HOW TO COOK SALT PORK

This is from an old 1933 paper that the government issued. Salt pork was given out by the Federal, State, and County Relief Administration all those years ago. My neighbor had this in his files, a gift from long ago, kept safe for "hard times". He shared a copy with me today, and I am sharing it with all of you.  There are alot of ways to fix it...who knows, we may need it ourselves! My neighbors love to boil it, it will remove part of the salt, they then slice and fry it like bacon. The salt on the salt pork helps to keep it, Do not wash it off until ready to use the meat. For lean salt pork, soak for several hours in plenty of water before cooking it. If you have a large piece of very salty meat, soak it over night and then cook it in several washings..the recipes begin:

Fried Salt Pork...cook sliced fat salt pork in water for a

few minutes, drain, and fry until crisp. Use some of the

drippings for making milk gravy and the rest to fry

apples, or apples and carrots. Served with hot biscuit,

corn bread, rice, or hominy, this is a good supper menu

for a cold winter evening.
Salt Pork with dried beans or peas...soak dried beans

or peas over night, and boil in fresh water until tender.

Dice salt pork and fry it crisp, slice an onion and brown

in the fat, add the beans or peas with the liquor in

which they are cooked. If desired, add tomatoes. Heat

all to boiling, pour into a shallow baking dish, and cook

in the oven until the sauce thickens.
Chowers...For vegetable chowder, fry 1 cup diced salt

pork until crisp and remove the brown pieces from the

fat. Chop an onion fine and cook it in the fat. In the

meantime, boil 2 cups diced raw potatoes and 1 cup

each of chopped cabbage, turnips, and carrots in 1 pint

unsalted water. As soon as the vegatables are tender,

add 1 pint milk (fresh milk, or evaporated, or dried milk

made up with water) and the cooked salt pork and

onions. When heated, season to taste with pepper, and

salt if needed.
For whole-wheat chowder, follow this same recipe but

use 2 cups cooked whole wheat and 2 cups diced raw

carrots in place of the vegetables called for above. Add

more milk if needed.

Salt Pork in stuffed or scalloped vegetables...fry diced salt

pork until crisp and mix with bread crumbs, cooked rice, or

other cereal. Use as stuffing for peppers or tomatoes. Or use

the crisp cooked salt pork in scalloped dishes. Good

combinations are sweetpotatoes and apples; cabbage and

apples; and tomatoes with kidney beans, lentils, potatoes, or

hominy.
Panned Savory Greens....Fry until crisp 1/2 cup of diced fat

salt pork. Add 2 quarts of shredded cabbage, kale, spinach, or

other greens, cover the pan, and cook slowly until tender. Add

pepper, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and salt if needed.
Baked Salt Pork.....Soak a piece of lean salt pork over night.

Cook slowly in fresh water for about an hour, and drain. Bake

until tender in an open pan in a slow oven.
Salt Pork in Quick Breads...Chop or grind 1/4 pound salt pork.

Then *try out the fat until the cracklings are slightly brown.
For spoon bread, cook 1 cup corn meal with 2 cups of water,

stirring constantly. Add to this 1 cup of milk (fresh milk, or

evaporated, or dried milk made up with water), then the fried

salt port, fat and all. If possible, add 1 or 2 beaten eggs. Pour

into a well-greased hot pan or baking dish and bake for 40 to

50 minutes in a hot oven. or bake in a skillet on top of the

stove in a thinner layer.
*Tried-out salt pork can also be used as the fat in biscuits,

griddle cakes, and muffins.
* {this is exactly as the recipe reads, it would just be rendered

or fried out}......
Spanish Rice...Chop about 1/2 pound of salt pork and fry until

crisp. Slice 2 onions and brown them in the fat. Add 1 quart of

fresh or canned tomatoes and 3 to 4 cups of cooked rice.

Season to taste with pepper, and salt if needed.

 Salt-Pork Stew...Cut 1 pound of raw lean salt pork into small

pieces, soak, and parboil it. Cook until tender in 1 quart of

water. Then add 1 pint each diced raw potatoes, turnips, and

carrots, and a little thyme if desired. Cook until the vegetables

are tender. Thicken the stew slightly with flour mixed with

cold water. Season to taste with pepper and salt if needed.
Salt-Pork Scrapple....Make mush of 2 cups of corn meal and 2

quarts unsalted water. Add 2 to 3 cups of chopped cooked lean

salt pork Season with 1/2 teaspoon of rubbed sage, if desired.

Pour into wet pans, let stand until cold and firm, slice and fry

until brown.
Salt-Pork Hash...Chop an onion and fry it in 1/4 cup of salt

pork drippings. Add 2 cups each of chopped cooked lean salt

pork and unsalted cooked whole wheat. If desired, add

chopped green pepper or carrot. Stir until heated thoroughly.

Or use rice or hominy in place of the whole wheat.
Salt-Pork Sandwiches....Mix chopped cooked lean salt pork

with one or more of the following: Chopped hard-cooked eggs,

raw cabbage,onion, cottage cheese, or pickles. Or season the

meat with catsup, mustard, or grated horseradish.

The end of the legal size paper ends with these words...
Bureau of Home Economics, U. S. Department of Agriculture
                                  in cooperation with the
                  Federal Emergency Relief Administration
                                        Washington, D.C.
                                   September   1933