Salted Beef
Description
A delicious appetizer for any gathering. Salted meat is meat obtained by keeping it in a salt solution. The process itself is called meat curing. In the past, it was used as the only way to store meat for long periods at above-freezing temperatures, but with the advent of refrigerators, this method became unpopular. Today, salted meat is prepared mainly in villages. Salt for curing was usually roasted in a skillet. If saltpeter is used during curing, the meat will take on a beautiful reddish color. The saltpeter must be chemically pure, with no foreign odors. Compared with fresh meat, salted meat retains far fewer nutrients. Preparation: Cut chilled meat into large pieces and remove it from the bones. To make the curing mixture, mix salt with saltpeter. Rub the meat on all sides with the curing mixture. Place the pieces of meat in a wooden barrel or tub, pressing them tightly against each other. Sprinkle the top with the salt and saltpeter mixture, then add the next layer of meat and again sprinkle with the curing mixture, and continue in this way until all the meat is used up. Cover the barrel with a wooden lid and place a weight on top. Put the barrel of meat in a cellar or a cool room. After 24 hours, pour over the meat a solution made from boiled water and salt so that it completely covers the pieces. The brine temperature should be no higher than 5°C. After 3.5 weeks, the salted meat is ready to eat. To give the salted meat a spicy flavor, when layering the meat, each row may be sprinkled with ground pepper and bay leaf (for 1 kg of salted meat, less than 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and 1–2 bay leaves). To prepare first and second courses from salted meat, soak it by placing it in a container and covering it with cold water at a ratio of 2 liters of water per 1 kg of meat. Then refrigerate for 12 hours. During this time, change the water 3–4 times. It may be served warm or chilled.