Chapter XIII: BAKED BEEF (Cold Meat Cookery) (2)

640. INGREDIENTS.--2 ox-tails, 1 onion, 3 cloves, 1 blade of mace, 1 teaspoonful of whole black pepper, 1 teaspoonful of allspice, 1/2 a teaspoonful of salt, a small bunch of savoury herbs, thickening of butter and flour, 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice, 1 tablespoonful of mushroom ketchup.

_Mode_.--Divide the tails at the joints, wash, and put them into a stewpan with sufficient water to cover them, and set them on the fire; when the water boils, remove the scum, and add the onion cut into rings, the spice, seasoning, and herbs. Cover the stewpan closely, and let the tails simmer very gently until tender, which will be in about 2-1/2 hours. Take them out, make a thickening of butter and flour, add it to the gravy, and let it boil for 1/4 hour. Strain it through a sieve into a saucepan, put back the tails, add the lemon-juice and ketchup; let the whole just boil up, and serve. Garnish with croûtons or sippets of toasted bread.

_Time_.--2-1/2 hours to stew the tails.

_Average cost_, 9d. to 1s. 6d., according to the season.

_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

THE TAILS OF ANIMALS.--In the class Mammalia, the vertebral
column or backbone presents only slight modifications, and
everywhere shows the same characteristics as in man, who stands
at the head of this division of the animal kingdom. The length
of this column, however, varies much, and the number of
vertebrae of which it is composed is far from being uniform.
These numerical differences principally depend on the unequal
development of the caudal portion, or tail-end, of the column.
Thus, the tail-forming vertebrae sometimes do not exist at
all,--amongst certain bats for example; in other instances we
reckon forty, fifty, and even upwards of sixty of these bones.
Among the greater number of mammals, the tail is of little use
for locomotion, except that it acts in many cases as does the
rudder of a ship, steadying the animal in his rapid movements,
and enabling him to turn more easily and quickly. Among some
animals, it becomes a very powerful instrument of progression.
Thus, in the kangaroos and jerboas, the tail forms, with the
hind feet, a kind of tripod from which the animal makes its
spring. With most of the American monkeys it is prehensile, and
serves the animal as a fifth hand to suspend itself from the
branches of trees; and, lastly, among the whales, it grows to an
enormous size, and becomes the principal instrument for
swimming.

A PICKLE FOR TONGUES OR BEEF (Newmarket Recipe).

641. INGREDIENTS.--1 gallon of soft water, 3 lbs. of coarse salt, 6 oz. of coarse brown sugar, 1/2 oz. of saltpetre.

_Mode_.--Put all the ingredients into a saucepan, and let them boil for 1/2 hour, clear off the scum as it rises, and when done pour the pickle into a pickling-pan. Let it get cold, then put in the meat, and allow it to remain in the pickle from 8 to 14 days, according to the size. It will keep good for 6 months if well boiled once a fortnight. Tongues will take 1 month or 6 weeks to be properly cured; and, in salting meat, beef and tongues should always be put in separate vessels.

_Time_.--A moderate-sized tongue should remain in the pickle about a month, and be turned every day.

POTTED BEEF.

I.

642. INGREDIENTS.--2 lbs. of lean beef, 1 tablespoonful of water, 1/4 lb. of butter, a seasoning to taste of salt, cayenne, pounded mace, and black pepper.

_Mode_.--Procure a nice piece of lean beef, as free as possible from gristle, skin, &c., and put it into a jar (if at hand, one with a lid) with 1 tablespoonful of water. Cover it _closely_, and put the jar into a saucepan of boiling water, letting the water come within 2 inches of the top of the jar. Boil gently for 3-1/2 hours, then take the beef, chop it very small with a chopping-knife, and pound it thoroughly in a mortar. Mix with it by degrees all, or a portion, of the gravy that will have run from it, and a little clarified butter; add the seasoning, put it in small pots for use, and cover with a little butter just warmed and poured over. If much gravy is added to it, it will keep but a short time; on the contrary, if a large proportion of butter is used, it may be preserved for some time.

_Time_.--3-1/2 hours. _Average cost_, for this quantity, 1s. 8d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

POTTED BEEF (Cold Meat Cookery).

II.

643. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of cold roast or boiled beef, 1/4 lb. of butter, cayenne to taste, 2 blades of pounded mace.

_Mode_.--As we have stated in recipe No. 608, the outside slices of boiled beef may, with a little trouble, be converted into a very nice addition to the breakfast-table. Cut up the meat into small pieces and pound it well, with a little butter, in a mortar; add a seasoning of cayenne and mace, and be very particular that the latter ingredient is reduced to the finest powder. When all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, put it into glass or earthen potting-pots, and pour on the top a coating of clarified butter.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--If cold roast beef is used, remove all pieces of gristle and dry outside pieces, as these do not pound well.

PRESERVED MEATS.--When an organic substance, like the flesh of
animals, is heated to the boiling-point, it loses the property
of passing into a state of fermentation and decay. Fresh animal
milk, as is well known, coagulates, after having been kept for
two or three days, into a gelatinous mass; but it may be
preserved for an indefinite period, as a perfectly sweet liquid,
if it be heated daily to the boiling-point. The knowledge of
this effect of an elevated temperature has given rise to a most
important branch of industry,--namely, the preparation of
preserved meats for the use of the navy and merchant service. At
Leith, in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, at Aberdeen, at
Bordeaux, at Marseilles, and in many parts of Germany,
establishments of enormous magnitude exist, in which soup,
vegetables, and viands of every description are prepared, in
such a manner that they retain their freshness for years. The
prepared aliments are inclosed in canisters of tinned iron
plate, the covers are soldered air-tight, and the canisters
exposed to the temperature of boiling water for three or four
hours. The aliments thus acquire a stability, which one may
almost say is eternal; and when a canister is opened, after the
lapse of several years, its contents are found to be unaltered
in taste, colour, and smell. We are indebted to the French
philosopher Gay-Lussac for this beautiful practical application
of the discovery that boiling checks fermentation. An exclusive
salt-meat diet is extremely injurious to the health; and, in
former times, thousands of mariners lost their lives for the
want of fresh aliments during long voyages. We are sorry to say
that the preserved meats are sometimes carelessly prepared, and,
though the statement seems incredible, sometimes adulterated.
Dr. Lankester, who has done so much to expose the frauds of
trade, that he ought to be regarded as a public benefactor, says
that he has seen things which were utterly unfit for food,
shipped as preserved meats. Surely, as he observes, there ought
to be some superintendent to examine the so-called articles of
food that are taken on board ship, so that the poor men who have
been fighting our battles abroad may run no risk of being
starved or poisoned on their way home.

RIB OF BEEF BONES.

(_A Pretty Dish_.)

644. INGREDIENTS.--Rib of beef bones, 1 onion chopped fine, a few slices of carrot and turnip, 1/4 pint of gravy.

_Mode_.--The bones for this dish should have left on them a slight covering of meat; saw them into pieces 3 inches long; season them with pepper and salt, and put them into a stewpan with the remaining ingredients. Stew gently, until the vegetables are tender, and serve on a flat dish within walls of mashed potatoes.

_Time_.--3/4 hour. _Average cost_, exclusive of the bones, 2d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

BEEF RISSOLES (Cold Meat Cookery).

645. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of cold roast beef; to each pound of meat allow 3/4 lb. of bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste, a few chopped savoury herbs, 1/2 a teaspoonful of minced lemon-peel, 1 or 2 eggs, according to the quantity of meat.

_Mode_.--Mince the beef very fine, which should be rather lean, and mix with this bread crumbs, herbs, seasoning, and lemon-peel, in the above proportion, to each pound of meat. Make all into a thick paste with 1 or 2 eggs; divide into balls or cones, and fry a rich brown. Garnish the dish with fried parsley, and send with them to table some good brown gravy in a tureen. Instead of garnishing with fried parsley, gravy may be poured in the dish, round the rissoles: in this case, it will not be necessary to send any in a tureen.

_Time_.--From 5 to 10 minutes, according to size.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 5d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

ROLLED BEEF, to eat like Hare.

646. INGREDIENTS.--About 5 lbs. of the inside of the sirloin, 2 glasses of port wine, 2 glasses of vinegar, a small quantity of forcemeat (No. 417), 1 teaspoonful of pounded allspice.

_Mode_.--Take the inside of a large sirloin, soak it in 1 glass of port wine and 1 glass of vinegar, mixed, and let it remain for 2 days. Make a forcemeat by recipe No. 417, lay it on the meat, and bind it up securely. Roast it before a nice clear fire, and baste it with 1 glass each of port wine and vinegar, with which mix a teaspoonful of pounded allspice. Serve, with a good gravy in the dish, and send red-currant jelly to table with it.

_Time_.--A piece of 5 lbs. about 1-1/2 hour before a brisk fire.

_Average cost_, for this quantity, 5s. 4d.

_Sufficient_ for 4 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

BEEF ROLLS (Cold Meat Cookery).

647. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of cold roast or boiled beef, seasoning to taste of salt, pepper, and minced herbs; puff paste.

_Mode_.--Mince the beef tolerably fine with a small amount of its own fat; add a seasoning of pepper, salt, and chopped herbs; put the whole into a roll of puff paste, and bake for 1/2 hour, or rather longer, should the roll be very large. Beef patties may be made of cold meat, by mincing and seasoning beef as directed above, and baking in a rich puff paste in patty-tins.

_Time_,--1/2 hour.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

MINIATURE ROUND OF BEEF. (_An Excellent Dish for a Small Family_.)

648. INGREDIENTS.--From 5 to 10 lbs. of rib of beef, sufficient brine to cover the meat.

_Mode_.--Choose a fine rib, have the bone removed, rub some salt over the inside, and skewer the meat up into a nice round form, and bind it with tape. Put it into sufficient brine to cover it (the brine should be made by recipe No. 654), and let it remain for 6 days, turning the meat every day. When required to be dressed, drain from the pickle, and put the meat into very hot water; let it boil rapidly for a few minutes, when draw the pot to the side of the fire, and let it simmer very gently until done. Remove the skewer, and replace it by a plated or silver one. Carrots and turnips should be served with this dish, and may be boiled with the meat.

_Time_.--A small round of 8 lbs., about 2 hours after the water boils; one of 12 lbs., about 3 hours.

_Average cost_, 9d. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--Should the joint be very small, 4 or 5 days will be sufficient time to salt it.

BRISKET OF BEEF, a la Flamande.

649. INGREDIENTS.--About 6 or 8 lbs. of the brisket of beef, 4 or 5 slices of bacon, 2 carrots, 1 onion, a bunch of savoury herbs, salt and pepper to taste, 4 cloves, 4 whole allspice, 2 blades of mace.

_Mode_.--Choose that portion of the brisket which contains the gristle, trim it, and put it into a stewpan with the slices of bacon, which should be put under and over the meat. Add the vegetables, herbs, spices, and seasoning, and cover with a little weak stock or water; close the stewpan as hermetically as possible, and simmer very gently for 4 hours. Strain the liquor, reserve a portion of it for sauce, and the remainder boil quickly over a sharp fire until reduced to a glaze, with which glaze the meat. Garnish the dish with scooped carrots and turnips, and when liked, a little cabbage; all of which must be cooked separately. Thicken and flavour the liquor that was saved for sauce, pour it round the meat, and serve. The beef may also be garnished with glazed onions, artichoke-bottoms, &c.

_Time_.--4 hours. _Average cost_, 7d. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 6 or 8 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

FRENCH BEEF.--It has been all but universally admitted, that the
beef of France is greatly inferior in quality to that of
England, owing to inferiority of pasturage. M. Curmer, however,
one of the latest writers on the culinary art, tells us that
this is a vulgar error, and that French beef is far superior to
that of England. This is mere vaunting on the part of our
neighbours, who seem to want _la gloire_ in everything; and we
should not deign to notice it, if it had occurred in a work of
small pretensions; but M. Curmer's book professes to be a
complete exposition of the scientific principles of cookery, and
holds a high rank in the didactic literature of France. We half
suspect that M. Curmer obtained his knowledge of English beef in
the same way as did the poor Frenchman, whom the late Mr.
Mathews, the comedian, so humorously described. Mr. Lewis, in
his "Physiology of Common Life," has thus revived the story of
the beef-eating son of France:--"A Frenchman was one day blandly
remonstrating against the supercilious scorn expressed by
Englishmen for the beef of France, which he, for his part, did
not find so inferior to that of England. 'I have been two times
in England,' he remarked, but I nevère find the bif so supérieur
to ours. I find it vary conveenient that they bring it you on
leetle pieces of stick, for one penny: but I do not find the bif
supérieur.' On hearing this, the Englishman, red with
astonishment, exclaimed, 'Good heavens, sir! you have been
eating cat's meat.'" No, M. Curmer, we are ready to acknowledge
the superiority of your cookery, but we have long since made up
our minds as to the inferiority of your raw material.

BEEF OLIVES.

I.

650. INGREDIENTS.--2 lbs. of rump-steak, 1 egg, 1 tablespoonful of minced savoury herbs, pepper and salt to taste, 1 pint of stock, No. 105, 2 or 3 slices of bacon, 2 tablespoonfuls of any store sauce, a slight thickening of butter and flour.

_Mode_.--Have the steaks cut rather thin, slightly beat them to make them level, cut them into 6 or 7 pieces, brush over with egg, and sprinkle with herbs, which should be very finely minced; season with pepper and salt, and roll up the pieces tightly, and fasten with a small skewer. Put the stock in a stewpan that will exactly hold them, for by being pressed together, they will keep their shape better; lay in the rolls of meat, cover them with the bacon, cut in thin slices, and over that put a piece of paper. Stew them very _gently_ for full 2 hours; for the slower they are done the better. Take them out, remove the skewers, thicken the gravy with butter and flour, and flavour with any store sauce that may be preferred. Give one boil, pour over the meat, and serve.

_Time_.--2 hours. _Average cost_, 1s. per pound.

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

II.

(_Economical_.)

651. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of underdone cold roast beef, bread crumbs, 1 shalot finely minced, pepper and salt to taste, gravy made from the beef bones, thickening of butter and flour, 1 tablespoonful of mushroom ketchup.

_Mode_.--Cut some slices of underdone roast beef about half an inch thick; sprinkle over them some bread crumbs, minced shalot, and a little of the fat and seasoning; roll them, and fasten with a small skewer. Have ready some gravy made from the beef bones; put in the pieces of meat, and stew them till tender, which will be in about 1-1/4 hour, or rather longer. Arrange the meat in a dish, thicken and flavour the gravy, and pour it over the meat, when it is ready to serve.

_Time_.--1-1/2 hour. _Average cost_, exclusive of the beef, 2d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

BROILED OX-TAIL (an Entree).

652. INGREDIENTS.--2 tails, 1-1/2 pint of stock, No. 105, salt and cayenne to taste, bread crumbs, 1 egg.

_Mode_.--Joint and cut up the tails into convenient-sized pieces, and put them into a stewpan, with the stock, cayenne, and salt, and, if liked very savoury, a bunch of sweet herbs. Let them simmer gently for about 2-1/2 hours; then take them out, drain them, and let them cool. Beat an egg upon a plate; dip in each piece of tail, and, afterwards, throw them into a dish of bread crumbs; broil them over a clear fire, until of a brownish colour on both sides, and serve with a good gravy, or any sauce that may be preferred.

_Time_.--About 2-1/2 hours. _Average cost_, from 9d. to 1s. 6d., according to the season.

_Sufficient_ for 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--These may be more easily prepared by putting the tails in a brisk oven, after they have been dipped in egg and bread-crumb; and, when brown, they are done. They must be boiled the same time as for broiling.

STRANGE TAILS.--Naturalists cannot explain the uses of some of
the strange tails borne by animals. In the Egyptian and Syrian
sheep, for instance, the tail grows so large, that it is not
infrequently supported upon a sort of little cart, in order to
prevent inconvenience to the animal. Thin monstrous appendage
sometimes attains a weight of seventy, eighty, or even a hundred
pounds.

TO DRESS BEEF PALATES (an Entree).

653. INGREDIENTS.--4 palates, sufficient gravy to cover them (No. 438), cayenne to taste, 1 tablespoonful of mushroom ketchup, 1 tablespoonful of pickled-onion liquor, thickening of butter and flour.

_Mode_.--Wash the palates, and put them into a stewpan, with sufficient water to cover them, and let them boil until perfectly tender, or until the upper skin may be easily peeled off. Have ready sufficient gravy (No. 438) to cover them; add a good seasoning of cayenne, and thicken with roux, No. 625, or a little butter kneaded with flour; let it boil up, and skim. Cut the palates into square pieces, put them in the gravy, and let them simmer gently for 1/2 hour; add ketchup and onion-liquor, give one boil, and serve.

_Time_.--From 3 to 5 hours to boil the palates.

_Sufficient_ for 4 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--Palates may be dressed in various ways with sauce tournée, good onion sauce, tomato sauce, and also served in a vol-au-vent; but the above will be found a more simple method of dressing them.

BEEF PICKLE, which may also be used for any kind of Meat, Tongues, or Hams.

654. INGREDIENTS.--6 lbs. of salt, 2 lbs. of fine sugar, 3 oz. of powdered saltpetre, 3 gallons of spring water.

_Mode_.--Boil all the ingredients gently together, so long as any scum or impurity arises, which carefully remove; when quite cold, pour it over the meat, every part of which must be covered with the brine. This may be used for pickling any kind of meat, and may be kept for some time, if boiled up occasionally with an addition of the ingredients.

_Time_.--A ham should be kept in the pickle for a fortnight; a piece of beef weighing 14 lbs., 12 or 15 days; a tongue, 10 days or a fortnight.

_Note_.--For salting and pickling meat, it is a good plan to rub in only half the quantity of salt directed, and to let it remain for a day or two to disgorge and effectually to get rid of the blood and slime; then rub in the remainder of the salt and other ingredients, and proceed as above. This rule may be applied to all the recipes we have given for salting and pickling meat.

TO PICKLE PART OF A ROUND OF BEEF FOR HANGING.

655. INGREDIENTS.--For 14 lbs. of a round of beef allow 1-1/2 lb. of salt, 1/2 oz. of powdered saltpetre; or, 1 lb. of salt, 1/2 lb. of sugar, 4 oz. of powdered saltpetre.

_Mode_.--Rub in, and sprinkle either of the above mixtures on 14 lbs. of meat. Keep it in an earthenware pan, or a deep wooden tray, and turn twice a week during 3 weeks; then bind up the beef tightly with coarse linen tape, and hang it in a kitchen in which a fire is constantly kept, for 3 weeks. Pork, hams, and bacon may be cured in a similar way, but will require double the quantity of the salting mixture; and, if not smoke-dried, they should be taken down from hanging after 3 or 4 weeks, and afterwards kept in boxes or tubs, amongst dry oat-husks.

_Time_.--2 or 3 weeks to remain in the brine; to be hung 3 weeks.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--The meat may be boiled fresh from this pickle, instead of smoking it.

BEEP RAGOUT (Cold Meat Cookery).

656. INGREDIENTS.--About 2 lbs. of cold roast beef, 6 onions, pepper, salt, and mixed spices to taste; 1/2 pint of boiling water, 3 tablespoonfuls of gravy.

_Mode_.--Cut the beef into rather large pieces, and put them into a stewpan with the onions, which must be sliced. Season well with pepper, salt, and mixed spices, and pour over about 1/2 pint of boiling water, and gravy in the above proportion (gravy saved from the meat answers the purpose); let the whole stew very gently for about 2 hours, and serve with pickled walnuts, gherkins, or capers, just warmed in the gravy.

_Time_.--2 hours. _Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 4d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

ROAST RIBS OF BEEF.

657. INGREDIENTS.--Beef, a little salt.

_Mode_.---The fore-rib is considered the primest roasting piece, but the middle-rib is considered the most economical. Let the meat be well hung (should the weather permit), and cut off the thin ends of the bones, which should be salted for a few days, and then boiled. Put the meat down to a nice clear fire, put some clean dripping into the pan, dredge the joint with a little flour, and keep continually basting the whole time. Sprinkle some fine salt over it (this must never be done until the joint is dished, as it draws the juices from the meat); pour the dripping from the pan, put in a little boiling: water slightly salted, and _strain_ the gravy over the meat. Garnish with tufts of scraped horseradish, and send horseradish sauce to table with it (_see_ No. 447). A Yorkshire pudding (_see_ Puddings) sometimes accompanies this dish, and, if lightly made and well cooked, will be found a very agreeable addition.

_Time_.--10 lbs. of beef, 2-1/2 hours; 14 to 16 lbs., from 3-1/2 to 4 hours.

_Average cost_, 8-1/2d. per lb.

_Sufficient_.--A joint of 10 lbs. sufficient for 8 or 9 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

MEMORANDA IN ROASTING.--The management of the fire is a point of
primary importance in roasting. A radiant fire throughout the
operation is absolutely necessary to insure a good result. When
the article to be dressed is thin and delicate, the fire may be
small; but when the joint is large, the fire must fill the
grate. Meat must never be put down before a hollow or exhausted
fire, which may soon want recruiting; on the other hand, if the
heat of the fire becomes too fierce, the meat must be removed to
a considerable distance till it is somewhat abated. Some cooks
always fail in their roasts, though they succeed in nearly
everything else. A French writer on the culinary art says that
anybody can learn how to cook, but one must be born a roaster.
According to Liebig, beef or mutton cannot be said to be
sufficiently roasted until it has acquired, throughout the whole
mass, a temperature of 158°; but poultry may be well cooked when
the inner parts have attained a temperature of from 130° to
140°. This depends on the greater amount of blood which beef and
mutton contain, the colouring matter of blood not being
coagulable under 158°.

ROAST RIBS OF BEEF, Boned and Rolled (a very Convenient Joint for a Small Family).

658. INGREDIENTS.--1 or 2 ribs of beef.

_Mode_.--Choose a fine rib of beef, and have it cut according to the weight you require, either wide or narrow. Bone and roll the meat round, secure it with wooden skewers, and, if necessary, bind it round with a piece of tape. Spit the beef firmly, or, if a bottle-jack is used, put the joint on the hook, and place it _near_ a nice clear fire. Let it remain so till the outside of the meat is set, when draw it to a distance, and keep continually basting until the meat is done, which can be ascertained by the steam from it drawing towards the fire. As this joint is solid, rather more than 1/4 hour must be allowed for each lb. Remove the skewers, put in a plated or silver one, and send the joint to table with gravy in the dish, and garnish with tufts of horseradish. Horseradish sauce, No. 447, is a great improvement to roast beef.

_Time_.--For 10 lbs. of the rolled ribs, 3 hours (as the joint is very solid, we have allowed an extra 1/2 hour); for 6 lbs., 1-1/2 hour.

Average cost, 8-1/2d. per lb.

_Sufficient_.--A joint of 10 lbs. for 6 or 8 persons.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

_Note_.--When the weight exceeds 10 lbs., we would not advise the above method of boning and rolling; only in the case of 1 or 2 ribs, when the joint cannot stand upright in the dish, and would look awkward. The bones should be put in with a few vegetables and herbs, and made into stock.

ROAST BEEF has long been a national dish in England. In most of
our patriotic songs it is contrasted with the fricasseed frogs,
popularly supposed to be the exclusive diet of Frenchmen.

"O the roast beef of old England,
And O the old English roast beef."

This national chorus is appealed to whenever a song-writer
wishes to account for the valour displayed by Englishmen at sea
or on land.

ROAST SIRLOIN OF BEEF.

659. INGREDIENTS.--Beef, a little salt.

_Mode_.--As a joint cannot be well roasted without a good fire, see that it is well made up about 3/4 hour before it is required, so that when the joint is put down, it is clear and bright. Choose a nice sirloin, the weight of which should not exceed 16 lbs., as the outside would be too much done, whilst the inside would not be done enough. Spit it or hook it on to the jack firmly, dredge it slightly with flour, and place it near the fire at first, as directed in the preceding recipe. Then draw it to a distance, and keep continually basting until the meat is done. Sprinkle a small quantity of salt over it, empty the dripping-pan of all the dripping, pour in some boiling water slightly salted, stir it about, and _strain_ over the meat. Garnish with tufts of horseradish, and send horseradish sauce and Yorkshire pudding to table with it. For carving, _see_ p. 317.

_Time_.--A sirloin of 10 lbs., 2-1/2 hours; 14 to 16 lbs., about 4 or 4-1/2 hours.

_Average cost_, 8-1/2d. per lb.

_Sufficient_.--A joint of 10 lbs. for 8 or 9 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

The rump, round, and other pieces of beef are roasted in the same manner, allowing for solid joints; 1/4 hour to every lb.

_Note_.---The above is the usual method of roasting moat; but to have it in perfection and the juices kept in, the meat should at first be laid close to the fire, and when the outside is set and firm, drawn away to a good distance, and then left to roast very slowly; where economy is studied, this plan would not answer, as the meat requires to be at the fire double the time of the ordinary way of cooking; consequently, double the quantity of fuel would be consumed.

ORIGIN OF THE WORD "SIRLOIN."--The loin of beef is said to have
been knighted by King Charles II., at Friday Hall, Chingford.
The "Merry Monarch" returned to this hospitable mansion for
Epping Forest literally "as hungry as a hunter," and beheld,
with delight, a huge loin of beef steaming upon the table. "A
noble joint!" exclaimed the king. "By St. George, it shall have
a title!" Then drawing his sword, he raised it above the meat,
and cried, with mock dignity, "Loin, we dub thee knight;
henceforward be Sir Loin!" This anecdote is doubtless
apocryphal, although the oak table upon which the joint was
supposed to have received its knighthood, might have been seen
by any one who visited Friday-Hill House, a few years ago. It
is, perhaps, a pity to spoil so noble a story; but the interests
of truth demand that we declare that _sirloin_ is probably a
corruption of _surloin_, which signifies the upper part of a
loin, the prefix _sur_ being equivalent to _over_ or _above_. In
French we find this joint called _surlonge_, which so closely
resembles our _sirloin_, that we may safely refer the two words
to a common origin.

TO SALT BEEF.

660. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 round of beef, 4 oz. of sugar, 1 oz. of powdered saltpetre, 2 oz. of black pepper, 1/4 lb. of bay-salt, 1/2 lb. of common salt. _Mode_.--Rub the meat well with salt, and let it remain for a day, to disgorge and clear it from slime. The next day, rub it well with the above ingredients on every side, and let it remain in the pickle for about a fortnight, turning it every day. It may be boiled fresh from the pickle, or smoked.

_Time_.--1/2 round of beef to remain in pickle about a fortnight. _Average cost_, 7d. per lb. _Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--The aitch-bone, flank, or brisket may be salted and pickled by any of the recipes we have given for salting beef, allowing less time for small joints to remain in the pickle; for instance, a joint of 8 or 9 lbs. will be sufficiently salt in about a week.

THE DUTCH WAY TO SALT BEEF.

661. INGREDIENTS.--10 lbs. of lean beef, 1 lb. of treacle, 1 oz. of saltpetre, 1 lb. of common salt.

_Mode_.--Rub the beef well with the treacle, and let it remain for 3 days, turning and rubbing it often; then wipe it, pound the salt and saltpetre very fine, rub these well in, and turn it every day for 10 days. Roll it up tightly in a coarse cloth, and press it under a large weight; have it smoked, and turn it upside down every day. Boil it, and, on taking it out of the pot, put a heavy weight on it to press it.

_Time_.--17 days.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

BEEF SAUSAGES.

662. INGREDIENTS.--To every lb. of suet allow 2 lbs. of lean beef; seasoning to taste of salt, pepper, and mixed spices.

_Mode_.--Clear the suet from skin, and chop that and the beef as finely as possible; season with pepper, salt, and spices, and mix the whole well together. Make it into flat cakes, and fry of a nice brown. Many persons pound the meat in a mortar after it is chopped ( but this is not necessary when the meat is minced finely.)

_Time_.--10 minutes. _Average cost_, for this quantity, 1s. 6d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

BEEF-STEAK, Rolled, Roasted, and Stuffed.

663. INGREDIENTS.--2 lbs. of rump-steak, forcemeat No. 417, pepper and salt to taste, clarified butter.

_Mode_.--Have the steaks cut rather thick from a well-hung rump of beef, and sprinkle over them a seasoning of pepper and salt. Make a forcemeat by recipe No. 417; spread it over _half_ of the steak; roll it up, bind and skewer it firmly, that the forcemeat may not escape, and roast it before a nice clear fire for about 1-1/2 hour, or rather longer, should the roll be very large and thick. Keep it constantly basted with butter, and serve with brown gravy, some of which must be poured round the steak, and the remainder sent to table in a tureen.

_Time_.--1-1/2 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 4 persons.

_Seasonable_ all the year, but best in winter.

SLICED AND BROILED BEEF--a Pretty Dish (Cold Meat Cookery).

664. INGREDIENTS.--A few slices of cold roast beef, 4 or 5 potatoes, a thin batter, pepper and salt to taste.

_Mode_.--Pare the potatoes as you would peel an apple; fry the parings in a thin batter seasoned with salt and pepper, until they are of a light brown colour, and place them on a dish over some slices of beef, which should be nicely seasoned and broiled.

_Time_.--5 minutes to broil the meat.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

SPICED BEEF (to Serve Cold).

665. INGREDIENTS.--14 lbs. of the thick flank or rump of beef, 1/2 lb. of coarse sugar, 1 oz. of saltpetre, 1/4 lb. of pounded allspice, 1 lb. of common salt.

_Mode_.--Rub the sugar well into the beef, and let it lay for 12 hours; then rub the saltpetre and allspice, both of which should be pounded, over the meat, and let it remain for another 12 hours; then rub in the salt. Turn daily in the liquor for a fortnight, soak it for a few hours in water, dry with a cloth, cover with a coarse paste, put a little water at the bottom of the pan, and bake in a moderate oven for 4 hours. If it is not covered with a paste, be careful to put the beef into a deep vessel, and cover with a plate, or it will be too crisp. During the time the meat is in the oven it should be turned once or twice.

_Time_.--4 hours. _Average cost_, 7d. per lb.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

BAKING MEAT.--Baking exerts some unexplained influence on meat,
rendering it less savoury and less agreeable than meat which has
been roasted. "Those who have travelled in Germany and France,"
writes Mr. Lewis, one of our most popular scientific authors,
"must have repeatedly marvelled at the singular uniformity in
the flavour, or want of flavour, of the various 'roasts' served
up at the _table-d'hôte_." The general explanation is, that the
German and French meat is greatly inferior in quality to that of
England and Holland, owing to the inferiority of pasturage; and
doubtless this is one cause, but it is not the chief cause. The
meat is inferior, but the cooking is mainly at fault. The meat
is scarcely ever _roasted_, because there is no coal, and
firewood is expensive. The meat is therefore _baked;_ and the
consequence of this baking is, that no meat is eatable or eaten,
with its own gravy, but is always accompanied by some sauce more
or less piquant. The Germans generally believe that in England
we eat our beef and mutton almost raw; they shudder at our
gravy, as if it were so much blood.

STEWED BEEF or RUMP STEAK (an Entree).

666. INGREDIENTS.--About 2 lbs. of beef or rump steak, 3 onions, 2 turnips, 3 carrots, 2 or 3 oz. of butter, 1/2 pint of water, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1/2 do. of pepper, 1 tablespoonful of ketchup, 1 tablespoonful of flour.

_Mode_.--Have the steaks cut tolerably thick and rather lean; divide them into convenient-sized pieces, and fry them in the butter a nice brown on both sides. Cleanse and pare the vegetables, cut the onions and carrots into thin slices, and the turnips into dice, and fry these in the same fat that the steaks were done in. Put all into a saucepan, add 1/2 pint of water, or rather more should it be necessary, and simmer very gently for 2-1/2 or 3 hours; when nearly done, skim well, add salt, pepper, and ketchup in the above proportions, and thicken with a tablespoonful of flour mixed with 2 of cold water. Let it boil up for a minute or two after the thickening is added, and serve. When a vegetable-scoop is at hand, use it to cut the vegetables in fanciful shapes, and tomato, Harvey's sauce, or walnut-liquor may be used to flavour the gravy. It is less rich if stewed the previous day, so that the fat may be taken off when cold; when wanted for table, it will merely require warming through.

_Time_.--3 hours. Average cost, 1s. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

STEWED BEEF AND CELERY SAUCE (Cold Meat Cookery).

667. INGREDIENTS.--3 roots of celery, 1 pint of gravy, No. 436, 2 onions sliced, 2 lbs. of cold roast or boiled beef.

_Mode_.--Cut the celery into 2-inch pieces, put them in a stew-pan, with the gravy and onions, simmer gently until the celery is tender, when add the beef cut into rather thick pieces; stew gently for 10 minutes, and serve with fried potatoes.

_Time_.--From 20 to 25 minutes to stew the celery.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 6d.

_Seasonable_ from September to January.

STEWED BEEF WITH OYSTERS (Cold Meat Cookery).

668. INGREDIENTS.--A few thick steaks of cold ribs or sirloin of beef, 2 oz. of butter, 1 onion sliced, pepper and salt to taste, 1/2 glass of port wine, a little flour to thicken, 1 or 2 dozen oysters, rather more than 1/2 pint of water.

_Mode_.--Cut the steaks rather thick, from cold sirloin or ribs of beef; brown them lightly in a stewpan, with the butter and a little water; add 1/2 pint of water, the onion, pepper, and salt, and cover the stewpan closely, and let it simmer very gently for 1/2 hour; then mix about a teaspoonful of flour smoothly with a little of the liquor; add the port wine and oysters, their liquor having been previously strained and put into the stewpan; stir till the oysters plump, and serve. It should not boil after the oysters are added, or they will harden.

_Time_.--1/2 hour. _Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 1s. 4d.

_Seasonable_ from September to April.

STEWED BRISKET OF BEEF.

669. INGREDIENTS.--7 lbs. of a brisket of beef, vinegar and salt, 6 carrots, 6 turnips, 6 small onions, 1 blade of pounded mace, 2 whole allspice pounded, thickening of butter and flour, 2 tablespoonfuls of ketchup; stock, or water.

_Mode_.--About an hour before dressing it, rub the meat over with vinegar and salt; put it into a stewpan, with sufficient stock to cover it (when this is not at hand, water may be substituted for it), and be particular that the stewpan is not much larger than the meat. Skim well, and when it has simmered very gently for 1 hour, put in the vegetables, and continue simmering till the meat is perfectly tender. Draw out the bones, dish the meat, and garnish either with tufts of cauliflower or braised cabbage cut in quarters. Thicken as much gravy as required, with a little butter and flour; add spices and ketchup in the above proportion, give one boil, pour some of it over the meat, and the remainder send in a tureen.

_Time_.--rather more than 3 hours. _Average cost_, 7d. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--The remainder of the liquor in which the beef was boiled may be served as a soup, or it may be sent to table with the meat in a tureen.

STEWED RUMP OF BEEF.

670. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 rump of beef, sufficient stock to cover it (No. 105), 4 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, 2 tablespoonfuls of ketchup, 1 large bunch of savoury herbs, 2 onions, 12 cloves, pepper and salt to taste, thickening of butter and flour, 1 glass of port wine.

_Mode_.--Cut out the bone, sprinkle the meat with a little cayenne (this must be sparingly used), and bind and tie it firmly up with tape; put it into a stewpan with sufficient stock to cover it, and add vinegar, ketchup, herbs, onions, cloves, and seasoning in the above proportion, and simmer very gently for 4 or 5 hours, or until the meat is perfectly tender, which may be ascertained by piercing it with a thin skewer. When done, remove the tape, lay it into a deep dish, which keep hot; strain and skim the gravy, thicken it with butter and flour, add a glass of port wine and any flavouring to make the gravy rich and palatable; let it boil up, pour over the meat, and serve. This dish may be very much enriched by garnishing with forcemeat balls, or filling up the space whence the bone is taken with a good forcemeat; sliced carrots, turnips, and onions boiled with the meat, are also a great improvement, and, where expense is not objected to, it may be glazed. This, however, is not necessary where a good gravy is poured round and over the meat.

_Time_.--1/2 rump stewed gently from 4 to 5 hours.

_Average cost_, 10d. per lb. _Sufficient_ for 8 or 10 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--A stock or gravy in which to boil the meat, may be made of the bone and trimmings, by boiling them with water, and adding carrots, onions, turnips, and a bunch of sweet herbs. To make this dish richer and more savoury, half-roast the rump, and afterwards stew it in strong stock and a little Madeira. This is an expensive method, and is not, after all, much better than a plainer-dressed joint.

THE BARON OF BEEF.--This noble joint, which consisted of two
sirloins not cut asunder, was a favourite dish of our ancestors.
It is rarely seen nowadays; indeed, it seems out of place on a
modern table, as it requires the grim boar's head and Christmas
pie as supporters. Sir Walter Scott has described a feast at
which the baron of beef would have appeared to great advantage.
We will quote a few lines to remind us of those days when
"England was merry England," and when hospitality was thought to
be the highest virtue.

"The fire, with well-dried logs supplied,
Went roaring up the chimney wide;
The huge hall-table's oaken face,
Scrubb'd till it shone, the day to grace,
Bore then, upon its massive board,
No mark to part the squire and lord.
Then was brought in the lusty brawn,
By old blue-coated serving-man;
Then the grim boar's head frown'd on high,
Crested with bays and rosemary.
Well can the green-garb'd ranger tell
How, when, and where the monster fell;
What dogs before his death he tore,
And all the baiting of the boar;
While round the merry wassel bowl,
Garnish'd with ribbons, blithe did trowl.
There the huge sirloin reek'd; hard by
Plum-porridge stood, and Christmas pie;
Nor fail'd old Scotland to produce,
At such high tide, her savoury goose."

When a lord's son came of age, in the olden time, the baron of
beef was too small a joint, by many degrees, to satisfy the
retainers who would flock to the hall; a whole ox was therefore
generally roasted over a fire built up of huge logs. We may here
mention, that an ox was roasted entire on the frozen Thames, in
the early part of the present century.

STEWED SHIN OF BEEF.

671. INGREDIENTS.--A shin of beef, 1 head of celery, 1 onion, a faggot of savoury herbs, 1/2 teaspoonful of allspice, 1/2 teaspoonful of whole black pepper, 4 carrots, 12 button onions, 2 turnips, thickening of butter and flour, 3 tablespoonfuls of mushroom ketchup, 2 tablespoonfuls of port wine; pepper and salt to taste.

_Mode_.--Have the bone sawn into 4 or 5 pieces, cover with hot water, bring it to a boil, and remove any scum that may rise to the surface. Put in the celery, onion, herbs, spice, and seasoning, and simmer very gently until the meat is tender. Peel the vegetables, cut them into any shape fancy may dictate, and boil them with the onions until tender; lift out the beef, put it on a dish, which keep hot, and thicken with butter and flour as much of the liquor as will be wanted for gravy; keep stirring till it boils, then strain and skim. Put the gravy back in the stewpan, add the seasoning, port wine, and ketchup, give one boil, and pour it over the beef; garnish with the boiled carrots, turnips, and onions.

_Time_.--The meat to be stewed about 4 hours. _Average cost_, 4d. per lb. with bone.

_Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE (a Homely but Savoury Dish).

672. INGREDIENTS.--1-1/2 lb. of rump-steak, 1 sheep's kidney, pepper and salt to taste. For the batter, 3 eggs, 1 pint of milk, 4 tablespoonfuls of flour, 1/2 saltspoonful of salt.

_Mode_.--Cut up the steak and kidney into convenient-sized pieces, and put them into a pie-dish, with a good seasoning of salt and pepper; mix the flour with a small quantity of milk at first, to prevent its being lumpy; add the remainder, and the 3 eggs, which should be well beaten; put in the salt, stir the batter for about 5 minutes, and pour it over the steak. Place it in a tolerably brisk oven immediately, and bake for 1-1/2 hour.

_Time_.--1-1/2 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. 9d.

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--The remains of cold beef, rather underdone, may be substituted for the steak, and, when liked, the smallest possible quantity of minced onion or shalot may be added.

BOILED TONGUE.

673. INGREDIENTS.--1 tongue, a bunch of savoury herbs, water.

_Mode_.--In choosing a tongue, ascertain how long it has been dried or pickled, and select one with a smooth skin, which denotes its being young and tender. If a dried one, and rather hard, soak it at least for 12 hours previous to cooking it; if, however, it is fresh from the pickle, 2 or 3 hours will be sufficient for it to remain in sock. Put the tongue in a stewpan with plenty of cold water and a bunch of savoury herbs; let it gradually come to a boil, skim well and simmer very gently until tender. Peel off the skin, garnish with tufts of cauliflowers or Brussels sprouts, and serve. Boiled tongue is frequently sent to table with boiled poultry, instead of ham, and is, by many persons, preferred. If to serve cold, peel it, fasten it down to a piece of board by sticking a fork through the root, and another through the top, to straighten it. When cold, glaze it, and put a paper ruche round the root, and garnish with tufts of parsley.

_Time_.--A large smoked tongue, 4 to 4-1/2 hours; a small one, 2-1/2 to 3 hours. A large unsmoked tongue, 3 to 3-1/2 hours; a small one, 2 to 2-1/2 hours.

_Average cost_, for a moderate sized tongue, 3s. 6d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

TO CURE TONGUES.

I.

674. INGREDIENTS.--For a tongue of 7 lbs., 1 oz. of saltpetre, 1/2 oz. of black pepper, 4 oz. of sugar, 3 oz. of juniper berries, 6 oz. of salt.

_Mode_.--Rub the above ingredients well into the tongue, and let it remain in the pickle for 10 days or a fortnight; then drain it, tie it up in brown paper, and have it smoked for about 20 days over a wood fire; or it may be boiled out of this pickle.

_Time_.--From 10 to 14 days to remain in the pickle; to be smoked 24 days.

_Average cost_, for a medium-sized uncured tongue, 2s. 6d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--If not wanted immediately, the tongue will keep 3 or 4 weeks without being too salt; then it must not be rubbed, but only turned in the pickle.

II.

675. INGREDIENTS.--9 lbs. of salt, 8 oz. of sugar, 9 oz. of powdered saltpetre.

_Mode_.--Rub the above ingredients well into the tongues, and keep them in this curing mixture for 2 months, turning them every day. Drain them from the pickle, cover with brown paper, and have them smoked for about 3 weeks.

_Time_.--The tongues to remain in pickle 2 months; to be smoked 3 weeks.

_Sufficient_.--The above quantity of brine sufficient for 12 tongues, of 5 lbs. each.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

THE TONGUES OF ANIMALS.--The tongue, whether in the ox or in
man, is the seat of the sense of taste. This sense warns the
animal against swallowing deleterious substances. Dr. Carpenter
says, that, among the lower animals, the instinctive perceptions
connected with this sense, are much more remarkable than our
own; thus, an omnivorous monkey will seldom touch fruits of a
poisonous character, although their taste may be agreeable.
However this may be, man's instinct has decided that ox-tongue
is better than horse-tongue; nevertheless, the latter is
frequently substituted by dishonest dealers for the former. The
horse's tongue may be readily distinguished by a spoon-like
expansion at its end.

TO PICKLE AND DRESS A TONGUE TO EAT COLD.

676. INGREDIENTS.--6 oz. of salt, 2 oz. of bay-salt, 1 oz. of saltpetre, 3 oz. of coarse sugar; cloves, mace, and allspice to taste; butter, common crust of flour and water.

_Mode_.--Lay the tongue for a fortnight in the above pickle, turn it every day, and be particular that the spices are well pounded; put it into a small pan just large enough to hold it, place some pieces of butter on it, and cover with a common crust. Bake in a slow oven until so tender that a straw would penetrate it; take off the skin, fasten it down to a piece of board by running a fork through the root and another through the tip, at the same time straightening it and putting it into shape. When cold, glaze it, put a paper ruche round the root, which is generally very unsightly, and garnish with tufts of parsley.

_Time_.--From 3 or 4 hours in a slow oven, according to size.

_Average cost_, for a medium-sized uncured tongue, 2s. 6d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

TO DRESS TRIPE.

677. INGREDIENTS.--Tripe, onion sauce, No. 484, milk and water.

_Mode_.--Ascertain that the tripe is quite fresh, and have it cleaned and dressed. Cut away the coarsest fat, and boil it in equal proportions of milk and water for 3/4 hour. Should the tripe be entirely undressed, more than double that time should be allowed for it. Have ready some onion sauce made by recipe No. 4S4, dish the tripe, smother it with the sauce, and the remainder send to table in a tureen.

_Time_.--1 hour: for undressed tripe, from 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

_Average cost_, 7d. per lb.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--Tripe may be dressed in a variety of ways: it may be cut in pieces and fried in batter, stewed in gravy with mushrooms, or cut into collops, sprinkled with minced onion and savoury herbs, and fried a nice brown in clarified butter.

BEEF CARVING.

AITCHBONE OF BEEF.

A boiled aitch-bone of beef is not a difficult joint to carve, as will be seen on reference to the accompanying engraving. By following with the knife the direction of the line from 1 to 2, nice slices will be easily cut. It may be necessary, as in a round of beef, to cut a thick slice off the outside before commencing to serve.

BRISKET OF BEEF.

There is but little description necessary to add, to show the carving of a boiled brisket of beef, beyond the engraving here inserted. The only point to be observed is, that the joint should be cut evenly and firmly quite across the bones, so that, on its reappearance at table, it should not have a jagged and untidy look.

RIBS OF BEEF.

This dish resembles the sirloin, except that it has no fillet or undercut. As explained in the recipes, the end piece is often cut off, salted and boiled. The mode of carving is similar to that of the sirloin, viz., in the direction of the dotted line from 1 to 2. This joint will be the more easily cut if the plan be pursued which is suggested in carving the sirloin; namely, the inserting of the knife immediately between the bone and the moat, before commencing to cut it into slices. All joints of roast beef should be cut in even and thin slices. Horseradish, finely scraped, may be served as a garnish; but horseradish sauce is preferable for eating with the beef.

SIRLOIN OF BEEF.