To Cook Pickled Meat

Ingredients

• 1.pickled beef brisket or pickled tongue, pre-brined/pickled by butcher
• 2.2 bay leaves
• 3.black peppercorns
• 4.2 garlic
• 5.1 onion
• 6.2 carrots, large
• 7.1 tablespoon sugar
• 8.1 teaspoon mustard powder

Method

1. 1.BRISKET: Place the meat in a pot of cold water to cover. Bring to the boil. Throw off this water.
2. 2.Cover the meat with fresh, cold water. Add bayleaves, peppercorns, garlic, onion, carrots, sugar and mustard powder.
3. 3.Bring to the boil and then simmer until tender. Remove brisket from pot. Pour over its broth to cover. Put in refrigerator and let the meat cool.
4. 4.TO SERVE HOT: Remove the cooled meat from the broth. Slice thinly. Put back in broth and reheat gently. Drain to serve. Serve either on rye bread and/or with sauerkraut and boiled, peeled new potatoes.
5. 5.TO SERVE COLD: Let the brisket cool slightly in the broth. Cover a board with foil. Cover a brick with foil. Place brisket on board and weigh down with the brick. The weight of the brick shapes the brisket into a nice flattish piece and makes it easy to slice. Keep in fridge while cooling.
6. 6.PICKLED TONGUE: Do exactly as above (same method and aromatics as brisket). Cool tongue slightly in broth BUT peel while warm. Flatten with brick on its arch.

Notes

• This recipe covers two preparations — pickled brisket and pickled tongue — using the same basic method.
• The pickled meat (corned beef brisket or pickled tongue) must be purchased pre-brined from the butcher.
• The initial blanching (first boil and discard of water) reduces saltiness from the pickling brine.
• Cooling in the broth keeps the meat moist. Weighting with a brick while cooling shapes the brisket for easy slicing.
• Pickled brisket and pickled tongue are traditional South African Jewish deli staples.