Sweet Breads and Brains
Sweet Breads and Brains can also be kept in the same way as Tripe and Pig’s Feet.
First:—Clean the Feet as carefully as possible and then cure them in brine made as follows:
6 lbs. of Salt.
1 lb. of Freeze-Em-Pickle.
5 gals. of Water.
The Feet should be cured in this brine from four to five days. This brine can be used over and over again for curing Pickled Pigs Feet, until it becomes thick from the substances drawn out of the Feet.
Second:—After the Feet have been cured for four or five days, cook them as follows: Heat a kettle of water boiling hot; then throw the Pigs Feet into it and keep the heat on until the water begins to boil; then check the fire or steam, and simply let the water simmer just as slowly as possible until the Feet are nicely cooked. The slower they cook, the better, and they ought to remain in the hot water for about four hours, when cooked at a low temperature.
Third:—When they are cooked through, turn on cold water and let the water overflow until all the heat is out of them, and nothing but cold water overflows, and then let the Feet cool well.
Fourth:—Split the Feet through the center and pack them. If they are to be packed in tierces and kept on hand for any length of time, the vinegar that is put over them should be 60 grains strong, but when they are packed in small packages for immediate use 40 grains is strong enough.
Fifth:--When packing the Feet add to every 100 lbs. 8 to 10 ounces of Zanzibar Brand Pickled Tongue Seasoning.
There are certain seasons of the year when Pickled Pigs Feet are in great demand, while there are other seasons when they are a slow sale. We, therefore, give here a formula for keeping Pickled Pigs Feet in vinegar so they can be kept for one year if necessary in a perfect condition. Salt, cure and boil the Pigs Feet the same as above, but instead of boiling them all done, boil them only about half done; then split them and put them in tierces and fill the tierces with 60-grain vinegar and store in cold storage. The 60-grain vinegar has a tendency to soften the meat. After they have been in this strength of vinegar for some length of time, they will become soft just as if they were thoroughly cooked, but if it is necessary to use them before they are soft, roll them into the engine room or in a place where it is very warm, and turn the tierces on their end. Keep the top of the barrel covered with water—we mean on the top of the head—so that the head will not dry. The bottom of the barrel will not shrink and dry because the vinegar on the inside keeps it moistened, but if the top is not kept wet the barrel will shrink and begin to leak. By allowing the Pigs Feet, which are packed in strong vinegar, to remain in a very warm place for a week or so, they will become nice and tender; they are then to be repacked with 40-grain vinegar in small packages for the market.
Select Tripe that is fresh and has not been lying around long enough to attract the bacteria ever present in the air.
Tripe should be prepared by thoroughly cleaning and washing the paunch in at least three or four changes of water. After that, a tub of cold water should be prepared and a lump of unslaked lime, the size of an English Walnut, should be added to about 50 gallons of water. Allow the lime to dissolve and then stir the water to thoroughly mix it. In this solution place the washed Tripe and allow it to soak for five or six hours. The water should be kept cold. A small piece of ice may be put in the water if necessary. Before the Tripe is put into the last soaking water, the inside should be scraped with a hog-scraper so as to remove the inside skin. The outside film or skin should also be scraped off. The boiling vessel should be thoroughly washed before the Tripe is placed in it for cooking. If there is any foreign substance whatever in the kettle, it will discolor the Tripe. On the other hand, it may be turned out perfectly white if the boiling vessel is in proper condition. Two ounces of B. Heller & Co.’s Lard Purifier mixed in 50 gallons of boiling water will assist to keep the Tripe White.
Scald the Tripe thoroughly and scrape both sides well with a hog-scraper. The Tripe is then ready to be cooked.
In cooking, allow the water to come to the boiling point. It should then be reduced to a simmer until the Tripe is thoroughly cooked. When cooked, cold water should be turned on and allowed to overflow until the Tripe has thoroughly cooled. After it is thoroughly cooled, pack in tierces with vinegar that is 60 degrees strong. Always use White Wine Vinegar. If it is desired to ship Tripe after it has been vinegar-cured, it should be repacked in vinegar 40 degrees strong.
To give the Tripe a nice flavor, add to every 100 lbs. of Tripe 8 to 10 ounces of Zanzibar Brand Pickled Tongue Seasoning.
Many have trouble through their inability to cook Tripe tender. This, in most cases, is owing to the fact that the Tripe is boiled too much in water that is too hot. Water in which Tripe is being cooked should be allowed to come to a boil, after that, it should be put on a slow fire where it will cook the Tripe by simmering. A simmer is water that is hot, but not boiling, or 155 to 160 degrees. Boiling water will always shrink and toughen Tripe. It will take longer to cook some Tripe than others, depending upon the age of the animal from which it is taken. Tripe should be allowed to simmer until it is cooked tender.
The following directions will make a delicious Mince Meat:
Take 4 lbs. of lean Beef, boil it until it is fairly well cooked and then chop or grind it very fine.
Add 8 lbs. of Hard Green Apples, cut into small cubes.
1 lb. of very finely chopped suet.
3 lbs. of seeded Raisins.
2 lbs. of Picked Currants, carefully washed and dried.
2 to 5 lbs. of Citron, cut up into small pieces.
1 lb. of Brown Sugar.
1 pint Cooking Molasses (pure New Orleans Molasses is the best, and it must be free from Glucose).
1 quart of Sweet Cider.
1 Tablespoonful of Salt.
1 Teaspoonful of Ground Black Pepper.
1 Teaspoonful of Mace.
1 Teaspoonful of Allspice.
½ Teaspoonful of Cinnamon.
A little grated Nutmeg.
A pinch of Cloves.
Mix the above thoroughly, then heat slowly on the stove and boil for half an hour.
If the Mince Meat is to be put in jars and sealed up tight, the hot Mince Meat should be put into pint and quart jars, the jars should be filled up to the brim and the tops screwed down tight immediately.
If the Mince Meat is to be kept in bulk and not sealed up in jars, add ½ pint of good Brandy after the Mince Meat has been cooked and allowed to become nearly cold, stirring the Brandy into the Mince Meat thoroughly and then pack into stone crocks, cover tightly and keep in a very cool place where the Mince Meat will not freeze. This Mince Meat will keep all winter.
The above quantities can be increased or decreased proportionately, according to the total amount of Mince Meat desired at one time.
Dry or concentrated Mince Meat is made same as above, except that dried apples are used instead of fresh apples, and no liquids are added. Wet Mince Meat is better than the dry and will give better satisfaction.
First:—Take nicely cleaned Pigs Feet, Pigs Snouts, Hocks, Tails or Ears, and put them in a kettle on a stove, or fire or in a steam jacket kettle.
Second:—Add just enough cold water to entirely cover them.
Third:—Boil until the Meat can be removed from the bones.
Fourth:—Remove the Meat from the bones, and put it back into the water in which it was boiled; then add to this water enough White Wine Vinegar to give it a nice sour taste. The quantity of vinegar will depend upon its strength.
Fifth:—Add the following proportions of spice, which can be changed to suit the amount of Souse you are making. For 100 lbs. Souse use:
2 lbs. of Granulated Sugar.
8 to 10 oz. Zanzibar-Brand Pickled Tongue Seasoning.
Sixth:—Mix the spice with the Meat, and boil about 15 minutes; then remove from the fire. Put the Souse into square tin pans, and allow it to set 24 hours before removal. If desired, a lemon and 2 or 3 good sized Onions may be cut into small pieces, and mixed in the Souse before it is boiled; some like this, and some prefer it without Onion or Lemon. Do not use too much Lemon as it will make the Souse taste bitter.
Take salted Pigs Tongues that have been cured for 30 days and scald them in hot water; then remove the skin and gullet. Boil slowly for three hours, the same as boiling Pigs Feet; the slower they are boiled the better; then cool the Tongues, in the same manner as directed for cooling Pigs Feet.
Another way is to take them out of the Brine and cook them, and then take off the skin and gullet after they are cooked. When handling large quantities, this latter method will not work as well as the first method, because after the Tongues are boiled, they must be cooled in the same vat, and after they are cooled, the skin does not remove so easily. That is why it is better to scald them in boiling water first and then remove the skin and gullet, then boil them.
Split the tongues through the center and pack in Vinegar the same as Pigs Feet and add to every 100 lbs. of Tongues 8 to 10 ounces Zanzibar-Brand Pickled Tongue Seasoning.
Home-made horseradish is a relish that every household demands. It is impracticable to put grated horseradish upon the market except when bottled, as exposure to the air discolors it and dries it out. An excellent bottled article which will prove a good keeper as well as a good seller can be made as follows: To ten parts of grated horseradish add one part of granulated sugar and one part of pure vinegar. In preparing horseradish none but white wine vinegar should be used. One of the best means of getting new trade is for a Butcher to sell home-made grated horseradish.
Select sound cabbages and peel off the first or damaged leaves, then slice or shave with a cabbage cutter as fine as possible. The object desired in making first-class Sauer Kraut is to obtain a perfect fermentation under pressure with the aid of salt alone. The brine, therefore, results from the water contained in the salt and cabbage, no water being added. First secure a good strong cask, which should be well scalded and cleaned. Sprinkle on the bottom of this cask a small quantity of salt, then put in a layer of cabbage and while adding the cabbage sprinkle some salt through it, so that the salt is as much divided as possible and then tamp well with a wooden tamper, so as to pack it as tight and solid as possible. Continue putting in layer of cabbage and tamping this way until the barrel is full. The salt to be used should always be of the best grade and one pound of salt to one hundred pounds of cabbage should be used but may be varied according to the taste. Some prefer it saltier than others. After the cask is filled or as full as desired, the cabbage should be covered with a clean cloth on which should be laid hardwood boards. Use the boards taken out of the head of a whiskey barrel or tierce as this makes the best cover, as they fit in the barrel and are made of hardwood and will not give the cabbage a taste. Carefully weight the boards down with heavy stones, always remembering that the fermentation should be accomplished under pressure. Once a week take off the stone, board and cloth from the cabbage and wash them clean and replace the cloth and boards and stones on top of the barrel after they have been washed. By repeating the washing of the boards and cloth and stones every week, the top of the cabbage will be kept perfectly sweet and the foam which comes to the top is removed, so that the top of the Sauer Kraut will be as good as that in the bottom of the barrel. The Kraut should be left to ripen for about four weeks in a warm temperature. It is always best not to offer it for sale until it has sufficiently ripened and is tender and juicy and that it has the proper flavor. This can only occur after perfect fermentation has taken place.
This sauce is easily prepared and is in considerable demand by some trades. Select good, firm, green tomatoes, wash them thoroughly and cut away all defective portions of the tomatoes. They should then be sliced or quartered and placed in a salt brine made with one pound of salt to each gallon of water with a supply of green peppers. Let them cure in this brine for two weeks. They may then be taken out and chopped very fine, about ⅛ to ¼ inch in diameter. They are then ready for the vinegar, which should be pure in quality, the white wine vinegar being preferred. The vinegar should be first prepared or sweetened and spiced with pure granulated cane sugar, cloves, cinnamon, mustard seed and a small quantity of celery seed. This can be poured over the chopped tomatoes and peppers, either hot or cold. Piccalilli should be sold nearly or quite strained of its vinegar.
Chow Chow is a popular sauce that can be readily prepared. It is strictly a Chinese innovation which was introduced to the American palate during the first immigration of Chinamen. It is merely the cucumber pickle cut up into small pieces with the addition of cauliflower, onions, etc., over which is poured a preparation of mustard, vinegar and various condiments which taste may demand. Chow Chow is a good keeper and a good seller, but in order to retain its flavor and color, it should be carefully covered and kept from exposure to the air.
All butchers should put up home made pickles of all kinds and such relishes as horseradish and sauer kraut. Dill pickles are very popular and they are always salable in the butcher shop. They may be made as follows: Select large pickles of as near an even size as possible and soak in water over night; then wash them thoroughly. Next, take a barrel and put a layer of dill about one inch thick on the bottom of it, upon which place the pickles three layers deep. Over these pickles place another layer of dill and repeat the layer of pickles as in the first instance. Continue this operation of the layer of dill and then pickles until the barrel is as full as desired, leaving sufficient space for the brine. The brine should be made of the best quality of salt, using ½ lb. to each gallon of water. Brine thus made will make the natural soft home-cured dill pickles. After the brine has been placed over the pickles, place them in a cooler and let them ripen for about four weeks. The ripening process may be quickened about two weeks by leaving the pickles in a room of moderate temperature. Some prefer dill pickles hard and for such taste it is necessary to put a little alum in the brine. Pickles treated with alum must be labeled to show this. A piece about as big as an egg for a full barrel of pickles is the proper amount. Dissolve this in the brine. This will keep the pickles firm and hard. It will be found, however, that most tastes prefer the natural brine without the alum, as the soft pickle seems to have a more appetizing flavor. There is no appetizer more appreciated than the dill pickle and it comes nearer appealing to the general trade than most any relish that can be offered.
The Butcher who will make a specialty of dressed poultry will make a hit with his customers and good profit on sales if he will be careful to get his Chickens dressed decently, and to educate his customers to pay prices that will be commensurate with the quality of the meat offered. Very often it is almost an impossibility for the consumer to secure sweet, untainted Poultry Meat. Much of this trouble is owing to the fact that large shippers kill the Chickens, dry pick them or scald them, and the food that remains in the intestines ferments and taints the meat, with the result that the Chicken, when cooked, has an abominable taste.
When a Butcher is so situated that he can dress his own Chickens, and he would be fully justified in making all preparations in that direction, he ought to open, draw and wash out thoroughly every chicken as fast as it is killed, just as he would wash out Hogs, Calves or Sheep. Chickens that have been nicely drawn and washed immediately upon killing are always sweet in flavor, and the Butcher who will take the pains to offer such goods and to acquaint his customers of their quality can not only establish a large trade and a great reputation, but he can offer the public an article that is pure and sweet, and difficult to obtain. No doubt he could command the Chicken trade of any neighborhood by this means, down all competition, and obtain good prices for his Meat, as people would be willing to pay for the original weight of the chicken before drawing, and at the same time would be much better satisfied with what they get. If desired, the Butcher could weigh the chickens after they are dressed, tag and draw them, and then could say to his customers: “This Chicken weighed so much before it was drawn, but in order to retain the sweetness of the meat, we draw it as it ought to be drawn, wash it out, and sell it to you for just what it is worth.” A Butcher’s statement upon these points would not be doubted. Furthermore, the Butcher would not lose anything by this method, as Chickens shrink after they are dressed and kept two or three days before sold. The loss from this shrinkage is considerable. Therefore, the trouble and expense of drawing Chickens and handling them in the manner described would be fully repaid.
Every Butcher can make his own Sticky Fly Paper with very little trouble. It is made as follows:
1 lb. Rosin.
3½ oz. Molasses.
3½ oz. Boiled Linseed Oil.
Boil the three together until they get thick enough and then spread on heavy Manilla paper. The proper and quickest way is to take a sheet of heavy Manilla paper and spread the mixture on half of the surface of it, then double the paper over; the mixture put on the half will be quite sufficient to coat the face of the other half that is doubled over on it. The cost of making this sticky fly paper is very small and in an hour any Butcher can make enough Sticky Fly Paper to last the entire summer.
One of the things much neglected in many butcher shops is the making of Lard. Butchers who do not cut up enough hogs to have fat for making Lard each day, allow the fat to accumulate until they have sufficient so as to make it worth their while to render it. Many butchers do not keep this fat in the ice box, but let it stand anywhere, because they imagine that it does not spoil; then, when they make Lard out of it, they wonder why the Lard is not better.
Lard should always be made as soon as possible, and the fat trimmings should be kept in the cooler and not allowed to remain standing around in a warm place. To make high grade Kettle-Rendered Lard, always cut the rinds off of the fat. The rinds can be put into pickle and stored until a quantity has accumulated and then they can be cooked and utilized in Liver Sausage, Head Cheese or Blood Sausage. When the rind is cooked with the lard, it always causes more or less detriment to the lard.
Before rendering, if one has the machinery, the fat should be run through a regular fat hasher or a Meat Grinder, and it should be ground up into small pieces. The smaller it is ground the better, for if the fatty tissues are thoroughly mangled and disintegrated, the oil will separate more readily when the heat is applied. Those butchers not having a machine in which they can cut up the fat should cut it into small pieces by hand.
For making Kettle-Rendered Lard a steam jacket kettle is the best, but if one does not have steam, a common caldron will answer, but great care must be taken not to scorch the lard or allow it to become too hot when a caldron is used.
Before putting the fat into the kettle, put in a gallon of water for every 100 lbs. of fat, as the water prevents the lard from scorching. Then put in all the fat to be rendered and start the fire or slowly turn on the steam, as the case may be.
In rendering Lard the heat should be brought up gradually, so that quite a little of the fat is melted before the full heat is applied. If the heat is brought up too rapidly, it will cause the Lard to be darker in color than when it is gradually heated.
Lard should be boiled about 1½ hours after the entire mass is boiling.
Those butchers who wish to render their Lard scientifically, with the aid of a thermometer, can do so by hanging a thermometer in the Lard and bringing the temperature gradually up to 255 to 260 degrees Fahrenheit, and then turn off the steam or check the fire, as the case may be, and allow the Lard to cook slowly until it is finished.
A butcher can always tell when the Lard has cooked sufficiently by the way the cracklings press out.
After the Lard has all been tried out, skim out all the cracklings, put them into a press and press out all the Lard, adding what is pressed out to that in the kettle.
Now the Lard is ready to be strained through a piece of cheese cloth.
After treating the Lard as directed, with Lard Purifier and water, and after the Lard has been treated enough to make it foam, and the foam has been skimmed off, dip the Lard and water out of the kettle, run it through a piece of cheese cloth into the settling tank. A settling tank is simply a galvanized iron tank with a large faucet at the bottom. The bottom can be made to taper to the center and the faucet placed in the center, so all the water can be drained off, or the bottom can be made flat with the faucet close to the bottom, and the tank can be set slanting, so the water or Lard will all drain out.
After the Lard is in the settling tank, let it settle for one or two hours, according to the size of the tank and quantity of Lard in it. Then drain off all the water and the impurities which have settled to the bottom. After these are drawn off, the Lard is ready to be run into buckets, which should be placed in the ice box to cool.
A better way is to let the Lard settle in the settling tank and, after the water is drawn off, stir the Lard with a large paddle until it is thick and creamy, and then it should be put into buckets. By letting it cool in the settling tank and stirring it until it is thick and creamy, Lard will have a much better appearance when cold than Lard that is run into buckets hot.
After the Lard has been rendered as above, treat as follows: The kettle must not be too full of Lard; it should not be more than three-fourths full when being treated with the Purifier.
Put a thermometer into the Lard to test the temperature. If the temperature of the Lard is below 200 degrees Fahrenheit, add to every 100 lbs. of Lard 3 ounces of B. Heller & Co.’s Lard Purifier, dissolved in one quart of water. For example, if the kettle contains 400 lbs. of rendered Lard, add 12 ounces of Lard Purifier dissolved in one gallon of water.
Should the temperature of the Lard be over 200 degrees F., do not add the Lard Purifier and water, but let the Lard stand for half an hour or so, until the temperature comes below 200 degrees.
If the Lard Purifier and water are added to the Lard when it is as high as 212 degrees F., the water will at once be converted into steam as soon as it gets into the Lard, because water is converted into steam at that temperature. When the Lard Purifier and water are added to Lard that is too hot, the Lard will foam up and boil over; but, when the Lard is below 200 degrees F. and the Lard Purifier and water are added, it will not boil up.
After adding the Lard Purifier and water, take a paddle and stir the Lard thoroughly, so the Lard Purifier is mixed thoroughly with every part of the Lard; then turn on the steam or build up the fire slowly, as the case may be, and heat the Lard up to 212 degrees F. The minute 212 degrees is reached the Lard will begin to foam. When the Lard gets to this point, it should not be left for a moment, because if it gets too hot it will boil over the top of the kettle; but if one stays right with it when it begins to foam, and checks the fire, it will not boil over but will foam a little and most of the impurities will rise to the top of the Lard. Now stop the fire and skim off all the impurities on the top of the Lard and allow the Lard to settle for about two hours, when all the water and the smaller impurities that did not rise to the top will have separated from the Lard and will be at the bottom, and one will be surprised at the amount of impurities that will thus be separated from the Lard.
If the kettle has a faucet at the bottom, draw off the water and the impurities which have settled and then run off the Lard. Should the kettle not have an opening at the bottom, dip out the Lard from the top, being careful not to dip out any of the water which will be at the bottom. When most of the Lard has been taken out, that remaining, which is near the water, can be dipped out together with the water, and put in a bucket or tub and allowed to harden.
The lard will float on the top and when hard can easily be taken off from the top of the water, and should be kept until the next Lard is rendered, when it should be re-melted with the next batch of Lard.
Before running the Lard into buckets, it is always well to run it through a piece of cheese cloth, so as to remove any small pieces of detached cracklings. It is advisable to put the Lard into the ice box as soon as it is run into buckets, so as to set it, which will prevent the separation of the oil from the Stearin.
First:—Render the Lard in the Rendering Kettle, and treat it with B. Heller & Co.’s Lard Purifier, the same as directed in the foregoing. After it is treated, run the Lard through two or three thicknesses of cheese cloth, into the Agitator. Allow it to settle in the Agitator for two hours, then run off all the water from the bottom, and start the Agitator. The Lard should be agitated until it is thick like cream, then it is ready to run off. We, however, recommend that Lard should be taken from the Rendering Kettle and put into the Settling Tank and allowed to settle, and then the Lard should be run from the Settling Tank through the faucet about an inch above the bottom, into the Lard Cooler, and while in the Cooler it should be agitated until it becomes thick. There are always small particles of charred tissue which will settle to the bottom of the Settling Tank, which cannot be gotten out in any other way, and the Lard will be whiter and purer if allowed to settle in the Settling Tank and then drawn off into the Cooler.
A Packer or Butcher who makes any quantity at all of Kettle Rendered Lard, should have a Rendering Kettle in which the Lard is rendered, a Settling Tank in which the Lard is settled, and a Lard Cooler with an Agitator in it. The Lard Cooler and Agitator should be double-jacketed, so that cold water can be run into the jacket to cool the Lard.
When equipping a plant with a Settling Tank and Cooler, we advise that the Settling Tank have two faucets in it; one at the extreme bottom and the other about one inch from the bottom. Then, when the water is drawn off of the Settling Tank, it should be drawn off from the lowest faucet, and when the Lard is drawn off into the Agitator, it should be run off through the faucet which is an inch from the bottom. In this way, small particles which may be in the Lard will remain in the bottom of the Settling Tank, in the one inch layer of Lard which remains in the bottom of the Settling Tank. After all the Lard is run off through the upper faucet, what remains between the upper faucet and the bottom of the Settling Tank should be drawn off through the lower faucet and should be kept until the next time Lard is rendered, and then should be re-rendered with the next batch.
After the Lard has been rendered and has been treated in the Rendering Kettle, with the Lard Purifier, strain it through a cheese cloth into the Settling Tank, allow it to settle for two hours, then draw off all the water from the bottom faucet. After the water has been drawn off, draw off the Lard from the top faucet and again run it through cheese cloth, into the Cooler and Agitator. Start the Agitator and allow it to run until the Lard is thick and white, like cream, and then run it off into buckets or tubs.
A good way to set up the Settling Tank and the Cooler and Agitator, is to have the Settling Tank high enough up, on a bench above the Agitator, so that the Lard can be run out of the Settling Tank into the Agitator. The Cooler and Agitator should also be high enough from the floor so the Lard can be run from it into buckets or tubs.
It costs very little to properly equip oneself with the proper apparatus, and if properly rigged up it is a pleasure to make the Lard and requires very little work.
First:—Put 100 lbs. of water into the lard kettle and add to it one-quarter to one-half pound of B. Heller & Co.’s Lard Purifier; then on top of the water put 100 lbs. of the rendered Lard.
Second:—If a steam kettle is used, turn on the steam; and if the kettle is heated by fire, start the fire; the heat should be applied slowly and must be closely watched, so that the Lard does not get too hot and boil over. In no case should more Lard and water be put into the kettle than to fill it one-half full. By thus having the kettle only half full it leaves plenty of room for the Lard to boil and foam and prevents it from boiling over the top of the kettle.
Third:—While the Lard is being heated stay right with it at the kettle to watch it and continually stir it.
Fourth:—When the Lard begins to boil check the fire and let it simmer from 10 to 15 minutes, then put out the fire or turn off the steam and let the Lard settle for about three hours; all the impurities that come to the top skim off carefully.
Fifth:—After the Lard has settled for three hours all the water will be at the bottom. If the kettle is provided with a faucet at the bottom so the water can be let off, let the water run out slowly until it is all drained out; if the kettle has no opening in the bottom, skim the Lard off from the top of the water and place the Lard in a Lard Cooler. If you have a Lard Cooler with an Agitator, start the Agitator and keep it running until the Lard gets thick like cream; it is then ready to run off into buckets. If you have no regular Agitator, it is necessary to stir the Lard by hand occasionally until it gets thick and creamy; stir it as much as possible until it gets thick, and then run it into buckets.