Beef cured with saltpetre, cloves and allspice, then simmered and sliced thin. It is a Cork Christmas tradition sold by the city’s butchers, above all in the English Market, and the spice cure is what carried beef through winter.
It is a nitrate cure held for over a week, and saltpetre is dosed by weight against the meat because the margin between a safe cure and a harmful one is narrow; Cork butchers sell it ready-cured for that reason.
What goes into it
- beef silverside or brisket
- salt and saltpetre
- brown sugar or treacle
- cloves, allspice, juniper and black pepper
How it is made
The joint is rubbed daily for a week or more with a mixture of salt, saltpetre, sugar and ground spices, and turned in the liquor that draws out of it. It is then rinsed and simmered slowly for several hours, cooled under a weight, and sliced thin. The saltpetre is what keeps the meat red rather than grey.
How long it takes: seven to ten days of curing, then hours of simmering
How it is eaten
Sliced thin on brown bread with mustard, or hot with cabbage and potatoes at Christmas.
History
A Cork Christmas tradition sold by the city’s butchers, especially in the English Market; the spice cure preserved beef through winter.
Frequently asked questions
What is Spiced beef?
Spiced beef is a charcuterie & cured from Ireland: beef cured with saltpetre, cloves and allspice, simmered and sliced thin. A Cork Christmas tradition sold by the city’s butchers, especially in the English Market; the spice cure preserved beef through winter.
How is Spiced beef made?
The joint is rubbed daily for a week or more with a mixture of salt, saltpetre, sugar and ground spices, and turned in the liquor that draws out of it. It is then rinsed and simmered slowly for several hours, cooled under a weight, and sliced thin. The saltpetre is what keeps the meat red rather than grey. It takes seven to ten days of curing, then hours of simmering.
Can I make Spiced beef at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a nitrate cure held for over a week, and saltpetre is dosed by weight against the meat because the margin between a safe cure and a harmful one is narrow; Cork butchers sell it ready-cured for that reason.
What goes into Spiced beef?
Beef silverside or brisket, salt and saltpetre, brown sugar or treacle, cloves, allspice, juniper and black pepper.
How is Spiced beef eaten?
Sliced thin on brown bread with mustard, or hot with cabbage and potatoes at Christmas.
