, and said: “The object of the work was to show that, without a profound knowledge of chemistry, no real progress in Agriculture and Physiology was possible.” This first English edition quickly found its way to America, where it was reproduced without authorization and sold at a low price by an American publisher. By 1841, Liebig’s ideas were being promoted in the “Cultivator,” and his theory about the fixation of ammonia swiftly took the place of Sir Humphry Davy’s theories (Rossiter 1975). In 1842, Gregory compiled a praiseworthy report on Liebig’s “Physiology,” acknowledging that chemical research had uncovered some facts, “which the boldest imagination dared not have ventured to conceive”. He concluded that there was no more fitting philosopher than Liebig for the Chemical Section’s investigations. (Playfair 1843). (Blondel-Mégrelis, 2007)
Liebig was known for his contributions to newspapers, and between 1842 and 1843, he penned a series of articles for the Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung’s supplement. These articles were later compiled into a book at the recommendation of E. Dieffenbach, one of his earliest students, and released in an English edition in 1843. Liebig expressed his hope in the preface: “I hope that this little offering may serve to make new friends to our beautiful and useful science.” Additionally, his significant work, “Chemische Briefe,” was aimed at drawing the attention of governments and the enlightened public to the importance of establishing chemistry schools and promoting the study of a science deeply linked to the arts, professions, and social health of modern, civilized societies (Paoloni 1968, p. 106).
For those who still believe that Liebig’s work was not widely available in different languages around the world, Blondel-Mégrelis (2007) references C. Paoloni (1968) who detailed the complete timeline of the multi-language editions of these “Familiar Letters,” as they were known in English. He notes that thanks to the efforts of his former students, the work was translated into nine languages, with Italy alone hosting eleven editions. (Blondel-Mégrelis, 2007)
Liebig’s greatest influence in England was from the late 1830s, the same time when William Oake was applying his knowledge of chemistry to the production process of bacon. I trust that this short review will show how Oakes development of tank curing was based on solid principles of chemistry.
Salting and draining on the floor
Let’s transition now into the particulars of the system of Oake. Jeppe asked me what the first step is in his curing process. He wants to get to the details! “The flitches,” which is what the sides of bacon are called, “are put on the factory floor, which must be made from concrete. We lightly sprinkle it with saltpetre so that any leftover blood is drawn from the meat. Here is, of course, the loss of a bit of albumen, but nearly as much as is done by the salt in dry curing. After this, the curing tanks are stacked.” The fact that the floor must be concrete is something that someone, somewhere, had to discover. A farmer who normally stacked his meat on a normal barn floor not made with concrete must have installed a new barn floor made from concrete and discovered that his bacon and hams lasted longer. So, it became the practice to stack onto concrete floors.
Tanking or bringing (stacking and pickling) for seven days
“A curing tank was constructed to replace the wooden barrels to put the meat in. Before we put the meat in curing tanks, the bottom of the tank is sprinkled with salt. One row of flitches is stacked on the bottom. We lightly sprinkle saltpetre over them with sugar and salt. The next layer of flitches is stacked on top of the first but done crosswise. This is again sprinkled exactly as was done with the first, and so it is repeated till the tank is full. A lid is now placed inside the tank with an upright on top, and a pickle is poured into the tank. The lid and upright serve the purpose of keeping the bacon sides submerged.”
“The pickle is made as follows: To every 10lbs. of salt, we add 8lbs. of dark-brown sugar; 1 lib. of spice, and 1/2lb. of sal-prunella.” Sal prunella is a mixture of refined nitre and soda. Nitre is refined saltpetre used in the manufacturing of explosives. We make the mix strong enough to float an egg; we let it settle a bit and then skim any impurities off before we pour it into the tank. (3) Saltpetre plays a very important role as does the grade of saltpetre used.”
A 1905 pickle recipe comes to us from South Africa. “Two pounds of II Black Horse” brand Liverpool salt is dissolved in every gallon of water. This liquid is then strong enough to float an egg or a potato. To every gallon of the liquid the following is added:-
4 lbs. brown sugar,
2 oz. saltpetre,
2 oz. sal-prunella,
t lb. allspice,
and to every 50 gallons add 1 lb. of ground pepper corn. The allspice is sewn in a cotton bag to prevent it from mixing with the pickle.” (Transvaal Agricultural Journal, 1905)
“It is important to turn the meat over after forty-eight hours into another tank. The meat that was on top is placed at the bottom of the next tank. Salt, sugar, and saltpetre are again used exactly as it was done during the first salting. Now the real trick comes in. The same pickle is reused! In the past, the pickle was discarded.”
“The reason for this is that it contains the ‘preserving matter’. The re-use of the old brine was not Oake’s idea, as were probably few if any of the different steps. A progression that came from Oake may have been not to boil the brine after it was used and before it is used a second time. It was Catherine the Great of Russia who suggested the re-use of the brine, not for faster curing which results from it but to save on the cost of the salt used in the brine. In Russia and parts of Germany, they boiled the brine to ‘clean it’, and they re-used it only twice. They noticed that the second time, the meat cured quicker, which is what gave Oake the idea that something developed in the brine that was the preserving matter which cured the meat. It may also have been he who realised that if you do not cure in wooden vats, there is no reason why the brine must be boiled. It can be re-used many times.”
The brine is re-used many times, and a description of the process from The Journal of Agriculture and Industry of South Australia (1897) reads, “The same pickle can be used for many years — the older the better; it only requires, when it becomes somewhat muddy, to be boiled and clarified. I have seen pickle which had been used in one factory for sixteen years, and that factory produces some of the best bacon and hams in Australia.” (Tank Curing Came from Ireland)
Maturing/ Resting and Drying for 21 days.
“After seven days, the flitches are removed and stacked on the floor, putting some salt between each layer. We are careful not to stack it higher than four sides deep until it has been on the floor for some days when it should be turned over and stacked higher each time until the fourth week from the day it went into the tanks; the bacon will then be cured. This system cuts at least a week from conventional curing; possibly even longer if larger meat pieces are used!”
Washing, drying, trimming and smoking
“We then place the bacon in tanks of cold water. Here it is soaked overnight to draw out excess salt. The next morning we wash them well with a brush. Whether smoking is done or not, after tank curing, the meat should be rinsed off and dried before ageing or maturation. The reason for this is that the meat pores should be closed, leading to a hardening of the surface and a considerable reduction in the drying rate. The meat is trimmed and hung till it is properly dried. It is then smoked. (3)
The Transvaal Agricultural Journal from 1905 again gives us a wonderful insight into this part of the system. “After the bacon is cured it is placed in water, just warm enough to bear one’s hand in, and is then brushed over with a dandy brush, which removes all fat, sugar, slime, etc., from the surface. It is then placed in a tank or vat and covered with clean cold water, in which it is allowed to remain for from eighteen to twenty-four hours. This takes a lot of the salt out, and renders it a mild-cured bacon.” This essential step ensures that the bacon is mildly salted.
Their Trimming and Polishing step they described as follows: “In trimming the bacon the sharp points of the rib bones are sawn off, and the remaining part of the fore-leg also sawn off level with the shoulder. The knife is then run over the belly part of the rib bones and any loose pieces are removed. The sweat skin is scraped off with a sharp knife, and the side is then rubbed over with a little”olive oil, which gives it a nice glossy appearance. This was undoubtedly a later addition to Oake’s system.
Uncle Jeppe continued to refer to the steps which are followed in his factory, reading them from a printed piece of paper. “You agree, Eben, these are the steps we follow in my factory? Do you not think that I know these steps off by heart?” He laughed, to which I nodded in affirmation. “I am, however, reading the steps of Oake’s process as he explained it to an apprentice who years later wrote it down,” Uncle Jeppe said, showing me the piece of printed paper, which was torn from a book. “The Danish and the Irish method is the same thing!”
“Of course,” Uncle Jeppe continued, “remember that Oake only combined the best available date at the time into a logical process, but to have done it in this way, one can also see that he has a detailed understanding of the natural sciences.” This got my attention immediately, and suddenly, I was back in Africa on the great plains, riding transport and musing about the mental world of the modern cognitive and conscious human. I realised that the work of Oake was in the metaphysical realm as opposed to the natural. He had to look at work as a stepwise process, combining logical actions in a sequence in such a way that the optimal outcome is guaranteed in terms of the quality of the product and quantity produced. He was, in a way, mimicking the actions of biology in terms of the conservation of energy, the most logical next step, the utilisation of available resources, and the self-regulatory nature of what later will be described as feedback loops”. It was brilliant, and the entire endeavour was first conceptualised in his mind! Oake was probably in his late teens or early twenties!
After you read my letters, please show them to my mom and dad and please mail them to Oscar. I wish that you were here with me today! Of all the days since I am gone, I miss you more than ever tonight!
Much love!
Your dad
Further Reading
Chapter 11.04: Wiltshire Cured or Tank-Cured Bacon
Westphalia Bacon and Ham & the Empress of Russia’s Brine: Pre-cursers to Mild Cured Bacon
(c) eben van tonder
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Note 1: The actual event was when I visited an English town with Jeppe. I was sitting at the window looking out on the main town square, writing an email to the kids. I was very homesick and felt that I had achieved my goal of being in England.
Note 2: The exact quote about the system invented by Oake is, “He discovered that the antiseptic properties of salt were to be found apart from chloride of sodium (salt), and that the obnoxious effects of dissolving the albumen in the curing process could, therefore, be avoided. This is supposed to be the key to the new system of curing. By the new process of treatment, it is said that the bacon and hams, although thoroughly cured with the very essence of salt, still retain all the albumen originally in the meat, and yet do not taste salty to the palate.” (Molineux, 1898)
Note 3: “As the carcasses are cut up the portions are laid on the floor of the factory (which should be made of concrete or flagged), flesh uppermost, and lightly powdered over with saltpetre, so as to drain off any blood. It can then be placed in the tanks for salting in the following manner: — Sprinkle the bottom of the tank with salt, then put in a layer of sides or flitches, sprinkle saltpetre over them lightly, and then salt and sugar. The next layer of sides or flitches is put in crosswise, and served in the same way, and so on until the tank is full. Then place a lid to fit inside the tank (inch battens 3in. apart will do) ; fix an upright on top of the lid to keep the bacon from rising when putting in the pickle. The pickle to be made as follows : — To every 1Olbs. of salt add 8lbs. of dark-brown sugar, lib. of spice, and 1/2lb. of sal-prunella. Make it strong enough to float an egg ; let it settle for some time, then skim, and it is ready to go on to the meat.” (Molineux, 1898)
Explanatory note by Eben: Note Sal-Prunella is, according to Errors of Speech or Spelling by E. Cobham Brewer, Vol II, published by William Tegg and Co, London, 1877, a mixture of refined nitre and soda. Nitre, as used at this time was refined saltpeter used in the manufacturing of explosives.
Note 4: “At the end of forty-eight hours turn the meat over into another tank, taking care to put the sides that were on top in the bottom of next tank, treating it as regards saltpetre, salt, and sugar exactly the same as at first, and using the same pickle. It can then remain until the seventh day from when first put in. It can then be taken out, and stacked on the floor of the factory, putting some salt between each layer, but do not stack higher than four sides deep, until it has been on the floor for some days, when it should be turned over, and stacked higher each time until the fourth week from the day it went into the tanks; the bacon will then be cured.
The bacon can then be placed in tanks containing cold water and allowed to soak all night. Wash well with a brush, then hang up to dry, and when properly dry it can be trimmed and smoked.” (Molineux, 1898)
Note 5: “The same pickle can be used for many years — the older the better; it only requires, when it becomes somewhat muddy, to be boiled and clarified. I have seen pickle which had been used in one factory for sixteen years, and that factory produces some of the best bacon and hams in Australia.” (Molineux, 1898)
Note 6: “Smoking Bacon and Hams. The smokehouse should be built according to the intended output of bacon and hams, and the walls of the building should not be less than 12ft. high. One of the principal things in smoking bacon is to have the smoke as cool as possible before coming into contact with the bacon, and to assist this it is well to put a floor 6ft. 6in. or 7ft. from the ground, just allowing a slight opening between the flooring boards to allow the smoke to make its way up to where the bacon is hung. The flitches or hams should be hung as close together as not to touch, so as to allow the smoke to penetrate every portion. A small slide can be put in the gable of the smokehouse to regulate the smoke as required. A place should be made in the centre of the floor, say 6ft. by 3ft., where the sawdust is placed. This is lighted, and if the door is kept closed there will be no flame, but the sawdust will smoulder and cause a great quantity of smoke. From twenty-four to forty-eight hours will suffice to properly smoke the bacon if the weather is suitable, after which it may be packed and forwarded to market.
Where tea-tree (Melaleuca) is obtainable it is excellent for smoking; it imparts a flavour to the bacon which is much appreciated by many people.” (Molineux, 1898)
Note 7: “Mild-cure Bacon. — In all of the large cities of Britain and the European continent, the public demand is for mild-cure bacon. The system of cure is very simple and perfect but requires expenditure of at least £1,000 on the plant for carrying it out. By this process, the albumen of the meat is retained and is not coagulated, so that the bacon is devoid of excessive salt, is by no means hard or dry, and there is no loss of weight in the curing. A factory costing £2,000 to construct could easily cure 400 pigs per day. The process takes about a month to complete, but after the first day, there is no further labour involved.” (Molineux, 1898)
Note 8: Quote from Holland, LZ, 2003: 9, 10
References:
Attfield, John (1871) Chemistry, general, medical, and pharmaceutical.
Bacon Curing – a historical review
Belfast News-Letter (Belfast, Antrim, Northern Ireland), 26 Oct 1841, Tue
Blondel-Mégrelis, M. (2007) Liebig or How to Popularize Chemistry. HYLE–International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry, Vol. 13, No.1 (2007), pp. 43-54. http://www.hyle.org Copyright © 2007 by HYLE and Marika Blondel-Mégrelis
Chemist and Druggist of 1859
Fereira, J.. Treatise of Food and Diet. Fowler & Wells. 1843. P 109, Sodium of Chloride
Molineux, (editor). 1898. The Journal of Agriculture and Industry of South Australia, Molineux was the General Secretary of Agriculture, South Australia, Volume 1 covering August 1897 – July 1898 and printed in Adelaide by C. E. Bristow, Government Printer in 1898.
Transvaal Agricultural Journal, Volume 4, Issue 13, 1 Oct 1905
Wootton, A. C.. (1910) Chronicles of Pharmacy, Vol. I. Macmillan and Co., Limited, ST. Martin’s Street, London, Richard Clay and Sons, Limited, Bread Street Hill, E.C., and Bungary, Suffolk.
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Image Credits:
Robert Goodrich and members of the Salt-Cured Pig
Photos of Minette and I taken by myself