Salt Beef

I used to regularly make my own bacon by putting pieces of belly pork (for streaky) or loin of pork (for back) in to a crock of brine.  Fortunately we now have a local butcher who makes excellent bacon so I've lost the habit.  But I was recently inspired by a recipe for a spiced beef brine that was in one of the newspapers.  The recipe called for brisket, which makes for a very tender salt beef, but a piece of silverside called out to me.  The silverside is akin to topside of beef as it is very lean and dense, it makes for a firmer cooked joint that slices beautifully.

After soaking the beef for a week it is very likely to be too salty and so it needs soaking in plain water overnight to reduce the saltiness.  Cooks of 20 years ago, or more, knew all about this and wouldn't cook salt beef or boiling bacon without the necessary precautions to reduce the saltiness.  These days with refrigeration being the main method of keeping meats, much less salt is used and it is rarely necessary to pre-soak.

Put the beef into a large pot and cover with cold water, bring it to the boil.  This releases a lot of salty scum, so throw away the hot water and rinse the beef thoroughly with cold water.  Cover again with cold water and bring back to the boil and simmer gently for about an hour and a half.  Classic accompaniments are carrots, potatoes, onions and celery.  About an hour before the beef is cooked throw in the chunky chopped carrots and whole small onions.  About half an hour before it's cooked put in the whole potatoes and the celery hearts.


Needless to say, through lack of planning, I didn't soak it overnight before cooking and the beef was a bit salty, but the veg were super.  I served this with a mustard sauce - meaux mustard and a little cream stirred into a bechamel.