Barrel packed salt cured meat?

[John213a]

Long ago, hence "Historic", sailing ships would load provisions for voyages
that would sometimes last for years (whaleing ships might be out for two or
three years). The sailor would subsist on meat that had been packaged into
barrels and dry beans and peas, along with "hard tack" a dry, bread/cracker. I
can find information on 'salt cureing meats for smoking or drying, but nowhere
can I find information on the process used or what exactly was in those
barrels. I have even asked at various maritime museums and have not been able
to get an answer.
Does anyone here have a handle on this process? or how it would be replicated
today. What exactly was in those barrels? As I understand it the figure of
Uncle Sam was orriginally of a Troy NY meatpacker who marked his barreled meat
for the Union Army in the Civil War, with the marking "U.S." and it was later
said to stand for it being packed by "U.ncle S.am" I know I could just take
some corned beef and maybe have something like what they used after the
de-salting of the meat, but I am interested in what made them able to hold meat
in a useful state without refrigeration for years at a time.

[Opinicus]

Post by John213a
Does anyone here have a handle on this process? or how it
would be replicated
today. What exactly was in those barrels? As I
understand it the figure of

Try asking in the rec.foods.preserving newsgroup. There are
some very knowledgeable people there and they talk about
this sort of thing all the time.

[Virginia Mescher]

Post by John213a
Long ago, hence "Historic", sailing ships would load provisions for voyages
that would sometimes last for years (whaleing ships might be out for two or
three years). The sailor would subsist on meat that had been packaged into
barrels and dry beans and peas, along with "hard tack" a dry, bread/cracker. I
can find information on 'salt cureing meats for smoking or drying, but nowhere
can I find information on the process used or what exactly was in those
barrels. I have even asked at various maritime museums and have not been able
to get an answer.
Does anyone here have a handle on this process? or how it would be replicated
today. What exactly was in those barrels?

I found the following in a 19th century cookbook and the commercial
process was very similar to the home process for salting pork. Salt
beef was prepared in the same manner.
The following is a typical recipe for salt pork. "Directions
for Salting Down Pork. Cover the bottom of the barrel with salt an
inch deep. Put down one layer of Pork, and cover that with salt, half
an inch thick. Continue thus till the barrel is full. Then pour in
as much strong pickle as the barrel will receive. Also see that the
Pork does not rise above the brine. When a white scum, or
bloody-looking material rises on top, scald the brine and add more
salt.
Leave out the bloody and lean pieces for sausages.
Pack as tightly as possible, the rind next to the barrel; and let it
be always kept under the brine. Some use a stone for this purpose.
In salting down a new supply, take the old brine, boil it down and
remove all the scum, and then use it to pour over the Pork." (Miss
Beecher's Receipt Book, 1858)

In doing research on salted meat, I found that there were a number of
different grades of salt pork which were determined by the cuts of
meat in the barrel. Some were Mess Pork, Clear Pork,
Extra Clear Pork, Extra Clear Pork, Extra
Clear Pork, and Extra Clear Pork.

Virginia Mescher