Peptonized Beef Tea
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 140°F (60°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Heat the beef
Combine water, beef, and bicarbonate of soda in a stewpan.
Heat slowly to 140°F (60°C).
Stir gently.
Maintain this temperature for about 30 minutes.
Rest and strain
Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.
Add the liquor pancreaticus.
Cover the vessel and allow it to sit in a warm place for about 1 hour.
Strain the mixture.
Finish and serve
Bring it to a boil.
Season to taste.
Serve.
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
- Supplies the protein and flavour that the liquid draws out during gentle heating.
- Liquor pancreaticus
- Contains enzymes that break down the beef's proteins, softening it and releasing more flavour.
The step that matters
Add the liquor pancreaticus after cooling to lukewarm. Enzymes are denatured by high heat and lose their activity. Adding the liquor only once the mixture has cooled to lukewarm lets the enzymes survive and work on the beef during the rest.
“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.
More beef tea recipes
You might also like
Vegetable Soup350 recipes
Raspberry Vinegar214 recipes
Brown Coffee with Egg175 recipes
Blackberry Cordial129 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.