To bake a leg of beef is a traditional British recipe, based on Hannah Glasse's recipe of 1747, for a classic method of slowly braising shins of beef in beer until tender, with the meat served in a wine sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: To bake a leg of beef.
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This is an interesting recipe, as it shows the use of the local baker's oven. When the baking was done for the morning various dishes from local houses used to be placed in the oven and they cooked as it cooled. This was one such.
To bake a leg of beef.
TAKE a leg of beef, cut and hack it, put it into a large earthen pan, put to it a bundle of ſweet herbs, two onions ſtuck with a few cloves, a blade or two of mace, a piece of carrot, a ſpoonful of whole pepper black and white, and a quart of ſtale beer. Cover it with water, tie the pot down cloſe with brown paper rubbed with butter, ſend it to the oven, and let it be well baked. When it comes home, ſtrain it through a coarſe ſieve ; lay the meat into a clean diſh as you ſtrain it, and keep it for uſe. It is a fine thing in a houſe, and will ſerve for gravy, thickened with a piece of butter, red wine, catchup, or whatever you have a mind to put in, and is always ready for ſoups of moſt ſorts. If you have peas ready boiled, your ſoup will ſoon be made : or take ſome of the broth and ſome vermicelli, boil it together, fry a French roll and put in the middle, and you have good ſoup. You may add a few truffles and morels, or celery ſtewed tender, and then you are always ready.
Modern Redaction
This is an interesting recipe, as it shows the use of the local baker's oven. When the baking was done for the morning various dishes from local houses used to be placed in the oven and they cooked as it cooled. This was one such.
Ingredients:
2 shins of beef
1 bundle of sweet herbs
2 onions, peeled, each stuck with 4 cloves
2 blades of mace
1 carrot, sliced into three pieces
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp white peppercorns
1l stale beer
For the Sauce:
100ml red wine
1 tbsp butter mixed to a paste with 2 tsp plain flour
Method:
Remove the meat from the shins and slice. Place the meat and bones in a large casserole dish along with the onions, mace, carrot, herbs, peppercorns and beer. Cover the top of the dish with a sheet of kitchen foil then add a tight-fitting lid.
Place in an oven pre-heated to 140°C and cook slowly for about 5 or 6 hours. After this time, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Remove the meat and strain the liquid. Reserve most of the liquid as a soup base.
Take the meat and remove any fat and sinews. Add this to a pan with 100ml of the stock and the red wine. Bring to a simmer then beat in the flour and butter roux, a small piece at a time. Return to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thick.
Strain the sauce then arrange the meat in a serving dish. Pour over the sauce and bring to the table.
