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On Boiling Meat

A method for boiling meat using cold water, salt, and varying times depending on meat type.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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On Boiling Meat

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the meat

  1. Place the meat in a pot with cold water, using 1 quart for every pound.

  2. Heat the water gradually over a moderate fire.

  3. Boil the meat slowly for 20 minutes per pound for fresh meat, or 40 minutes per pound for salt meat.

  4. Skim the pot regularly until no more froth rises.

Cured meats

  1. For cured tongue, soak overnight and boil for at least 4 hours.

  2. For a very salty ham, soak overnight and boil for 3 to 5 hours, optionally finishing in the oven.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

Meat
Is the main food being cooked; its size and cure set the cooking time.
Cold water
Covers the meat and cooks it gently; heating it slowly keeps the meat tender and the broth clear.

The step that matters

Skim the pot regularly. Froth is coagulated protein and impurities that rise as the water heats. Removing it keeps the broth clear and prevents it from turning cloudy or tasting scummy.

“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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