Salt beef or Pastrami
Worth the wait this salt beef is great in a brioche bun layered with creamy mayo or a good relish. It works with pickles such as cornichons as a starter sharing plate too.
Total time
2 weeks!
Level
Easy
Serves
5
Ingredients
- 1.25k of rolled beef brisket
- 4 pints of quality medium cider
- 75g sugar
- 200g salt
- Couple of bay leaves
- 5 juniper berries
- 5 peppercorns
- Good pinch of allspice
- Couple of star anise
- 4 cloves
- 2 pints Water
Directions
- Reduce the cider in a pan until syrupy.
- Mix all the other ingredients in a large pan, bring to the boil and add in the cooled cider syrup, mix well. Allow to cool.
- Put the rolled brisket into a big bag and add the liquid, tie it off with no air left inside
- Leave in the fridge for a week.
- Take out and rinse well. If you want a pastrami style meat then cold smoke over apple wood chippings for 20 minutes before braising. (You can use a covered BBQ or a large roasting dish with a wire rack and foil to cover). For regular salt beef, go straight to the braising stage and cook over an inch or so of water in a large roasting tray, on a rack with foil over. Cook for 4 hours at 120 celsius.
- Leave to cool and slice as required. Great as a platter starter or with your favourite dry cider as an aperitif.