borax on meat

[jenkst]

A friend ask me if I ever put borax on hams to preserve them. Does anybody use this method or have information on this? Is it still in use today? Thanks to all.    jenks

[Graybeard]

I've heard of using it as a cleanser and for clothes washing but never on meat. Dunno maybe but I think I'll pass on that plan.

[dukkillr]

I use it on the meat leftover on a turkey fan.  It takes the moisture out and keeps it from stinking.  I don't think i'd want to use it on anything i intended to eat, and i'm not sure it would work anyway.  You can buy it at Wal-Mart around here in the laundry detergent area.

[tgun6542]

My brother-in-law used it on deer hides when mounting the heads. Don't think I would want it on anything I was going to eat though.

[jenkst]

I did some searching on other web sites and discovered that the old timers would put boarx and pepper on hams to keep insecets from laying their eggs on the meat there by it would keep the worms away. When they shipped the meat by rail car they placed it in barrels and covered with boarx. This was before the days of refrigerated cars. My friend remembers the days on the farm when he watched his mom do this. He says the meat would keep a long time. Then they trimed the outer layer of meat away and he says the meat was great eating. He wants to try it this fall on a hog.      jenkst

[Oldshooter]

Makes sense to me, the trimming part I mean! Just kidding, if it kept the worms out and you could trim and eat it ? Might be something to consider.

[hillbill]

the old timers had many ways of perserveing food that we dont understand.the huge amount of salt and other chemicals that they used didnt seem to hurt them.i think it may of had a lot to do with a HUGE  amount of sweating in the hot sun.simple foods that they raised them selves and very few trips to town.or is the case with my ancestors.and sum people just died, they didnt know how or why and they didnt worry about it,just went on.

[3006softpoint]

Just visited last night with a 88 year old fellow that canned me some fish (sucker) 22 pints!(recipe is in wild game recipes here on GBO) I was telling him that there were people catching them to rot down for coon bate! He said what a waist for such a good fish for canning! He & his wife talked about there recipes and ways of preserving food! You name it he could preserve it! There both in there 80s & fun to talk to and swap recipes! Lots of things had high salt content! Dale

[hillbill]

cant argue with makeing sum coon bait! i do like a good roast coon in the fall now and then.the older people we have among us are a huge wealth of information we may need in the future.that old fellow sounds like he has been there and done that.we may have to return to the way they lived.

[ratdog]

i have used borax on  the animals i intend to use in my taxidermy mounts it preserves them for mounting.also if you have trouble with those small ants getting in your house spread some in there pathways and they will take to there nest and it kills  them good.i would not eat that stuff ever.

[tennhillbilly]

A friend ask me if I ever put borax on hams to preserve them. Does anybody use this method or have information on this? Is it still in use today? Thanks to all.    jenks

When I was a kid in the hills of middle east Tennessee, between Thanksgiving and Christmas the neighbors would get together for a hog killin. Sometime killin 25 in 1 day.The tempature needed to be about 40 degrees. After the meat was "worked up" cut into chops-tenderloin-shoulders-hams and the like, the hams-shoulders-jaws had to be either smoked or put down. Put down meant to be salted and /or use 20 mule team borax and pepper rubbed on the meat. This was to keep the skippers out. (As I got older I learned skippers was a nice way of saying maggots). I haven't seen meat put down that way in 25 years, but with a little refresher from my 80 year old Mom, it wouldn't be any problem.
We killed hogs every year until about 8 years ago when my dad passed. I have a 20 year old boy that is probably one of the few that age that can do it all from shooting-sticking-scalding-scraping-gambling-to  gutting. This brought back memories. 

[charles p]

Did you also make your own lard?  We did.  Even make soap.

[tennhillbilly]

Did you also make your own lard?  We did.  Even make soap.

Yes Sir. After the meat was worked and trimmed, we would make the lard. Nobody knows what cracklings are if you haven't got them straight out of the kettle. As kids we would take some straight from the kettle and throw them to the dogs and watch them try to eat them hot.  I still have the kettle. AND I still have the scalding box. We ground out own sausage.  Hand crank grinder with the meat going into a 5 gallon wash tub. Season it and work it with your hands then stuff it in the hand sewn sacks.  Never eat any chittlins though. (Unusual for a East Tennessee boy). I have eat the brains though. Mix them with scrambled eggs, and they taste like scrambles eggs. Never knew what the point was. My Dad and Unckles always told me if you eat a pigs eye, you can see the wind. Neve had no desire to see it. LOL   

[charles p]

Did you ever eat cracklin bread?  If you pressed your cracklins (gets more grease out), you could put them in hoe cake or cornbread.  I liked cracklins that were not pressed best.  Ate them with a cold sweet potato.
I must admit the only part of a hog I haven't tried is an eyeball, unless it was mixed in with something else.  Mama used to cook a whole head in the oven, so I suppose somebody at the eyes.

[powderman]

Never eat any chittlins though. (Unusual for a East Tennessee boy). I have eat the brains though.
 
 
I've eaten the brains but never tried chitlins, always wanted to though. Honestly I don't even know how chitlins are cooked, deep fried maybe?? POWDERMAN. 

[AtlLaw]

Did you ever eat cracklin bread?... you could put them in hoe cake or cornbread.

I try to make cracklin cornbread once a year; New Years Day.  I have to use the pack of cracklins you get in the grocery store and it never turns out as good as I remember... 

[blind ear]

Did you ever eat cracklin bread?... you could put them in hoe cake or cornbread.

I try to make cracklin cornbread once a year; New Years Day.  I have to use the pack of cracklins you get in the grocery store and it never turns out as good as I remember... 

 Fast for the 31st and it will be delicious, grocery cracklins don't have enough meat on them to be good. The best they do is a lot of skin and that can break teeth unless culled and boiled. ear

[tennhillbilly]

Never eat any chittlins though. (Unusual for a East Tennessee boy). I have eat the brains though.
 
 
I've eaten the brains but never tried chitlins, always wanted to though. Honestly I don't even know how chitlins are cooked, deep fried maybe?? POWDERMAN. 

They tell me is all aout the way they are cleaned. Stump whooped or creek washed. LOL.  If I ever took a notion to eat some, they would have to be fried. Some folks boil them. I've been around some as they are boiling....stinks to high heaven.  We fixed and eat just about everything on the hog.....from the snooty to the pooty.
And cracklings ain't no good cold. They got to be fresh from the kettle. I never had any store bought that were any count. Guess I was spoiled on the real thing. Ive had crackling corn bread. Pretty good, unless there's too much crackling in it. It gets a little chewy.

[thejanitor]

I use it on any hides or skulls as a preservative to dry them out. BUT if you use the ant killer TERRO look at the only active ingredient.... 5.40% Borax, I don't think I will be eating the stuff....
thejanitor

[SHOOTALL]

I did some searching on other web sites and discovered that the old timers would put boarx and pepper on hams to keep insecets from laying their eggs on the meat there by it would keep the worms away. When they shipped the meat by rail car they placed it in barrels and covered with boarx. This was before the days of refrigerated cars. My friend remembers the days on the farm when he watched his mom do this. He says the meat would keep a long time. Then they trimed the outer layer of meat away and he says the meat was great eating. He wants to try it this fall on a hog.      jenkst
 
This is what grandpa did , if not critters would get in and turn it to dog food. What went in the salt box did not get any. only hams and slab bacon if hung. . They were scrubbed well before eating.

[BUGEYE]

Never eat any chittlins though. (Unusual for a East Tennessee boy). I have eat the brains though.
 
 
I've eaten the brains but never tried chitlins, always wanted to though. Honestly I don't even know how chitlins are cooked, deep fried maybe?? POWDERMAN. 

my MIL parboiled them then battered and fried.  excellent.

[SHOOTALL]

how about cracklins or craklin bread ?