Part 4/8:
To recreate hellfire stew, one begins with specific ingredients: hardtack, pork fat, salt, and pepper. Interestingly, while modern alternatives can be found, the traditional method would have used salt pork, a common ration for soldiers at the time. The first step involves breaking up the hardtack, a task that proves more challenging with older biscuits due to their notorious hardness.
Once broken into manageable pieces, the hardtack is soaked in water to soften it. Soldiers, weary of its monotonous and often stale flavor, often vented their frustrations through parody songs lamenting their reliance on hardtack. Despite its blandness, hardtack provided the calories needed for a soldier's demanding lifestyle.