Victorian Christmas Spiced Beef

This is a great Victorian Christmas season dish. The perfect center piece for a cold supper. A round joint of silverside or topside is the best for this kind of dish. The Saltpeter or Quick Cure is a necessary preservative when curing meat and also adds a pleasing red color otherwise the beef will turn out a murky grey.

• Ready In: 288 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 6-12

Ingredients

• 6  lbs joint of beef
• 3  ounces light brown sugar
• 1  ounce black peppercorns
• 1  ounce  juniper berries
• 1  ounce allspice berry
• 4  ounces sea salt
• 1⁄4 ounce  saltpeter or 1⁄4 ounce  morton's tender quick

Directions

1. Rub the meat all over with the sugar and put it in a pot with a lid for 2 days.
2. Leave it in a cool place, turning and rubbing the meat at least 2 times a day with the sticky liquor that develops.
3. Crush the peppercorns, juniper berries and allspice with a mortar and pestle and mix with the salt and saltpeter. Rub this mixture well into the meat and leave it in the pot for another 9 days in a very cool place.
4. Turn the meat and rub the pickling mixture into the meat daily.
5. When the pickling is complete, remove the beef and rub off any excess spices adhering to the surface.
6. Do not rinse it.
7. Wrap the meat in suet and put into a large ovenproof pot.
8. Add about 10 fl oz water, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid.
9. Preheat the oven to 275 deg F.
10. Bake the meat slowly allowing 45 min per lb.
11. When the meat is cooked, remove from the pot and set aside until it is quite cold.
12. Unwrap the meat, drain off any excess liquid and place on a board.
13. Cover with clean cheese cloth, put a weight on it and leave for at least 24 hrs in a very cold place.
14. Carve the meat into thin slices and serve with good mustard or horseradish and pickled onions.