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Beefsteak for Winter Use

A method of preserving large beef steaks by layering with salt, sugar, and saltpeter in a jar for winter use.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Why it works: Beef and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 37% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,435 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Beefsteak for Winter Use

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cut the steaks large and to the usual thickness.

  2. Mix salt, sugar, and finely powdered saltpeter in equal proportions.

Pack the jar

  1. Sprinkle the bottom of a large jar with salt.

  2. Layer a piece of steak in the jar and sprinkle with the mixture.

  3. Continue layering steak and sprinkling the mixture until the jar is filled.

  4. Sprinkle the mixture on top, place a plate with a weight on it over the jar, and set in a cool, airy place.

Use

  1. Use as needed by broiling or frying.

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

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Beef + sugartop 37% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together5,435 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef steaks
Form the meat that is cured and later cooked by broiling or frying.
Salt
Draws out moisture and seasons the meat as it cures.
Sugar
Balances the salt and adds mild sweetness to the cured meat.
Finely powdered saltpeter
Helps preserve the meat and gives it a characteristic cured colour.

The step that matters

Layering the steaks with the cure mixture. Every piece needs an even coat of the salt, sugar and saltpeter mix so the cure penetrates evenly. Thin or missed spots can spoil, while the weight keeps the meat pressed under the brine that forms.

“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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