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Cork spiced beef
Christmas brisket cured with spices, simmered and pressed
Spiced beef is the Christmas meat of Cork city, sold in the English Market in December and served cold in thin slices on St Stephen's Day with brown bread and chutney. A piece of brisket or silverside is rubbed with salt, brown sugar, allspice, cloves and juniper and turned in the fridge for a week, then simmered slowly and pressed. The meat comes out deep pink, tender and fragrant. Chef's tip: keep it in the fridge the whole week of curing and turn it every day so the cure reaches every side.
- Total time
- 270 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the cure
For cooking
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (5)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Crush the 1 tbsp allspice berries, 1 tbsp juniper berries, 1 tbsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp cloves and 3 bay leaves in a mortar and mix with the 3 ½ oz coarse sea salt, 2 ⅞ oz dark brown sugar and ½ tsp ground mace.
5 minStep 2: Rub the cure all over the 4 ⅜ lb beef brisket or silverside, rolled, put it in a snug, non-metal dish, cover and refrigerate for 7 days, turning it and rubbing in the liquid every day.
10 minStep 3: Rinse off the spices, put the beef in a large pot with the 1 onion and 1 carrot, cover with cold water and bring slowly to a bare simmer.
25 minStep 4: Cook gently for about 3½–4 hours, until a skewer slides in easily. A common mistake is a rolling boil, which toughens the meat.
225 minStep 5: Cool in the liquid, then lift out, wrap, put a board and weights on top and chill overnight to press.
480 minStep 6: Slice very thinly across the grain and serve cold. Keep wrapped in the fridge for up to 5 days.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cork spiced beef take?
- About 270 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 240 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dark brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
- What can I use instead of black peppercorns?
- Ground black pepper, a little less than the amount.
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