A Common Receipt for Salting Beef
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the cure
Use one ounce of saltpetre and one pound of common salt for sixteen pounds of beef.
Dry and powder the saltpetre and common salt.
Cure the beef
Rub the saltpetre first evenly over the meat.
Apply the salt over every part of the meat.
Rub thoroughly with pickle and turn the meat daily for 7 to 10 days.
Optionally mix an ounce or two of sugar with the saltpetre to render the beef more tender and palatable.
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
- Saltpetre
- Helps the meat keep its red colour and gives the cured flavour.
- Common salt
- Draws out moisture and seasons the meat while it cures.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Adds sweetness and can soften the flavour of the cure.
The step that matters
Rubbing the saltpetre evenly over the meat. Saltpetre is potent in small amounts, so uneven rubbing leaves some spots over-cured and others under-cured. Even coverage ensures the whole piece cures consistently.
“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.
You might also like
Chicken Salad623 recipes
Salad Dressing491 recipes
Tomato Salad179 recipes
Cold Slaw160 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.