To Corn Beef
Ingredients
Directions
Make the brine
In a large container, mix 1 gallon of cold water with 1 quart of coarse sea salt, 1 ounce of saltpetre, and 4 ounces of brown sugar until dissolved.
If scum rises, scald it and skim it off.
Add more salt, saltpetre, and sugar as needed.
Cure the meat
Rub each piece of meat with salt before placing it in the brine.
If the weather is hot, gash the meat to the bone.
Submerge the meat in the brine.
Place a flat stone or weight on the meat to keep it submerged.
Alternative method
For an alternative method, boil 4 gallons of water with 2 pounds of brown sugar and 6 pounds of common salt for 20 minutes, skimming off the scum.
Pour the brine over the packed meat in a pickling tub and let it sit.
Boil and strain the brine every two months, adding 3 ounces of brown sugar and ½ pound of common salt each time.
Sprinkle the meat with salt the next day and wipe it dry before adding the brine.
Ensure the brine completely covers the meat and add 4 ounces of saltpetre.
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
- Saltpetre
- Helps preserve the meat and gives corned beef its characteristic pink colour.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws moisture out of the meat and seasons it through the brine.
- Brown sugar
- Balances the saltiness and adds a mild sweetness to the cured meat.
The step that matters
Keeping the meat fully submerged in the brine. Any meat left above the brine can spoil or turn grey and unevenly cured. A weight keeps every piece covered throughout the curing period, so the salt and cure reach all of it.
“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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