Spiced Beef

Ingredients

• full two ounces of pounded saltpetre
• two pounds of kitchen salt
• a quarter of a pound of coarse brown sugar
• two dozen small onions
• two or three heads of celery
• a large faggot of parsley
• a quarter of a nutmeg
• the rind of a lemon
• two pounds or more of beef suet

Method

1. 1

   Rub fresh round beef with saltpetre and let it stand for two days.

2. 2

   Rub in hot kitchen salt, add sugar to the brine, and soak the beef for three weeks, turning every three days.

3. 3

   Before cooking, shape the meat, tie it, and cook slowly in water with onions, celery, parsley, herbs, nutmeg, lemon rind, and suet for 6-8 hours.

4. 4

   Let it cool in its liquor before serving.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Cookery (1897) by Marguerite Ninet, page 49. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

full two ounces of pounded saltpetre; lay the meat in a large pan or wooden tub that will just hold it, and let it stand for two days in a cool place. When you take it out, have ready two pounds of kitchen salt made very hot, and rub it well into the meat, letting the surplus fall into the pan ; add to the liquor in which the meat has soaked and the salt fallen, a quarter of a pound of coarse brown sugar; stir well, put the beef in, and let it lie for about three weeks ; turn it over 117 PICKLING AND PRESERVING. once in three days, keeping it pressed down by a slight weight so as to be well covered by the brine all the time. Before cooking it, tie the meat into a nice even shape, skewer it if necessary, and boil, bake, or braise it in a suitable fireproof utensil, which must not be over large for the joint. Just cover it with water, add two dozen small onions, two or three heads of celery well trimmed, a large faggot of parsley, chervil, mace, and any desirable herbs, a quarter of a nutmeg, the rind of a lemon, and two pounds or more of beef suet, cut very fine ; weight the lid down, so that it may not rise when the water boils. The cooking should be done very slowly, or the meat will be tough ; from six to eight hours will not be found too long ; leave the meat in its liquor till it is quite cold, then dish it up, garnish with parsley, beetroot, etc. This will keep for weeks in cold weather, and is useful for supper, breakfast, etc. The next recipe gives excellent salt spiced beef

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.