Salt Beef

lannyman8

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 18, 2009
4,005
3
Dark side of the Moon
This is what it looks like, write up to come

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lannyman8

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 18, 2009
4,005
3
Dark side of the Moon
ok no probs Red will do it now in this post (will edit after)

ok, to start with i know i will get hung up for this but the meat is fillet....:( i know i should have just had it as steak, but it was free from a friend...:)

ok step by step guide of how i did this, which was kind of a fluke.

things you need

salt
meat
more salt
an oven
chili bay leaves cloves, depending on your tastes


1) trim up your beef/pork/lamb/game into easy to handle size joints and remove excess fat, make sure the meat has been rested for adleast 7 days, this allows the blood to flow out and the meat to relax, beef is much better rested for longer though, up to a month is good but must be stored at 0-2 deg C.

2) make a brine solution of 100 %, to do this just add salt to water (normal cheepey table salt is fine and what i use) until no more salt can be dissolved into the water, at this point you can add some chili if you like it hot bay leaves cloves etc etc to your taste, give them a bash first to release the oils that hold the flavor.

3) put your meat into the brine, it will float due to the strong salt solution, so place a plate or heavy bowl on top to keep it down, make sure all the meat is covered.

4) leave this in the fridge or cool area for adleast 7 days, i was not happy with mine after that, so left it another 4 days, and because i was busy.

5) when happy with the meat take it out of the solution and dry it off with a clean towel untill as much moisture as possible is gone.

6) place some salt (a thin layer about 2-3mm thick) on a plate/tray, place the meat onto it and cover the top and sides as best as possible the same. liquid will be drawn from the meat, the salt will turn into a gooey liquid mess, when this happens remove the meat scrape off all the salt and do the same on a clean plate/tray.

7) repeat step 6 until there is only just damp-wet salt on the tray bottom.

8) make sure the meat is covered with salt all over as best as possible, about 1-2 mm thick, put the meat into an oven on the very lowest setting, my oven is gas and has settings from "S" and then "1-9" on the dile, i used under the "S" just enough to have heat in the oven, i used the top shelf to start with then moved it down later.

9) keep an eye on the tray, it will start to fill with liquid, remove this but try and keep the salt from sliding of the tray. keep doing this until the liquid stops, move the meat to the lower shelf of the oven. i left my meat in over night, a total of about 20 hours after this, by now the meat should be nice and dry with a thick crust of salt all over..

10) leave the meat in a dry place uncovered to allow some more drying for another 4-7 days, this also depends how dry you want the meat, the meat once brined is safe to leave out of the fridge

jobs a fish....:)

hope this helps some people, found this by accident but very glad i did...:)

regards to all.

chris.
 
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lannyman8

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 18, 2009
4,005
3
Dark side of the Moon
5c28fe5b-2ee1-cefa.jpg


could not wait till we meet up Dave, its bloomin awesome, very nice, not too dry, just right, and flavorsome too...:)

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lannyman8

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 18, 2009
4,005
3
Dark side of the Moon
Do you have to rinse off the excess salt before you eat/cook with it?

depends what your doing with it Bob, if its for a stew then for me i would not bother, but i like my salt, i would just not add any extra salt when cooking.

when just wanting to have some meat for a snack then yes totally, rub off the salt into the storage and save it for cooking with later, in other meals....it seems a waist but the salt for this only cost about 35p in total, i think i pay 27p a kilogram of salt from Morrisons.

regards.

chris.
 

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