To Collar Beef
Ingredients
Directions
Cure the beef
Bone the beef and rub it well with coarse sea salt and saltpetre.
Let it sit for 3 to 4 days, depending on thickness.
Season and roll
Dry the beef with a cloth and season it with mixed spices and sweet herbs.
Roll the beef tightly and wrap it in a cloth, tying the ends securely.
Bind the collar tightly with broad tape.
Boil and finish
Place it in a pot of boiling water, ensuring it is always covered.
Boil for nearly 4 hours if thick.
After boiling, hang it by the cloth to drain and cool.
Once cold, remove the bindings.
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.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Beef
- Forms the main body of the dish, and curing firms its texture and deepens its flavour.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws out moisture and seasons the meat during the curing period.
- Saltpetre
- Helps preserve the meat and gives the cured beef its characteristic pink colour.
- Mixed spices
- Adds aroma and warm flavour to the outside of the rolled beef.
- Sweet herbs
- Adds aromatic, savoury flavour to the seasoned beef.
The step that matters
Keep the beef fully covered while boiling. If any part of the roll rises above the water, it cooks unevenly and can dry out. Keeping it submerged for the whole cook gives an even, moist result.
“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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