Select a 1.5 kg (3 lb) piece of topside no more than 7.5 cm (3 inches) thick
Rosemary, thyme and juniper berries. This cure smells amazingly good.
- 56g salt
- 30g sugar
- 5g freshly ground black pepper
- 6g chopped fresh rosemary
- 6g fresh thyme leaves
- 5 juniper berries
Combine ingredients in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Rub half of the cure into the meat. Save remaining cure in freezer until needed. Package the meat in a zip-lock or vacuum bag and place in refrigerator. Turn daily for 7 days. At the end of the week remove the beef from the bag and discard the liquid. Rub the meat all over with the remaining cure, repackage and return to the fridge for a further 7 days.
At the end of the second week remove the meat from the bag and wash all traces of spice cure from the outside. Pat dry with paper towel. Allow it to sit on a wire rack over a tray at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.
Tie beef with butcher’s twine and hang in curing chamber for approximately 3 weeks or until it has lost 30% of weight. The meat should be firm on the outside and be silky smooth when sliced.
Time 2 Cure 