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Sugar brine II

Sugar brine from Erken's slaughtering chapter: 10 l water, 3 kg salt, 500 g sugar, and 60 g saltpeter are boiled 15 minutes, skimmed, and cooled completely before the meat goes in. The meat is first rubbed with salt, sugar, and saltpeter. Curing time 3–6 weeks depending on whether the meat is to be cured or boiled. Includes advice on tending, topping up salt and sugar, and rescuing spoiled brine and curing vessels.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 636 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

From the chapter on slaughtering, under the heading "Different curing brines." Sugar brine was the household's standard brine for preserving meat and ham through the winter, in an age without refrigerators. Erken gives detailed advice on tending the brine, which easily went bad from the meat juices.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Boil the brine

    Boil the water, salt, sugar, and saltpeter together for a quarter of an hour. Skim off and pour the brine into the curing vessel or crock.

  2. 2

    Cool completely

    Let the brine become completely cold before the meat is put in. Warm brine ruins the meat.

  3. 3

    Rub in the meat

    Mix 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp saltpeter, and rub the meat well with the mixture before it is placed in the brine.

  4. 4

    Treat bloody meat first

    Bloody meat from beef or horse should not be placed in brine together with other meat or pork until it has lain 36 hours in cold water that has been whisked with salt until an egg floats. Take the meat up, let it drip off, and rub it with salt and saltpeter as usual.

  5. 5

    Place in brine under a weight

    Place the meat in the brine. It must always be completely covered; put a little weight on top. The lid of the curing vessel should not close completely tight.

  6. 6

    Curing time

    Meat can lie 3–4 weeks in the brine without being watered out before boiling. Hams for curing 5–6 weeks, hams for boiling 3–4 weeks.

  7. 7

    Tend the brine

    The brine steadily grows weaker because the meat draws salt and sugar into itself while the meat juices draw out. Stir in a mixture of 3 handfuls of salt and 1 handful of sugar from time to time through the winter, until it is dissolved; then you can usually avoid boiling up the brine.

  8. 8

    If the brine goes bad

    If necessary, boil up the brine, skim it, and pour it ice-cold over the meat again. If the brine spoils, the vessel can be ruined too; then scald it with boiling water, and if that does not help, lime the vessel and let it stand for a few days.

Changes from the original

Amounts are given in modern units (g/l/dl), saltpeter has been kept as in the original but should today be replaced by curing salt (a purchased salt blend) for food-safety reasons. The method has been divided into numbered steps and the language in the steps has been modernized.

Tidsmaskin – hva endret seg?

Velg to utgaver og se hva Henriette Schønberg Erken la til, fjernet eller endret mellom dem.

Fra19141949Modernisert
Til19141949Modernisert
1914 (korrekturlest, s. 636) → 1949 (korrekturlest, s. 770)~48% av teksten endretfjernetlagt til
10 liter vand io 1. vann 3 kg. salt 1/2 y 2 kg. sukker 60 6o gr. salpeter. Kok dette en kvart time, skum og held hell i saltebaljen eller krukken. Først naar når den er helt kold, kan kjøttet lægges legges i. Kjøt Kjøtt kan ligge i denne lake 3—4 3 —4 uker uten at vandes å vannes ut før koken. Skinker til spekning 5—6 5 —6 uker. Skinker til kokning 3—4 koking 3 —4 uker. Alt kjøt kjøtt bør, før det lægges legges i laken, gnides ind gnis inn med en blanding av: 2 spiseskeer spiseskjeer salt 2 — sukker 1 teske i teskje salpeter. Kjøttet maa altid må alltid være helt dækket dekket av laken; læg legg litt pres paa. press på. La blodig kjøt kjøtt av okse eller hest ikke lægges legges i lake med andet kjøt annet kjøtt eller flesk, flesk før det har ligget i 36 timer i koldt vand, vann, vispet med salt, salt til et egg flyter. Tages Tas op, laken rinder renner av, og kjøttet gnides gnis som vanlig med salt og salpeter. Lokket paa på saltebaljen maa må ikke slutte helt til. Laken maa må ikke mangle tilsyn. Den blir stadig svakere, ti kjøttet trækker trekker salt og sukker i sig, mens kjøtsaften trækker kjøttsaften trekker ut i laken og let lett gjør denne daarlig. dårlig. — Trænges Trenges det, faar får laken kokes op, skummes og heldes helles iskold over kjøttet igjen. Ta en blanding av 3 haandfulde håndfulle salt og 1 haandfuld håndfull sukker en gang engang imellem i vinterens løp og rør om i saltebaljen, saltebaljen til det smelter; som regel undgaar undgår man da al opkokning. all opkoking. Skulde saltlaken bli bedærvet, bedervet, kan det ogsaa gjøre, også gjøre at saltbaljen saltebaljen blir ødelagt; da maa må baljen skoldes skåldes med kokende vand; hjælper vann; hjelper ikke dette, bør man kalke karret karet og la det staa stå nogen dage. dager. Dette er et aldeles ufeilbarlig middel. — Men ødelæggelse ødeleggelse av lake og balje hører heldigvis ikke til dagens orden. Til påminnelse for unge husmødre på landet! Husk at saltlake er gift for griser og høns; det er salpeteret som er grunnen hertil. Når den derfor skal slåes vekk, så bruk den til å kvele ugress i havegangene eller slå den på aspargessenger; der gjør den utmerket nytte.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the sugar brine made of?
10 liters of water, 3 kg of salt, 1/2 kg of sugar, and 60 g of saltpeter. Boil the mixture for a quarter of an hour, skim off, and pour it into the curing tub or crock.
When can the meat be placed in the brine?
Only once the brine is completely cold. Before packing, the meat should be rubbed with 2 tablespoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of saltpeter. The meat must always be completely covered by the brine — put a little weight on top.
How long should the meat lie?
Meat can lie 3–4 weeks without being watered out before boiling. Hams for curing 5–6 weeks, hams for boiling 3–4 weeks.
What do you do with bloody meat from beef or horse?
It must not be placed in brine together with other meat or pork until it has lain 36 hours in cold water whisked with salt until an egg floats. Then it is taken up, the brine drains off, and the meat is rubbed as usual. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 636.

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