Cooking with AH2: Salt Beef

[Glaucus]

Salt beef

Step1 brine the brisket
2.5kilo beef brisket
4l of water
400g salt
150g sugar
30g Prague Powder #1 (optional) (I didn't use this)
3 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic
25g pickling spice (mace, allspice, juniper, coriander, ginger, dried chilli and just a couple of cloves. You can go wherever you fancy with flavourings). (I used garlic, chili, juniper berries, cloves, ginger)

1) mix altogether, bring to the boil and leave to cool.
2) place beef in a big freezer seal bag and pour over the brine.
3) double bag it and put in a dish
4) leave for 10 days in the fridge turning daily

After 10 days

Stage2 salt beef
Onions
Carrots
Bay leave
(or what ever you want)

Place in a plan with the brisket, cover in water and bring to a simmer for about 3-4 hours or until very tender.

It's just on simmering away now. Just wish my sough dough starter was ready.

Wow is all I can say first time I've done this and the taste is bang on. Wouldn't want any more spice flavour. Looks grey but couldn't stop picking through it whilst slicing.
Removed the fat and cut into more manageable chunks before slicing.

I'm over the moon for a first try. End of the month I have a. Two kilo brisket coming. Will be doing 1 kilo of this and 1kilo of pastrami, pastrami is same 10day brining but second stage is different.

 

[Glaucus]

It's due to lack of Prague powder otherwise knowen as curing salt which helps preserve the meat colour while curing.

Well I hope it's ok, it didn't smell off at all.

 

[Glaucus]

Wow is all I can say first time I've done this and the taste is bang on. Wouldn't want any more spice flavour. Looks grey but couldn't stop picking through it whilst slicing.
Removed the fat and cut into more manageable chunks before slicing.

I'm over the moon for a first try. End of the month I have a. Two kilo brisket coming. Will be doing 1 kilo of this and 1kilo of pastrami, pastrami is same 10day brining but second stage is different.

If anyone's interested got the recipe here, more detail as well.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandst...o-brine-a-brisket#/?picture=368290523&index=0

Jonny69 How much does curing salts affect the colour?

 

[Glaucus]

Meats from here

http://www.fieldandflower.co.uk/
£80 Medium Monthly Meat Box
Brisket Roasting Joint - Weight: 1kg
Brisket Roasting Joint - Weight: 1kg
Leg Of Mutton Cut - Weight: LMC 1kg
Small Chicken - Size: Small (min 1.4kg)
Rump Steaks
Chicken Breasts - Pack of: 2 Breasts
Coarse Cut *Beef Mince
field&flower Burgers
Coarse Cut Lamb Mince
Diced Lamb
Pork Spare Ribs
Pork Sausages
Chicken Thighs - Pack of: 4 Thighs

 

[Glaucus]

Tbh I have no idea how long that will last. Haven't had a box yet, so it's a bit of a stab in the dark. As well as including all lunches out of it and a few roasts and stuff for friends.
It's pretty much like the veg box scheme see how it goes and adjust.

But yes I am a fat git..

 

[Glaucus]

Just put another 1.3 kilos of salt beef in the pot to boil.

Got pastrami in the fridge, didn't realise it was a smoked meat. Does anyone know any supermarket that stocks wood chippings? Otherwise I'll just have to do it with out smoking this time and order some on line for next month.

Also any idea how long home made tiger suave would last and best way of sterilising jars of Mayo based sauces. Usually I put cooked sauces in the jar, put them in bath of water then in the oven. But that wouldn't work for Mayo.

 

[Glaucus]

I respect the effort you go to salting the meat for 10 days, but I personally couldn't eat meat that colour - visually it looks very similar in colour and texture to muscle from a cadaver. I like to think I'm a pretty adventurous eater as well.

Certainly if I served that up to any of my family or friends no-one would eat it.

Seems an odd thing to say. Advent rouse but wouldn't try a bit of grey meat, which you know is fine. It's just the lack of curing salts which retain the redness.

Here's this months, although they are more red, the only thing which changed. Is I ran out of sea salt so used table salt instead.

 

[Glaucus]

Good job, but where's the pics.