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Old 05-30-2020, 07:06 AM
dragoon500ly dragoon500ly is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: East Tennessee, USA
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Default Salt Beef

Beef can be preserved with no more than salt. To help prevent the meat from becoming tough, sugar is often added.

Ingredients:

2-3lbs (1-1.5kg) beef (rolled and tied silverside or brisket)

1lb (450 grams) sea salt plus another 2-3lbs (1-1.5kg) sea salt for the brine

4oz (100 grams) brown sugar

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Your choice of ground spices: ginger, coriander seeds, cloves, nutmeg

If using the sugar and/or spices, mix these into the first lot of salt. Rub some of the mixture (or plain salt) into one side of the beef, place it salt-side down in a large bowl or plastic bag, and rub more mixture into the top surface of the beef. Close the container and leave it for a day. Next day, rub more of the mixture into both sides of the beef and place it back into the container with the liquid that it has generated. Continue to do this for two more days. Now drain off and throw away the liquid, put the beef back into the container and shake more slat over both sides. Leave it for another day, then drain it again.

Prepare a strong brine of water and sea salt. You will need about 2 ¼ lbs. (1kg) salt to 1 gallon (4.5 liters) water, but the real test is that when the brine is strong enough, the meat will float, so mix the brine in the tub you intended to store it in, stirring until all of the salt has dissolved, then place the meat in and if it does not float, add more salt until it does.

However, the meat must stay below the surface of the brine, so once the brine is strong enough, put a weight (in a plastic bag so it does not contaminate the brine) on the meat. Seal the tub and leave it in a cool place for as long as you feel inclined. This can be left for up to 15 months and will remain perfectly tender and edible (if a little on the salty side). Check the tub every week; if it has thrown a white deposit on the surface of the brine, just skim this off and top up the brine mixture. Your nose will tell you if all is well.

When you are ready too eat the beef, remove it from the brine, rinse it off under a running tap and place it to steep in plain cold water. The longer it has been in the brine, the longer it should steep (approx. 1 hour steeping time for each month it has been kept). And the more times you should change the steeping water. Finally, place the beef and fresh water into a cooking pot (with a bay leaf, but no more salt!) bring it to a boil, skim if necessary, and simmer for 4-5 hours until tender. You can add some onions and carrots for the last half hour, or some dumplings (or both). Eat it hot with its gravy or cold.
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