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Welsh Beef

A round of beef prepared in this way will keep for two months in cold weather, and constitute a good standing dish. If the quantity for which the recipe is written is too large, a small round weighing eighteen or twenty pounds may be taken, or a part of a round of the weight that is required, and cooked in the same way. Half a round might lie in the salt ten days or a fortnight, instead of three weeks. Take a round of beef weighing from twenty-five to thirty pounds, rub two ounces of saltpetre into it, and let it lie for an hour. Rub it well with a powder made of one pound of common salt, one ounce of white pepper, one ounce of moist sugar, one nutmeg, grated, a quarter of an ounce of pounded mace, and a quarter of an ounce of pounded cloves. Lay the meat in a pickling-pan, rub the ingredients into it, and turn and rub them every day for three weeks. Wash the meat in cold water, and let it dry. Skewer it into a round form, and bind with tape. Put it into an earthen pan with plenty of chopped suet under and over it, pour a cupful of water or stock round it, cover the vessel with a coarse paste of flour and water, and bake the beef in a moderate oven till tender. Pour off the gravy, and let the beef stand till cold. This gravy will, when strained, form an excellent foundation for soup. The beef will have a much better appearance if it is pressed under a heavy weight for some hours after being taken from the oven, and brushed over twice with liquid glaze. The glaze may be made of any strong, clear gravy boiled quickly until it thickens when dropped from the spoon; or a small quantity may be bought of the grocer, dissolved in the usual way, and used. Time to bake the beef, six to eight hours, or a quarter of an hour to the pound. Probable cost, beef, 10d. or 11d. per pound.