Meat has been salted since time immemorial, more especially in the colder regions where it was salted and hung out to dry in the cold winds.  In warmer regions, nomads on horseback and even those on foot would salt meat to preserve it on their long voyages. It’s called ‘corned’ meat  and the word is derived from a old Germanic word, Kurman (meaning the tiniest seed or the root of the seed) because a grain of salt looked similar to a grain of corn. The meat was placed in large containers, covered with loads of salt and so preserved. Until the early 1800’s the Irish were the largest exporters, Cork the biggest producer

and supplier to the British army who lived on it during the Napoleonic wars.  At the moment it isn’t the  most fashionable of dishes and has been relegated to the deli where we eagerly buy crunchy bread rolls topped  with thick slices lathered in mustard  but it’s really rather foolish. For those of us that are so busy that we have no alternative other than to plan ahead, corned beef is a blessing.  Prepare the meat one quiet weekend or do something different for a change and invite your friends to come and help – you never know, you just may start a trend and everyone will learn something new.  It takes a couple of weeks to cure the meat but it can be cooked the night before a dinner party and served with lashings of horseradish sauce, mustard or jellies. Anything goes and it requires only a little imagination to serve a meal in a flash and give yourself time with your guests.

Ingredients

• 2.5 – 3kg beef brisket, lean
• 300 g coarse salt
• 4 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 4 tbsp black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
• 10 juniper berries, crushed
• 12 green cardamom pods, seeds removed
• 1 tsp saltpetre
• 3 Bay leaves, crushed
• 1 flat tbsp ground Mace
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 flat tbsp ground Ginger
• 1 flat tbsp whole Cloves, crushed

Method

• Place the beef in a container (not metal) and massage half of the salt into the beef.
• Cover the container with cling wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours, turning once.
• Remove the meat from the container, rinse and dry well with kitchen towels.
• Mix all of the other ingredients together and massage the mixture into the beef, making sure that the whole area is covered – place the beef into the cleaned container.
• Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 10 days but make sure that you turn the beef every day.
• After 10 days, remove from the refrigerator, rinse well and place into a saucepan containing simmering unsalted water, simmering over medium-low heat for  3-3½ hours or until just tender.
• Place in pre-heated 200 C oven for 20 – 30 minutes to crisp up the fat and finish cooking the  meat.
• If you are going to be serving the meat cold, put the beef into a tight fitting container, cover with a plate, stand a heavy weight on top.
• When it has cooled down, put in the refrigerator overnight.
• Serve the next day as you wish.
• Optional: It can be served warm with crunchy fried potatoes and an interesting stir fry.