Recipe for Beef Brine
Ingredients
Directions
Make the brine
Combine four gallons of water, six pounds of salt, two ounces saltpetre, and six and a half pounds of brown sugar.
Boil the mixture, skimming the liquid as it boils.
Allow the liquid to cool until cold.
Brine the beef
Rub the beef with salt and allow the bloody brine to run off.
Perform the rubbing and brine runoff two or three days before pouring the brine over the beef, ensuring it covers the beef.
Pour the cold brine over the beef, ensuring it covers the beef.
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 of the meat and carries seasoning into it, helping it cure.
- Saltpetre
- Helps cure the meat, giving it a pink colour and slowing spoilage.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and a molasses flavour that balances the salt.
The step that matters
Pour the cold brine over the beef. Brine must be fully cold before it touches the meat, since warm liquid can start cooking the surface and warm the beef. The beef must stay completely submerged so every part cures evenly.
“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.
More beef brine recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.