Salt beef sando

Not yet rated

It might take a good week to cure and five hours to cook, but this homemade salt beef recipe is well worth the wait. Falling apart and full of flavour, it makes use of the natural saltpetre found in celery rather than using processed salts. Load it up in sandwiches, or serve it hot with potatoes – whatever takes your fancy!

First published in 2021
discover more:

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Salt beef

To serve

  • 1 loaf of rye bread, sliced
  • pickles, sliced
  • mustard
  • Swiss cheese

Method

1
Toast the peppercorns, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, coriander seeds and cinnamon stick in a large, hot saucepan for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the water, salt, sugar, parsley stalks, paprika, rosemary and thyme, then bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then place in the fridge to chill completely
2
Once chilled, stir in the pureed celery – this contains saltpetre, which will keep the beef pink once it’s cooked. Add the brisket, ensuring it is completely submerged in the liquid, then cover and store in the fridge for 7 days, turning the meat every 2 days
3
After 7 days of curing, preheat an oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Lift the beef out of the brine and place in a deep roasting tray or a clean casserole dish – you want it to be deeper than the height of the beef. Pour in fresh water until the meat is fully submerged, then throw in the carrot, onion and garlic. Tightly cover the dish with foil, then cook in the oven for 4-5 hours, or until the beef is meltingly tender
4
The salt beef is now ready to be used in a variety of dishes, but to make it into the sandwiches pictured, slice it and layer it up with mustard, cheese and pickled on rye bread
  • 1 loaf of rye bread, sliced
  • pickles, sliced
  • mustard
  • Swiss cheese
First published in 2021
DISCOVER MORE:

Having developed his style of food working in an eclectic range of London restaurants, Henry Freestone’s no-frills style of cookery has gone on to win him heaps of praise.

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.