This weekend has been rather a cheesy affair at La Petite Bouchée, from silky Fondue Savoyade, Cozziflette and Bratwurst to unctuous Tartiflette laden with smoked lardons and oozing creamy Reblochon, we've served it all. We've also served an array of accompaniments to complement and enhance each of the cheese dishes including our handmade house pickles and ferments, vegetables, local charcuterie and of course our ever popular home-cured salt beef. Our salt beef has received a whole lot of love this weekend and lots of people have asked for the recipe. So without further ado, here it is.
There are no artificial preservatives or other nasties, it's all natural. That's the good news, the not so good news is the length of time it takes. This dish is a labour of love, it takes over a week to brine the beef, however, it's absolutely worth it. Our hot salt beef will be making a return visit during our Canadian weekend... 15&16 March There are just a few covers left on the 16th
Salt Beef
This is a two stage process
Brining
2.5kg beef brisket
300g caster sugar
500g Salt
12 Coriander seeds
6 cloves
12 juniper berries
12 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
8 litres of water
Slow-Cooking
2 bay leaves
Bunch of thyme
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
3 raw beetroot quartered
3 cloves garlic
Method
In a large heavy based saucepan add 4 of the 8 litres of water and all the other brining ingredients and bring to a rolling boil. You need to find a big enough plastic container to hold the beef and brine.
Place the beef in the container and then pour the brining mixture over the beef. Make sure the beef is completely covered. You might have to weigh it down to keep it submerged. Leave in a cool place for 4 days. On the 5th day of this process, add 4 litres of water. On day 6, remove the beef from its brine bath and wash thoroughly for 10 minutes to ensure all the brine is washed off.
Place the brisket in a large heavy based saucepan and add the herbs and vegetables and fresh water. cook for about 3.5 hours on a rolling boil. Remove from the saucepan after the cooking time and allow to rest. Delicious hot or cold or in a sandwich!
