Irish Spiced Beef

Photo: flickr user beelerspace

Ingredients

6 1/2 pounds beef

3 bay leaves

10 cloves

5 blades mace

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 pound salt (about 2 cups)

1 1/2 tablespoons saltpeter

1 bunch fresh herbs

3 sliced carrots

3 sliced onions

Preparation

Wipe meat over with a damp cloth. Mix seasoning ingredients together except for carrots, onions and fresh herbs. Rub seasoning well into meat; then lay mean on bed of seasoning. Leave in a cool place (preferably not refrigerated, though).

Repeat rubbing each day. On the seventh day, put the meat into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to boiling point and simmer gently for 5 hours, when it should be tender. Put cooked meat on a flat dish and cover with a board. Set weight on top of board until meat is cold, when it is ready to carve and eat.