1/4 lb. salt pork
1 qt. diced potatoes
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 qt. Maine clams
1 qt. rich milk, scalded
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp. butter

Dice the pork and fry in the chowder pot until brown. Add the potatoes and onion with just enough water to be seed through the potatoes. Cook over low heat, just simmering, until done. Strain clams and save the juice. Add the clams to the potatoes and onions and cook for 2 minutes after they come to a full boil. (Any longer will make the clams tough.)

Remove pot from heat and let stand for a few minutes. Then add the HOT milk and the clam juice, and season to taste. This way there's less chance of the chowder curdling. Add the tablespoon of butter just before serving.

For the best flavor, let it sit for a while (at least a few hours; aging is as important for a clam chowder as for a lobster stew). If you can wait until the next day it'll be that much finer. And, by the way, have a lot of heated common crackers ready. Makes 6-8 servings.