Corned Beef
Ingredients
Directions
Make the pickle
Add 9 lbs salt, 3 lbs brown sugar, 1 qt molasses, 3 oz salt‑petre, and 1 oz pearlash to 6 gallons water.
Boil the mixture and skim carefully until impurities rise to the surface.
When the water is ready, pour in the salt‑petre until dissolved and boiling, then dip the beef piece by piece into the salt‑petre water, holding each piece for a few seconds.
Pack and cure
When the beef has cooled, pack it in a cask where it will remain.
When the pickle is perfectly cold, pour it over the meat, keeping it covered and stone.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Beef (in the method)
- The meat being cured; the brine penetrates its muscle and seasons it through.
- Brown sugar (in the method)
- Adds sweetness and a rounded flavour that balances the salt.
- Molasses (in the method)
- Adds sweetness, depth and a darker colour to the brine.
- Salt‑petre (in the method)
- Helps the cured meat keep its pink colour and resist spoilage during curing.
The step that matters
Let the pickle become perfectly cold before pouring it over the meat. Hot brine can partly cook the outer layer and warm the meat, which slows curing and raises the risk of spoilage. Cooling it fully keeps the meat safe and the cure even.
“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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