Pickle for Meat
Ingredients
Directions
Make the brine
In a large pan, combine 2 gallons of spring water, 5 pounds of coarse sea salt, 2 pounds of moist sugar, and 2 ounces of saltpetre.
Boil the mixture for 20 minutes, skimming carefully.
Cure the beef
Submerge a large round of beef in the pickle and let it sit for 2 weeks.
For a mellower flavor, substitute 3 pounds of bay salt for the coarse sea salt.
Each time the pickle is boiled, add 1 pound of coarse sea salt or ½ pound of bay salt, and 1 pint of water.
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
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws water out of the beef and seasons it, slowing spoilage during the cure.
- Saltpetre
- Preserves the meat's pink color and contributes to the cured flavor during the long cure.
- Moist sugar
- Balances the salt and adds mild sweetness and moisture to the brine.
The step that matters
Skimming the boiled brine. Boiling draws impurities and coagulated proteins to the surface as foam. Skimming them off keeps the brine clear and prevents off flavors and cloudiness in the cured meat.
“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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