For each hundred pounds of hams, make a pickle of ten pounds of salt,
two pounds of brown sugar, two ounces of saltpetre, one ounce of red
pepper, and from four to four and a half gallons of water, or just
enough to cover the hams, after being packed in a water-tight vessel,
or enough salt to make a brine to float a fresh egg high enough, that
is to say, out of water. First rub the hams with common salt and lay
them into a tub. Take the above ingredients, put them into a vessel
over the fire, and heat it hot, stirring it frequently; remove all the
scum, allow it to boil ten minutes, let it cool and pour over the
meat. After laying in this brine five or six weeks, take out, drain
and wipe, and smoke from two to three weeks. Small pieces of bacon may
remain in this pickle two weeks, which would be sufficient.