Pickle for Meat
Ingredients
Directions
Make the brine
In a large saucepan, combine 1 lb coarse sea salt, 6 oz brown sugar, 1½ oz saltpetre, and 1 gallon water.
Heat the saucepan over medium heat until it boils, then let it boil for 5 minutes, skimming as needed.
Strain and cool
Strain the mixture into a tub or large basin.
Allow the pickle to cool completely before adding meat.
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
- Seasons the meat and draws moisture out, helping the cure penetrate.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the salt.
- Saltpetre
- Acts as a curing agent that helps cured meat keep its colour and flavour.
The step that matters
Allow the pickle to cool completely before adding meat. Adding meat to hot brine can partly cook its surface and leave it warm, which encourages bacterial growth. Cooling fully keeps the meat safe and the cure even.
“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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