291. Salt Round of Beef.—This magnificent joint is, in general, too large for small families, but occasionally it may be used; the following is, therefore, the best method of cooking it: having folded the fat round it, and fastened it with skewers, tie round it, not too tight, some wide tape and a thin cloth, place it in a large stock-pot with plenty of cold water, set it upon a good fire, and when beginning to boil, draw it to the corner, where let it simmer until done; five hours will be enough for a large one of thirty to thirty-five pounds; when done, remove the cloth and tape, and dish it up, previously cutting a slice two inches thick from the top, pouring a pint of the hot liquor over it when serving. To serve it cold, M. Soyer, in his “Regenerator,” thus describes it:
“After receiving the above useful lesson, and being desirous of improving my profession in all its branches, I remembered that, amongst the number of joints boiled to serve cold for large civic, agricultural, or benevolent anniversary dinners, the round of beef was the most prominent, and having seen it standing in dishes to get cold, with the dish filled with the gravy that runs from it, particularly if a little over-done, caused me to hit upon the following expedient to prevent the meat losing so much of its succulence.
“Fill two large tubs with cold water, into which throw a few pounds of rough ice, and when the round is done, throw it, cloth and all, into one of the tubs of ice-water; let remain one minute, when take out and put it into the other tub; fill the first tub again with water, and continue the above process for about twenty minutes; then set it upon a dish, leaving the cloth on until the next day, or until quite cold; when opened, the fat will be as white as possible, besides having saved the whole of the gravy. If no ice, spring water will answer the same purpose, but will require to be more frequently changed; the same mode would be equally successful with the aitch-bone.”
292. Half-Round of Beef (Silver-side) should be put into cold water, and let it come to a boil; simmer for two hours and a half, and serve the same as a round.
293. Aitch-bone of Beef (or, as I think it ought to be called, Edge-bone).—This is a very nice joint for a small family, but not so economical as is generally supposed; it should be pickled carefully, and cooked in the same way as the round; one weighing ten pounds will take two hours and a half; it should be trimmed on the top, and served with some of the liquor under it. It is very good when fresh and braised like the ribs.
294. Salt Brisket of Beef.—This is by no means an economical joint, as it loses considerably in cooking; it requires a long time to boil; should it be required as a large cold joint, the following is the best plan: procure a nice brisket with as little fat as possible, detach the whole of the bones from it, make a pickle (see Receipt), place it in it, previously rubbing it well with two cloves of garlic, leave it in the pickle from seven to nine days, rubbing and turning it every day; when ready to cook, cut it into two parts (one about two inches longer than the other), tie them together, and afterwards in a clean cloth, simmer it for about six or seven hours in a large stock-pot full of water; when done, take it out and let it drain, have ready a large dish-cover, place it upon a trivet, remove the cloth and string from the meat, and place it in the cover; have ready a piece of board to fit inside the cover, place it on the meat with a half-hundred weight on the top, and let it remain in a cold place until the next day, when take it out, trim it, garnish it nicely, and serve. This will keep good a considerable time, and is excellent for breakfast or luncheon; besides, it always keeps a “pièce de résistance” in the larder in case of accidents. It is also, when fresh, very excellent stewed like the rump of beef, or plain salted.