Politics (also known as Bologna)

After reading this at Captain's Quarters, I've come to the conclusion that, not only do I not necessarily want to know what goes into the making of laws or sausages, but the two things have a lot in common.

So I'm running a recipe from this little advertising booklet.

Politics (also known as Bologna):

40 pounds of pork
60 pounds of beef
20 pounds of water
4 ounces of black pepper
2 ounces of mace
1 ounce of coriander
1 1/2 or 2 pounds of salt

Cut the beef into very small pieces, or put it through a grinder, using the course (sic) plate, and let it "cure" twenty-four hours in a cool place. Then grind it very fine, put the pork through the grinder, using the medium plate and mix the meats, seasoning the water. Work the mix-ture thoroughly until it becomes sticky and takes on a dull color. Stuff it into beef casings or large hog casings, divide it into links about a foot long and let it hang in a cool place twelve to twenty-four hours. Smoke it with Wright's Smoke, as directed in other sausage recipes. When the second coat of Smoke has dried thoroughly, cook the sausage in water at a temperature of 160 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit, which is far below the boiling point, for thirty minutes to one hour, according to the diameter of the links. Then plunge the sausage into cool water for about thirty minutes and hang it up in a cool place to keep.

Owing to the popularity of these sausages containing beef, it may pay you to buy this part of your supplies from a butcher, or one of your neighbors, if you are not prepared to slaughter beeves on your own place. For full instructions on beef slaughtering, see the section on "Beef and Beef Products."

There are two important points to remember in connection with sausage making. One is that sausage meat invariably should be allowed to "cure" twenty-four hours before being stuffed. Otherwise, it is very likely to spoil. Another is that the high temperature of the ordinary smoke house will ruin sausages if the smoking is prolonged. The heat renders out the fat and makes the casings brittle. The sausage, as a result, is likely to be dry and hard. The best way to Smoke any kind of meat or meat products is with Wright's Condensed Smoke.

Whether it's John Edwards' shifting blame in the hopes that he can undermine his opposition in the bid for the oval office, or the MSM trying to convince the masses that, while the Democrats filibustering the appointment of justices was "keeping the debate open", the Republicans filibustering the no-teeth, "we hate the surge plan and everything Bush proposes to save Iraq" resolution is "stifling debate," it's all a whole lot of bologna.



Update: via Instapundit, A Second Hand Conjecture has the cloture vote as seen from an historical perspective.