Name: Peptonised Beef Tea
Ingredients: 1 lb finely minced lean beef; 1 pint water; 20 grains bicarbonate of soda; 1 tablespoon pancreatic solution

Peptonised Beef Tea

Ingredients

1 lb finely minced lean beef
1 pint water
20 grains bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon pancreatic solution

Directions

Mix the minced beef with water and bicarbonate of soda.
Simmer for 1½ hours.
When cooled to about 140°F (60°C), add the pancreatic solution.
Cover and place in a warm spot for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Strain off without pressure and boil the liquid for 3 minutes.

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

Lean beef: Provides the protein and flavour that the liquid extracts during simmering.
Pancreatic solution: Enzymes that break down proteins in the beef, so the liquid is partly digested.
Bicarbonate of soda: Raises the water's alkalinity, which helps the meat break down and release its juices.

The step that matters

Adding the pancreatic solution at about 140°F (60°C). Enzymes are damaged by high heat, so adding the solution while the liquid is still hot would weaken it. Waiting until it has cooled to about 140°F lets the enzymes work during the warm rest without being destroyed.

“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.