Pork Production and Preparation - A Collection of Articles on Curing, Cuts, Slaughtering and Other Aspects of Meat Production from Pigs

Various

Description

This vintage book contains a collection of articles pertaining to the production of pork, with information on curing, cuts, slaughtering, and many other aspects. These timeless articles contain a wealth of useful and interesting information, and are highly recommended for anyone occupied in the production of pork. Contents include: “A Manual on the Hog”, “Biggle Swine Book – Much Old and More New Hog Knowledge, Arranged in Alternate Streaks of Fat and Lean”, “Cashing in on Pork – A Modern Merchandising”, “Costs and Efficiency of Pig Production”, “Hogs”, “Home Pork Production”, et cetera. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. We are republishing this vintage book now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on pigeons.

Sujets

• Agronomie
• Agronomy for Sustainable Development
• Agriculture
• Engineering
• Technology
• Sciences et techniques
• Animal Husbandry

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 06 mai 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781473394759
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Pork Production and Preparation -
A Collection of Articles on Curing, Cuts, Slaughtering and Other Aspects of Meat Production from Pigs
By
Various Authors
Copyright 2013 Read Books Ltd. This book is copyright and may not be reproduced or copied in any way without the express permission of the publisher in writing
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Farming
Agriculture, also called farming or husbandry, is the cultivation of animals, plants, or fungi for fibre, bio-fuel, drugs and other products used to sustain and enhance human life. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the development of civilization. It is hence, of extraordinary importance for the development of society, as we know it today. The word agriculture is a late Middle English adaptation of Latin agricult ra , from ager , field , and cult ra , cultivation or growing . The history of agriculture dates back thousands of years, and its development has been driven and defined by vastly different climates, cultures, and technologies. However all farming generally relies on techniques to expand and maintain the lands that are suitable for raising domesticated species. For plants, this usually requires some form of irrigation, although there are methods of dryland farming. Livestock are raised in a combination of grassland-based and landless systems, in an industry that covers almost one-third of the world s ice- and water-free area.
Agricultural practices such as irrigation, crop rotation, fertilizers, pesticides and the domestication of livestock were developed long ago, but have made great progress in the past century. The history of agriculture has played a major role in human history, as agricultural progress has been a crucial factor in worldwide socioeconomic change. Division of labour in agricultural societies made (now) commonplace specializations, rarely seen in hunter-gatherer cultures, which allowed the growth of towns and cities, and the complex societies we call civilizations. When farmers became capable of producing food beyond the needs of their own families, others in their society were freed to devote themselves to projects other than food acquisition. Historians and anthropologists have long argued that the development of agriculture made civilization possible.
In the developed world, industrial agriculture based on large-scale monoculture has become the dominant system of modern farming, although there is growing support for sustainable agriculture, including permaculture and organic agriculture. Until the Industrial Revolution, the vast majority of the human population laboured in agriculture. Pre-industrial agriculture was typically for self-sustenance, in which farmers raised most of their crops for their own consumption, instead of cash crops for trade. A remarkable shift in agricultural practices has occurred over the past two centuries however, in response to new technologies, and the development of world markets. This also has led to technological improvements in agricultural techniques, such as the Haber-Bosch method for synthesizing ammonium nitrate which made the traditional practice of recycling nutrients with crop rotation and animal manure less important.
Modern agronomy, plant breeding, agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers, and technological improvements have sharply increased yields from cultivation, but at the same time have caused widespread ecological damage and negative human health effects. Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry have similarly increased the output of meat, but have raised concerns about animal welfare and the health effects of the antibiotics, growth hormones, and other chemicals commonly used in industrial meat production. Genetically Modified Organisms are an increasing component of agriculture today, although they are banned in several countries. Another controversial issue is water management ; an increasingly global issue fostering debate. Significant degradation of land and water resources, including the depletion of aquifers, has been observed in recent decades, and the effects of global warming on agriculture and of agriculture on global warming are still not fully understood.
The agricultural world of today is at a cross roads. Over one third of the worlds workers are employed in agriculture, second only to the services sector, but its future is uncertain. A constantly growing world population is necessitating more and more land being utilised for growth of food stuffs, but also the burgeoning mechanised methods of food cultivation and harvesting means that many farming jobs are becoming redundant. Quite how the sector will respond to these challenges remains to be seen.
Preserving and Canning Food: Meat Curing
Food preservation has permeated every culture, at nearly every moment in history. To survive in an often hostile and confusing world, ancient man was forced to harness nature. In cold climates he froze foods on the ice, and in tropical areas, he dried them in the sun. Today, methods of preserving food commonly involve preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi (such as yeasts), and other micro-organisms, as well as retarding the oxidation of fats that cause rancidity. The earliest curing consisted of nothing more than dehydration; early cultures utilised salt to help dessicate foods, and this was a well-known technique almost everywhere on the globe. Food curing dates back to ancient times, both in the form of smoked meat and as salt-cured meat. The Plains Indians hung their meat at the top of their teepees to increase the amount of smoke and air coming into contact with the food. Drying, essentially reduces the water content sufficiently to prevent bacterial growth, and salt (or sometimes sugar can be used) draws the moisture from the meat via a process of osmosis. In the 1800s, and before, chefs and lay-people alike experimented with different sources of salt (rock salt, sea salt, spiced salt etc.) and it was discovered that certain types of salt gave meat a red colour, instead of the usual, and somewhat unappetising grey. The active ingredients in this type of salt would have been either nitrates or nitrites, and they also helped inhibit the growth of Clostridium botulinum; a toxic bacteria often found in old meats. In the new age of consumerism, this technique was soon picked up by butchers and storekeepers alike to appeal an increasingly prosperous population. This salt, often coloured pink to differentiate it from table salt, is now used in cured meat production on a massive scale. Sea salt added to raw ham to make Prosciutto, has became one of the best known, and most expensive exports of central and northern Italy. Today, we do not simply cure and preserve out of necessity, but because we enjoy it.
Contents
A Manual on the Hog . Anon
Biggle Swine Book - Much Old and More New Hog Knowledge, Arranged in Alternate Streaks of Fat and Lean . Jacob Biggle
Cashing in on Pork - A Modern Merchandising. Anon
Costs and Efficiency of Pig Production . University of Nottingham
Hogs . A J Lovejoy
Home Pork Production . John Smedley
Meats and Meat Products . William Henry Tomhave
Modern Pig Keeping . A James
Pig Husbandry . Anon
Pigs and Their Management . H W Potts
SALTING AND PACKING.
If the animal heat is well out when cutting up is commenced, which may be determined with sufficient accuracy by placing the hand on the fresh cuts of the thickest parts, salting and packing may be carried on at the same time, as fast as the hams and jowls are made ready.
There are two methods, practiced by different parties, each claiming advantages, and either plan giving good results. One plan is, to salt down in thin layers and allow it to remain a few days, when it is taken up, re-salted, and packed down. The other is, to salt thoroughly, and pack down permanently at first. As the second process of the first plan is the same as that practiced in the second, the latter will be described to cover both:
The bottom of the box, or other receptacle, is covered with strong salt, half an inch deep; a pinch of saltpetre, taken between the thumb and finger, is sprinkled upon the flesh side of each ham, the quantity to be regulated by the size of the joint, and well rubbed in; it is then thoroughly rubbed with salt, the flesh side covered half an inch thick, and the joint placed, skin side down, in the bottom of the box. The hams are thus first salted, and packed as closely as possible, filling vacant spaces, too small for hams, with jowls, which should be salted as the hams. All vacancies, then left, should be filled with salt. After the hams and jowls are packed, the shoulders, well salted, in the same way, but without the saltpetre , are packed in; and, finally, the sides. The heads should receive especial attention in salting, as they are usually bloody, and take salt less readily on this account, and because of the bones in them. They should be packed in a vessel to themselves. The bones and ribs should be lightly salted, also, to themselves.
The length of time the pieces intended for smoking should remain in salt, depends upon the general temperature while packed. If the weather is favorable for salt to strike, four weeks will be sufficient; if very cold it should remain l nger. The length of time that it remains in salt should depend, also, somewhat on the size of the pieces, large meat requiring longer than small to take salt. When ready for smoking, every particle of salt should be washed off in warm water, and each piece wiped dry with a coarse cloth. If salt is left on the pieces it will become moist, and drip when smoked. The old Virginia practice was to rub in strong, dry hickory ashes, or dip in a paste or paint of fine ashes stirred