so! this is the spiced beef I make every year. I almost didn't get to this year, but family happily was able to help out and let me make it once again. this is specifically what it looks like when it first comes out of the boil phase, because it's the last picture I took of it before it was all eaten.
the recipe for this is old, based on a preservation method for meat, and I'll give it after the break. to get an idea just how old: it originally calls for saltpeter. I never use any. it's also the only recipe I have that calls for mace (the netting on the outside of a nutmeg, powdered).
Prep time 1 week or so, cook time 6 hours
Gives about 8 servings
Served cold and thinly sliced, this a Yuletime recipe from Ireland. It's not difficult to prepare at home, although it does require quite a lot of time and care.
Ingredients
3 lb of brisket, sirloin tip or eye of round (or cheap beef loin maybe)
3 bay leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp powdered mace
6 finely ground cloves
1 tsp crushed black peppercorns
Large clove garlic, minced (or a big spoonful of pre-minced)
1 tsp allspice
2 tbsps molasses
2 heaping tbsps brown sugar
1/2 lb cooking salt
Mix all the spices and flavorings together (the garlic is traditionally made into a paste with the salt, but I've never bothered to). Place beef in a large dish (or put the meat inside a sealable plastic bag, then into the dish) and rub well all over the mixture. Refrigerate in a covered bowl, or in the above setup; I use the "in a bag in a dish" setup, since this makes the brine cover more of the meat very rapidly. Twice a day, turn the meat over and rub in the spices and salt again. Within a day, this will be mixed with the juices drawn from the meat, turning this from a salting into a brining.
If the meat cut you're using looks like it's going to fall apart otherwise, tie the meat up firmly at the end of 7 to 10 days of this salting and brining, rinse off the excess salt, and put it in a large pot. Either rub in a final tsp of ground cloves, or just add 6 to 12 whole cloves to the pot, along with some peppercorns. Cover with water, and simmer slowly for four to six hours, then take it off the heat. When cool enough to handle, remove from the cooking liquid, place in a dish, and cover with a weighted plate if desired. Slice very thinly and serve.
This goes very well with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes!
(The original recipe was for 6 lb brisket and included 2 tsps saltpeter. The saltpeter is not necessary. Also the amount of salt was double what is listed, but the spices besides were exactly the same -- the result of reducing the meat and salt but not the spices is a very nicely spiced meal.)
(If you don't have any brown sugar: just use 2 heaping tablespoons of granulated sugar instead, and add a bit more molasses if you wish (we're talking 1/8 of a tablespoon, or about 1/3 of a teaspoon, it's a really small amount). Light brown sugar is just white sugar with 1/16 molasses added to it. I've considered using piloncillo or jaggery instead of sugar and molasses, because this sounds like it's trying to mimic unrefined sugars, but that stuff is very expensive in the USA!)
