Salt beef brisket with capers, gherkins and smoked mayonnaise
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This salt beef recipe is not just any salt beef recipe. Lovingly brined, rubbed in a stunning ancho chilli spice mix and gently smoked, it is the product of numerous flavour-infusing techniques, resulting in melt-in-the-mouth, delicious brisket. Chef Andy McLeish serves his beefy creation with a smoked mayonnaise, dainty pickled onions and capers for a truly next-level dish.
First published in 2017
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Beef brisket
- 2.5kg beef brisket
Salt beef brine
- 275g of soft light brown sugar
- 350g of coarse sea salt
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 tbsp of juniper berries
- 4 cloves
- 4 bay leaves
- 55g of saltpetre
Ancho chilli beef rub
- 90g of ancho chilli powder
- 24g of mustard powder
- 40g of garlic salt
- 26g of onion powder
- 26g of paprika
- 30g of cayenne pepper
- 450g of soft brown sugar
- 180g of kosher salt
- 100g of caster sugar
Smoked mayonnaise
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
- 250ml of smoked rapeseed oil
- salt
- pepper
- lemon juice
Pickled onions
- 1 handful of silverskin onions, peeled
- 300ml of white wine vinegar
- 100g of sugar
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
To serve
- 100g of mini capers
- 100g of cornichons, halved
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Hot smoker
- Wood chips
- Food processor
- Squeezy bottle
Method
1
To make the brine, place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan, pour in 2.5 litres of water and gradually bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve. Once it has come to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 275g of soft light brown sugar
- 350g of coarse sea salt
- 1/2 tbsp of juniper berries
- 4 cloves
- 4 bay leaves
- 55g of saltpetre
2
Pierce the brisket all over with a skewer. Place it in a large, clean plastic box or bucket and cover the meat with the brine; it must be totally submerged. Leave the meat to brine in the fridge for 7 days
- 2.5kg beef brisket
3
Combine all of the ancho chilli rub ingredients in a bowl. Take the beef out of the brine, rinse well and generously rub the ancho chilli rub into the brisket. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes
- 100g of caster sugar
- 24g of mustard powder
- 40g of garlic salt
- 26g of onion powder
- 26g of paprika
- 30g of cayenne pepper
- 90g of ancho chilli powder
- 450g of soft brown sugar
- 180g of kosher salt
4
Place the beef in a table-top smoker and smoke for 1 hour before removing and wrapping in foil
5
Preheat the oven to 100°C/gas mark 1/4
6
Place the meat parcel on a tray and cook in the oven for 7–8 hours. Once the meat is soft, remove from the oven and discard the tin foil. Wrap the beef in cling film and allow to cool in the fridge
7
To make the mayonnaise, place the egg yolk, mustard and vinegar in a food processor. Gradually add the smoked oil until it thickens to resemble a mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice and place in a squeezy bottle
- salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
- 250ml of smoked rapeseed oil
- pepper
- lemon juice
8
To prepare the onions, add the vinegar, sugar, thyme, bay leaf and garlic to a pan and bring to the boil. Add the onions, immediately remove from the heat and allow the liquid and onions to cool and pickle
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1 handful of silverskin onions, peeled
- 300ml of white wine vinegar
- 100g of sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
9
Once cool, remove the onions from the liquid, cut in half and scorch the cut-side of the onions in a hot pan. Separate into layers and set aside
10
Thinly slice the smoked brisket and arrange on plates. Add some smoked mayonnaise, sprinkle with mini capers, cornichons and the pickled onions and drizzle over a little olive oil. Serve with some crusty bread
- 100g of cornichons, halved
- 100g of mini capers
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