Brine for Corn Beef
Ingredients
Directions
Make the brine
Combine six gallons of water, six quarts of salt, six tablespoonfuls of saltpetre, and four pounds of brown sugar.
Boil all together and skim.
Cure the beef
Put the brine in a barrel, and when cool, put the beef in it, well rubbed with saltpetre and salt.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Salt
- Draws moisture out and seasons the meat while helping preserve it during curing.
- Saltpetre
- Acts as a curing agent that helps preserve the meat and gives it a pink cured colour.
- Brown sugar
- Balances the saltiness and adds a mild sweetness and molasses flavour.
The step that matters
Let the brine cool before adding the beef. Hot brine would partly cook the outer surface of the meat, which slows even penetration of the cure and can leave the surface unevenly preserved. Waiting for the brine to cool keeps the meat raw until the cure works through it.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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