Dry Salt Meat
Have you heard of dry salt meat? I think now it is mainly referred to as salt pork.
When I was a kid my Mom used to make it quite often for breakfast. It had the skin on it but was sliced just like other bacon. My Mom sliced it kind of thick. Most of the time she would put it in a pan of water and let it get boiling hot and let it sit for a few minutes and then pour off the water. That took away some of the salty taste. It was very salty if she didn't do that. Then she would put it in a skillet and fry the usual way. She always fried it until it was crispy and a lot of the fat was fried out of it. However, she then used that fat to season vegetables so we ended up eating the fat anyway! We all really liked the dry salt meat . I liked it better than regular bacon. I am sure it was not very good for us but back in those days people were not so concerned with what was healthful or good for us. We ate what tasted good and was cheap enough for us to afford. Salt pork was much cheaper than regular bacon.
Salt pork was used a lot for seasoning vegetables such as beans, black eyed peas and other items of food. It is made from the belly fat of the pig and is much fattier than regular bacon. It is salt cured but not smoked.
My mom always bought her salt pork in a chunk and it was not sliced. Then she sliced it to the thickness she wanted.
I never see it in the grocery store. I am sure if I asked I might be able to get it now but probably not if I asked for dry salt meat--I would have to ask for salt pork. It has been bashed so much as being bad for you that most people would not dare eat it!
But I ate salt pork many times when I was a kid. I loved it and I would like to have some in the morning for my breakfast! Fat and all!
posted by kyra lafain @ 12/27/2008 12:30:00 PM
2 Comments:
You can still buy salt pork at our grocery stores. I'm glad because pinto beans just wouldn't taste right without it! nh
I buy a chunk of dry salt meat every now and then -- it is fatty, but it's GOOD!
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home