Saturday, December 22, 2007

Spiced Silverside



ingredients
1.8 kg (4 lb) piece salted silverside (beefcut from the rump)
If it's not salted, see the brining process below
1 onion, skinned and sliced
2 carrots, pared and sliced
1 small turnip, pared and sliced
1 - 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
8 cloves
1/2 cup (90 g) soft brown sugar
1/2 level tsp (2.5 ml) dry mustard
1 level tsp (5 ml) ground cinnamon
juice of 1 orange

method
1. Soak the meat for several hours or overnight, then rinse it, put in a large pan with the vegetables, cover with water and bring slowly to the boil. Remove any scum, cover with a lid and simmer until tender, allowing about 1 hour for 450 g (1 lb), 2-3 hours for 1-1.4 kg (2-3 lb) and 3 - 4 hours for 1.8-2.3 kg (4-5 lb).

2. Allow to cool in the liquid.

3. Drain, put into a roasting tin and stick the cloves into the fat. Mix together the remaining ingredients and spread over the meat.

4. Bake in the oven at 180°C (350°F) mark 4 for 3/4 - 1 hour, basting from time to time.

Serve hot or cold.


I was at the supermarket the other day and they had the cheapest cuts of silverside I’ve ever seen in their Christmas surplus area. I picked it up and used the brining method Here. Then I used the method above to cook it.

This was wonderful. I really liked it. The fact that you roast it at the end makes a huge difference in texture, and the glaze in the top is such a nice touch.

It takes a long time, but it’s not labor intensive at all. Also, once it is brined and cooked, it becomes very versatile. I’ll be bloging the Ruben sandwiches that we made with some of the leftovers, and tomorrow I plan to make some corned beef hash with some more left overs. This is a great tasty recipe, and it’s also economical. Next time you see a large, cheap cut of tougher meat on sale, keep this method in mind. I got it from Cookitsimply.com
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