Salt Beef Sandwich

Salt beef sandwich

Prep time: 7 days for the beef to brine and 1 day for the cucumbers to pickle

Cooking time: 6 hrs 20 mins

Skill: easy

Serves: 4-6 people

For the salt beef

1kg beef brisket

300g soft light brown sugar

350g sea salt

2 tsp black peppercorns

2 tsp juniper berries

6 bay leaves

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cloves

50g saltpetre, optional - this doesn’t affect the taste if not
used but keeps the vibrant pink colour of the salt beef

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 leeks, roughly chopped

2 celery sticks, roughly chopped

100g parsley

6 garlic cloves

2 litres water

For the rye bread

250g strong white flour

250g rye flour

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 tbsp honey

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp yeast

320ml warm water

For the pickled cucumber

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

2 tsp salt

100ml white wine vinegar

100ml white vinegar

100g sugar

2 tsp fresh dill, roughly chopped

2 tsp mustard seeds

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C fan, gas mark 6

In a sauce pan, heat everything for the salt beef but the brisket, carrots, celery sticks, leeks and parsley, and bring to the boil. Once combined and boiling, remove from the heat and allow to cool

Place the brisket, one carrot, one leek, and one celery stick, plus half of the parsley into a large plastic container - a large Lock and Lock would work perfectly for this. Pour over the cooled mixture and seal tightly

Place the beef container into the fridge and leave for seven days

The day before needed, place the sliced cucumber in a glass or plastic bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Leave to stand for 10 minutes

In a small sauce pan heat the vinegars and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool

Rinse the salt from the cucumber thoroughly and place into a lidded plastic or glass container. Add the chopped dill and mustard seeds, then pour over the sugar and vinegar solution

Cover the cucumbers and place in the fridge overnight at least, although the longer you leave them the better they are

After seven days, remove the beef from the mixture and wash thoroughly under cold running water

Place the remaining carrot, leek, celery stick and parsley into a slow cooker, along with the brisket and 300ml of water. Cook on High for six hours

To make the bread, in a mixer mixing bowl add the flours, yeast, honey and salt (making sure you keep the salt away from the yeast) and using your dough hook attachment, mix the ingredients. Gradually add the warm water and allow the dough to come together, mixing until it is smooth and elastic

Remove the dough from the machine and (on a lightly-floured surface) knead slightly to form a long sausage shape

Lay a piece of greaseproof paper onto a flat baking sheet and place the shaped dough on top. Lay a greased piece of cling film over the top and leave in a warm space to prove

Once the dough has doubled in size, place into the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top and when the bottom is tapped the bread sounds hollow

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack before slicing

Create your sandwich with a nice helping of the salt beef, a generous serving of the pickled cucumber, and two buttered slices of the freshly-sliced rye bread