The animal should be hung to drain the blood for at least two days after killing, during which time it should be slightly sprinkled with powdered saltpetre, which removes all the surface blood, etc., leaving the meat fresh and clean.
For those who raise and cure their own meat, the following will be an excellent recipe! Per 100 pounds of meat use:
In this ratio, the pickle is to be increased to any quantity desired. Let these be boiled together until all the dirt from the sugar rises to the top and is skimmed off. Then throw it into a tub to cool, and when cold, pour it over your beef or pork making sure it is well covered with pickle to remain the usual time, say four or five weeks. Some omit boiling the pickle, and find it to answer well, though the operation of boiling purifies the pickle by throwing off the dirt always to be found in salt and sugar. If this recipe is properly tried it will never be abandoned.