If you’ve ever had Salt Beef, the likely scenario is that you’ve probably had it thinly sliced out of packet from the deli section of the supermarket, which is perfectly fine. However, if you ever wanted experience the Ultimate Salt Beef the way it was meant to be, in a street food style, then you’ll either have to go to a street food seller or you can make your own at home!
Salt Beef is extremely easy to make at home, but it requires a lot of time. In fact, if you’re planning on inviting friends around then you’ll have to do this a week before because that’s how long you’re going to need to cure the beef for. But trust me when I say this is completely worth the wait.
Salt Beef
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1.25kg Beef Brisket
- 750g Coarse Sea Salt
- 350g Light Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Pink Curing Salt (not Himalayan Salt, optional)
- 2 tbsp Black Peppercorns
- 1 Star Anise
- 5 Cloves
- 2 Liters Water
- 2 Onions
- 2 Carrots
- 1 Stick celery
Instructions
Place the peppercorns, cloves and star anise into a pestle and mortar and gently crack the spices but do not grind them. You just want to crack them in order to release the flavours.
Add the 2 litres of water into a large saucepan, and bring up to the boil. Add in the sea salt, brown sugar, pink salt (if using), peppercorns, clovess and the star anise.
Bring the pan down to a gentle simmer and stir the brine until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Leave to cool completely.
Take the beef brisket and place it into a large plastic container, pour over the cooled brine until it's completely submerged, place the lid on tightly and place in the fridge to cure for one week.
After a week has passed, remove the beef from the brine - it should be a lot darker and feel a lot firmer - and place it into a bath of cold water for two hours to get rid of any excess salt.
After the two hours is up, place the beef into a large saucepan and completely cover with water.
Coarsely chop the onions, carrots and celery, and place into the saucepan with the beef.
Bring the pan up to a boil and then lower it to a very gentle simmer, place the lid on the pan and leave it to simmer very gently for three hours until the beef is tender.
Drain the beef, leave to cool slightly and then either slice it or pull it apart.
You can serve the beef hot or cold. If your beef is cold but you want it hot, then you can simply reheat it in a dry saucepan for a couple of minutes.
