Instructions: Historically sousing went hand in hand with the autumn slaughter. When the hams and bacons were started smoking the trotters, ears, cheeks and other bits went into a brine barrel. Richer farmers used verjuice, spiced wine or spiced ale.

Use a clean earthen ware crock or a plastic bucket. Clean all your equipment with a washing soda sdolution befere starting. Make the brine by heating the salt and saltpetre in 4 pints of water in a large pan. Add the peppercorns and allspice in a muslim bag; if you want sweet pickled pork add the sugar also. Boil for 10 min; then let the brine cool and strain it through a muslim cloth into the pickling crock. When the brine is cold add the pork, and keep it submerged with a piece of clean boiled wood. Stir the brine ocassionally with a clean wooden spoon and turn the meat with cleaned wooden tongs. The meat will be ready in about 3 days depending on the thickness of the meat. Remove with tongs and cook; serve with broad beans or puree of split peas.

Extracted from: The Perfect Pickle Book By: David Mabey and David Collison

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