I might have to try this

[madbaker]

The keeping of Lard after my Lady Marquesse Dorsets way.

Take a fat hog and salt him, and when he is through cold, quarter him, and take all the bones and flesh from the fat: and then take the fat of the said hog, and couch it in fayre dry white salt, and so keepe it two or three dayes: then change it again into faire drie white salt, everie thirde or fourth day, and at the fourteen daies end, take faire cold water and white salt and make a verie strong brine, so that your brine be made so strong that it will beare an egge almost cleane above the brine, and put it in a faire close vessell: then take the said Lard and lay it in the said brine, so that the brine cover it over: so change it into new brine everie fourteen daies, for the space of sixe weeks, and after that it needeth not be changed. But the brine may not be made of wel water.

--The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin, 1588.

What I'm reading: Michael Z Williamson, Contact with Chaos

Comments

[gormflaith.livejournal.com]

Pork fat is close to godliness.
So are they specifying river water or lake water do you think? Or cut to the chase and just start with sea water?

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

I would guess river water rather than well water as it may be considered cleaner. I'll have to check into it some more though.

My take on this is that it would produce something like an unsmoked bacon to use as an ingredient.