Spiced Beef?

mlem123 · 28-11-2019 10:45am #1

We've always had it in my house at Christmas as my dad (a dub) insists it's an integral part of the dinner..

My mum (from Sligo) said she never had it until she married my dad and insists it's a Dublin thing! But in work another dub said it's a southsider thing! :pac:

Do you have it at Christmas?? Where are you from?

Toots · 28-11-2019 10:48am

Dublin Southside and never had it in my life until last year. I'd read about it on Boards and my husband picked one up when he was collecting the turkey from the butcher. It was epic! I'll be getting one this year for sure!

Mezzotint · 28-11-2019 10:50am

It's definitely a Cork City thing in a huge way. I had never encountered it before until I moved to Cork and it's an absolutely huge part of the Christmas tradition down here with specialist butchers in the English Market selling it and so on, but it's also carried in most supermarkets.

It seems it goes back to the days when Cork City was a major centre for provisioning shipping, including the British Navy. Spiced beef was a method for preserving beef for use on ships and became a dish that was also part of the city's staple cuisine too. The beef would have been spiced and stored in barrels on the ships.

The specific recipes used seem to be unique to Cork and to have been preserved by butchers in the city over the years (centuries).

I had never encountered it Dublin, more likely to find corned beef.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo · 28-11-2019 10:53am

It's definitely a thing in Cork. The English Market and plenty of the supermarkets do it on the run up to Christmas.

The name could do with a little rebrand though. Everyone associates spice with heat. And it's simply not hot.
For example rapeseed oil should just stick to canola oil.
I'm not bothered personally, but purely from a marketing/branding point of view it seems like an easier sell.

Like the diet supplement ayds that went out of business in the 1980's because the disease aids became so notorious.

TRS30 · 28-11-2019 11:01am

Northside Dub and always been in my house. Mainly because my Dad loves it.

Mezzotint · 28-11-2019 11:01am

It would be a fairly odd understanding of spices to think they're exclusively hot. In fact that's more associated with chilli and certain peppers.

The term spiced is entirely accurate. It's preserved with pimento, cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger and black pepper.

The traditional scents of Christmas are also very heavily associated with a range of spices that were very popular in Victorian times.

Most of the spices that came in on the Spice Trail from Asia aren't hot. They're simply root, bark, flowers, sometimes fruit or seeds of plants used to flavour, preserve or colour food.

The use of the term spice to mean hot is just not accurate.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo · 28-11-2019 11:09am

Mezzotint wrote: »

It would be a fairly odd understanding of spices to think they're exclusively hot. In fact that's more associated with chilli and certain peppers.

The term spiced is entirely accurate. It's preserved with pimento, cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger and black pepper.

The traditional scents of Christmas are also very heavily associated with a range of spices that were very popular in Victorian times.

Most of the spices that came in on the Spice Trail from Asia aren't hot. They're simply root, bark, flowers, sometimes fruit or seeds of plants used to flavour, preserve or colour food.

The use of the term spice to mean hot is just not accurate.

I'd prefer to call it Christmas scented beef.

anacc · 28-11-2019 11:21am

I always thought it was only a Cork thing. Seeing people here say it's a Dublin thing is quite odd!

Anyway, we eat buckets of it for the month of December. In fact, I think I'm now going to buy some after work so I can make spiced beef sandwiches for lunch tomorrow.

Posy · 28-11-2019 1:03pm

I thought it was a Cork thing, like the HollyBough!
I've never heard of any Dublin person I know having spiced beef.

taytobreath · 28-11-2019 1:10pm

there's a cooking show on rte Tuesday at 7pm and its doing spiced beef.

this spiced beef sounds tasty.

Nevin's Waterford Christmas Rte 1 Tues 7pm

lawred2 · 28-11-2019 1:12pm

mlem123 wrote: »

We've always had it in my house at Christmas as my dad (a dub) insists it's an integral part of the dinner..

My mum (from Sligo) said she never had it until she married my dad and insists it's a Dublin thing! But in work another dub said it's a southsider thing! :pac:

Do you have it at Christmas?? Where are you from?

Cork City thing as well

And you know what I'm going to do it this year because of this

Couldn't be arsed with Turkey this year

So pulled pork for Christmas eve, Ham for Christmas Day (maybe with a wee chicken for the white meat) and spiced beef on St Stephen's Day.

Scarinae · 28-11-2019 3:26pm

I'm from Bray and we have spiced beef every year, it's delicious! I'd heard it was a Cork thing alright, I'm not sure where we picked up the tradition from though as nobody in my family is from Cork. They sell them in SuperValu.

When I lived in London I used to bring one back with me in the new year to put in the freezer, and then I'd eat it later in the year when I felt like a taste of Christmas.

CheerLouth · 28-11-2019 4:12pm

Here's a stupid question - do you cook it or is it like corned beef and you just slice it up and whack it in sandwiches?

alchemist33 · 28-11-2019 4:14pm

mlem123 wrote: »

We've always had it in my house at Christmas as my dad (a dub) insists it's an integral part of the dinner..

My mum (from Sligo) said she never had it until she married my dad and insists it's a Dublin thing! But in work another dub said it's a southsider thing! :pac:

Do you have it at Christmas?? Where are you from?

I'm from Sligo too and never heard of it

kowloon · 28-11-2019 4:15pm

CheerLouth wrote: »

Here's a stupid question - do you cook it or is it like corned beef and you just slice it up and whack it in sandwiches?

Always boiled it.

Mezzotint · 28-11-2019 4:31pm

CheerLouth wrote: »

Here's a stupid question - do you cook it or is it like corned beef and you just slice it up and whack it in sandwiches?

It's cooked by simmering and then can be served hot or cold. If it's being served hot, you typically reduce the 'juices' and beef stock and butter to thicken.

It's best served cold in my opinion anyway. Goes really well with chutneys and sharp tasting relishes.

Basically treat it a bit like you might use pastrami - goes well (in my opinion anyway) with things like small amounts of pickled gherkin or horseradish sauces and stuff like that in a sandwich. It needs a bit of a contrast of something sharp.

It's actually a really nice deli item and would hold its own against any traditional cured meats - really nice product.

Give it a try on really good quality crusty bread, bit of relish, chutney or a horse radish sauce, lettuce, maybe tomato, gherkins .. don't overload it.. lashing of butter. Absolutely great!

Spiced ox tongue was also an old-time Cork city centre dish and is still a thing.

DvB · 28-11-2019 4:52pm

Posy wrote: »

I've never heard of any Dublin person I know having spiced beef.

Had it once, despite the protestations from the cork folk I know it was like corned beef. I don't like corned beef anyway so it wasn't something I'd care to bother with again. I'll stick to the turkey & ham thanks.

Day Lewin · 28-11-2019 9:37pm

According to several cookery books in my collection, it is primarily a Christmas thing, found mainly south of the Dub-Galway line.

Certainly butchers in Dublin used to spice their own (it IS made from corned beef to begin with) and display as a Christmas line with a sprig of holly, etc.
Whereas in Cork, you can find it all year round, so they say.

I've made my own (native Dub!) from a round of fresh beef, and golly it was delicious.

Sliced thinly, for sandwiches or with a cold meat dinner - yummy!

28-11-2019 9:38pm

I was under the impression it was a Waterford thing.

SEPT 23 1989 · 28-11-2019 9:39pm

It’s one of the best smells cooking in a kitchen

Zaph · 28-11-2019 9:55pm

anacc wrote: »

I always thought it was only a Cork thing. Seeing people here say it's a Dublin thing is quite odd!

Anyway, we eat buckets of it for the month of December. In fact, I think I'm now going to buy some after work so I can make spiced beef sandwiches for lunch tomorrow.

Until relatively recently I was completely unaware of it being a Cork thing, I always thought it was just a Dublin tradition. My folks are from either side of the Liffey, not quite inner city but fairly close. It was definitely a thing in both their families when they were kids, and they're 77 and 80 now. When I was growing up my parents would get it in butchers either around Moore Street or Wexford Street, but we only ever had it a few times because it turned out that my father was the only one in the house who actually liked it.

Working class heroes · 28-11-2019 9:58pm

It’s a Church of Ireland thing.

Bastardized spiced livestock.

Danzy · 28-11-2019 9:59pm

mlem123 wrote: »

We've always had it in my house at Christmas as my dad (a dub) insists it's an integral part of the dinner..

My mum (from Sligo) said she never had it until she married my dad and insists it's a Dublin thing! But in work another dub said it's a southsider thing! :pac:

Do you have it at Christmas?? Where are you from?

Thought it was a real cork city thing..

Beechwoodspark · 28-11-2019 9:59pm

Amazing on fresh white bread with good mustard and home made mayo

Danzy · 28-11-2019 10:01pm

Working class heroes wrote: »

It’s a Church of Ireland thing.

Bastardized spiced livestock.

I've cattle going to the factory on Wednesday, one was fed pimms and Irish RM reruns in the shed.

I now know where it will go.

Beechwoodspark · 28-11-2019 10:06pm

You Havnt lived until you taste proper spiced beef.

Boot-iful

Working class heroes · 28-11-2019 10:06pm

Danzy wrote: »

I've cattle going to the factory on Wednesday, one was fed pimms and Irish RM reruns in the shed.

I now know where it will go.

Love it!!

Beechwoodspark · 28-11-2019 10:11pm

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Amazing on fresh white bread with good mustard and home made mayo

Fresh salad as well. Unreal.

Loughc · 28-11-2019 10:16pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I was under the impression it was a Waterford thing.

I’ve never had sliced beef but I was always under the impression it’s a cork thing.

grudgehugger · 28-11-2019 10:17pm

Working class heroes wrote: »

It’s a Church of Ireland thing.

Bastardized spiced livestock.

No sign of it in 80s/90s Athlone.

Then got involved with a Wexford Prod and her mum introduced me to it. Never looked back.

Even brought some to Athlone.

Beechwoodspark · 28-11-2019 10:17pm

It’s well known in Wicklow

Water John · 28-11-2019 10:37pm

Always thought it would be an excellent base for a restaurant starter, like Mezzotint describes.

TRS30 · 28-11-2019 10:37pm

Never though spiced beef would go 3 pages and 30+ posts.......

Belladonna44 · 28-11-2019 10:45pm

We always had it on St Stephens day in Galway.

ShamrockAir · 28-11-2019 10:54pm

I started cooking it a few years ago and love it. Im from Limerick and never heard of it there. I live in Kerry now and the odd house would have it at Christmas.

I completely wrap it in tinfoil and cook it in the oven. I leave it in the foil for about an hour after it has cooked for the juices to soak back in. Most people seem to boil it. I have never tried it that way.

Posy · 29-11-2019 1:27am

TRS30 wrote: »

Never though spiced beef would go 3 pages and 30+ posts.......

One page for me. Feck that 10 posts per page shenanigans! :pac:

Bannasidhe · 29-11-2019 2:10am

Mezzotint wrote: »

It's definitely a Cork City thing in a huge way. I had never encountered it before until I moved to Cork and it's an absolutely huge part of the Christmas tradition down here with specialist butchers in the English Market selling it and so on, but it's also carried in most supermarkets.

It seems it goes back to the days when Cork City was a major centre for provisioning shipping, including the British Navy. Spiced beef was a method for preserving beef for use on ships and became a dish that was also part of the city's staple cuisine too. The beef would have been spiced and stored in barrels on the ships.

The specific recipes used seem to be unique to Cork and to have been preserved by butchers in the city over the years (centuries).

I had never encountered it Dublin, more likely to find corned beef.

The traditional recipe for Cork spiced beef has saltpeter in it. Which was available due to the gunpowder mills in Ballincollig.

gozunda · 29-11-2019 2:20am

Bannasidhe wrote: »

The traditional recipe for Cork spiced beef has saltpeter in it. Which was available due to the gunpowder mills in Ballincollig.

The mother used to make this herself for Christmas. It was stepped in the 'spice' marinade for several weeks as far as I can remember. T'was savage. She used to buy the salt Peter from the local chemist. Afaik it's not allowed these days due to what the fact Salt Peter is used in the manufacture of gunpowder

No one in the house ever got blown up that I know of

Btw its nothing like corned beef ..

Bannasidhe · 29-11-2019 2:40am

gozunda wrote: »

The mother used to make this herself for Christmas. It was stepped in the 'spice' marinade for several weeks as far as I can remember. T'was savage. She used to buy the salt Peter from the local chemist. Afaik it's not allowed these days due to what the fact Salt Peter is used in the manufacture of gunpowder

No one in the house ever got blown up that I know of

Btw its nothing like corned beef ..

Completely different to corned beef.

I envy you your mother's home made. I went to make it many many years ago while having Xmas on the Isle of Skye but no-one wanted to tell the 'fenian' where she could get hold of some saltpeter.
We had a nice marinaded beef but it wasn't the same.

For me spiced beef cooking is the smell of Xmas.

Day Lewin · 29-11-2019 12:33pm

You don't need saltpetre, you really don't: you can make it with just the spice mixture and it will be fine.

The saltpeter was a preservative, back in the day when there was no fridges. One way around is to use corned beef which has already been preserved.

But I've made it in a cool kitchen using fresh beef and spices, and left it just a couple of days in the mixture - there was vinegar too, so I turned it over and over a few times in the liquid and rubbed the spices in.

Absolutely gorgeous.

I used a recipe by Katie Stewart, (I was living in England at the time) and it turned out excellent.

Elizabeth David has plenty to say about this whole subject in her book about English spice cookery, but her recipe does include the saltpetre, which really only means you can leave the meat to steep for much longer.

But here in Ireland, of course, we can buy it!!

Bannasidhe · 29-11-2019 12:44pm

Day Lewin wrote: »

You don't need saltpetre, you really don't: you can make it with just the spice mixture and it will be fine.

I have to disagree. I've made it without the saltpeter and there is a difference in the taste. That's not to say both aren't good. Equal but different shall we say.

'With' has, for want of a better term, a salty bite to the flavour 'without' just doesn't have.
'Without' reminds me of a good pastrami.

mlem123 · 29-11-2019 2:43pm

Thanks for all the feedback! Love hearing about this topic as it's divided the office in work haha

We used to get it from the local butchers but last year we got one from a butchers stand at the Craft Fair in the RDS and it came in a Sous-Vide bag and it was hands down the best way it's been done! So moist and all the lovely spice juices are in with it :P

DvB · 29-11-2019 2:52pm

gozunda wrote: »

Btw its nothing like corned beef ..

This has me thinking, was the stuff I was given the same thing being described here so. I haven't had corned beef since I was a child as I didnt really like it back then anyway, but this stuff definitely brought back the memories of eating corned beef.
I love spicy foods so was disappointed as its description conjours up lovely ideas of spicy, tangy beef....

Must look out for it again so.

CheerLouth · 29-11-2019 3:14pm

Our butcher always has it advertised at Christmas time. I must talk to him some more about it. Sounds like something Mr. CL would like.

mrbrianj · 29-11-2019 3:14pm

I (a Dub) first encountered spiced beef when visiting my in-laws in West Cork, the first christmas visit. It turned out they never encountered it before then either. They were just (and very kindly so) laying this on for me, as they believed it was a Dublin tradition.

Funny thing is, this went on for several years until we realised it wasnt a tradition in either house! in fact, long enough that it actually became a tradition.

freshpopcorn · 29-11-2019 7:27pm

I'm in North Cork and I always thought it was a Cork City thing. It's becoming more popular now.

tropics001 · 03-11-2020 8:29pm

Bannasidhe wrote: »

I have to disagree. I've made it without the saltpeter and there is a difference in the taste. That's not to say both aren't good. Equal but different shall we say.

'With' has, for want of a better term, a salty bite to the flavour 'without' just doesn't have.
'Without' reminds me of a good pastrami.

i'd go along with that. you can get saltpeter on amazon.

i use this method to cure. although i reduce the saltpeter to about half, otherwise found it too salty.

https://conorbofin.com/2014/12/09/spiced-beef-and-the-spoiled-brat/

i am starting an early batch in the next few days... will post pics.

Day Lewin · 04-11-2020 12:07am

In the Northern half of the country this is a Christmas dish: I am told that in Cork it is available year round.

No, it is not the same as mere "corned beef" although a piece of corned beef can be used as the base meat:
what makes Spiced Beef so perfect is the thin crust of dark spices on the outside, which permeate the tender flesh with aromatic fragrance: the Allspice is a VERY characteristic note but other spices are also included (recipes vary)

I would put nutmeg or mace, as well as the allspice, and a dose of ground cloves and powdered bayleaf, and sea salt and peppercorns, too.

Jude13 · 04-11-2020 8:11am

Never had it, I would love to try some.

Loughc · 04-11-2020 10:23am

Jude13 wrote: »

Never had it, I would love to try some.

Same every year I'd love to try it, but bottle it. I'd love to try it in a sambo.

cee_jay · 04-11-2020 10:28am

I tried it for the first time 2 Christmases ago and it was so good! It is beautiful for a sandwich. Pick up a piece in the local butcher - you won't regret it!

Spiced Beef?

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"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year" - Charles Dickens

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year" - Charles Dickens