Irish Spiced Beef

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This is a very traditional recipe usually served at Christmas. Back home, the meat comes preseasoned and prepared, and just needs to be dropped in the pot. But here you will need to do the work for yourself. It’s only about 2 minutes of work a day for ten days, but well worth the effort! Bear in mind, this is a lot of food, so you may need an industrial stock pot to cook it in…

Ready in: 10 days 2 hours 5 mins

Ingredients

Serves: 12

• For the Rub:
• 30 Whole cloves
• 1 Stick of cinnamon (about 3 inches)
• 3 t. allspice berries, whole
• 3 t. Saltpetre
• 3 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 Pound Coarse Sea Salt
• 3 Bay Leaves
• 3 t. Ground Mace
• 7-8 lb. beef roast (rump or sirloin work well)
• 1 Large Onion, finely diced
• 8 carrots, roughly diced
• 1 Heart of Celery, roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, finely diced.
• 3 lb. new potatoes, halved.
• 4 Pints of Stout

Preparation method

Prep: 50 mins | Cook: 1 hour 15 mins | Extra time: 10 days, curing

1. Take the first five ingredients (the whole spices), and roast over a low heat in a saute pan, until they start to give off a warm heady aroma.

2. Add the toasted spices to the salt, bay leaves and mace. Grind in a spice or coffee grinder until they are a fine powder.

3. Place the beef in a large glass or plastic container and rub with 1/10 of spice mixture. cover with chopped onions. cover with plastic wrap, and place meat in refrigerator.

4. Repeat this every day for 10 days.

5. On the eleventh day, place meat and any liquid that has drained off into a large pot, adding just enough water to cover. Bring to boil, the reduce to simmer, and cook for 45 minutes.

6. Drain off water, then add the carrots, celery, 2nd onion, garlic, and potatoes, and add the stout, then just enough water to cover. Bring up to a boil again, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for another another 30 minutes, or until all vegetables are fork tender. Remove meat, cut into thin slices.

7. Place even portions of vegetables onto each plate, then top with meat, and add the stock until just covering the vegetables.