Pickled Brisket

[aris]

What cut of meat did you use Paul?

[Oddley]

Glad the salt beef came out ok. I'm going down to Smithfield tomorrow to get:

20 kg chuck steak
1/2 pig
1 loin for bacon
silverside for salt beef
5 kg rump steak
1 lamb

That lot should keep the carnivores in my house, happy for a while. I have just found a butchers sundries supplier in Smithfield. I thought I would have a look, whilst I'm there. So early start for me in the morning 2:30 AM...

[Paul Kribs]

@ aris

I used a piece of silverside. I originally bought it with the intention of trying biltong, but as I haven't yet put any hanging bars in the biltong box I opted for corned/salt beef. I'm glad I did, haven't tasted it like that for years. I will get round to trying biltong soon though. Was wondering about using it dual purpose and making a cold smoker adaptor, but now reckon I may buy a Bradley. Apart from the bars the biltong box is finished. Used some industrial polythene covered mesh over the holes as an insect screen, it's bright green but it's inside.

@ Oddley

Wow.. that should keep you going for a bit Wish I had a few more people here to feed (family I mean). Nice shopping list. Going to send some of that salt beef up to the father in law.. he really appreciates proper food.. this was so tender he won't even need to wear his falsies, he can use his gums.. LOL

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Oddley]

Hi as you probably know I have daughters, so there are always young fellas up for dinner, the boys especially, feed like hungry hyenas they can strip a lamb to the bone in minutes.

You can see now why I bought the pro mincer most of the chuck steak will go through it tomorrow plus the shoulder of pork and some of the belly, for sausages.

I try to mitigate my food costs by making for us, when the boys are up, mince pies, cottage pies, steak and kidney puddings, Lancashire hot pot, stew, sausage and mash, toad in the hole, etc, to name but a few. I'm a little disappointed with supermarket meat, so I have to go elsewhere.

[aris]

Oddley, i'm curious to know the prices you pay for these cuts at Smithfield.

[Oddley]

The last time I was down there I was paying 75p per 1 lb for 1/2 pig, �1 per 1 lb for chuck, the lamb cost �49. Can't remember the rest.

[Paul Kribs]

Oddley

That sounds to me like some mighty fine living you are doing.. proper food. Kind of endorses the old adage of 'live to eat, don't eat to live'. I wouldn't get bored with eating that kind of grub all the time. If only....

Regards, Paul Kribs

[aris]

So how on earth do you carry this stuff around, and how do you get it home to your flat?

If you could detail the ins and outs of shopping at Smithfield, it would be much appreciated. I'm not terribly far from there (South HERTS) so it might be worth my while going to fill up the freezer.

Is there a particular shop you go to? Do you have to haggle? Is there Parking? Any particular time to go? Are they open Saturday? Anything else?

[Paul Kribs]

aris

Smithfield starts trading at 0400 and is all over by 0800, and is made up of all different meat traders and they do not trade on saturdays. Have you not got an abbatoir nearer to you than London that you could buy carcasses from and butcher yourself???

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Oddley]

The wife and I will go down there tomorrow morning armed with two trolleys, to take the meat to the car. We will split the meat up and struggle up the stairs to my flat. It will take two or three journeys each. But as I can park right outside the door at about 5:00 am it shouldn't be too bad.

As you can see from the image, Smithfield is one long corridor, on either side is the vendors if you see what you like ask the price, you can ask them if it is there best price, if you think it too dear don't buy it. The more you buy the cheaper it is. All the shops are at full swing by 4:00 am it's mostly over by about 7:00 am. Parking is not too bad at that time in the morning no traffic wardens. They are open Monday to Friday.

[aris]

I don't think there are any Abbatoirs near me. Multimap says it is a 22 mile journey door to door, so that's not too bad, but it is in the congestion charging zone, so I gotta be outta there by 7am.

Oddley, let us know how it goes for you tomorrow. If you find any particular traders which are more helpful than others, that would be useful to know.

[aris]

So, how did it go Oddley - and what were the prices like?

[Oddley]

Hi aris
It went well, I ended up buying.

1/2 pig 36 kg �0.76 lb
1 loin
1 Lamb �1.22 lb
21 kg chuck steak �1.30 lb
Rump steak �2.40 lb

I didn't buy any silverside they wanted �1.98 per lb which I thought quite expensive. The chuck was also much more expensive than I paid last time but still good value.

We staggered up the stairs with it all but managed in two trips each. We then spent the rest of the day processing the meat, vac packing it and putting it in the freezer. The next day I made 9.5 kg of sausages. It was one big shoulder!

[aris]

How do you lug that stuff around the Market to your car?

Also interesting that they still sell in lbs - I thought kilo's was the new standard

[Oddley]

We have two shopping trolleys. They won't sell it to you in lbs but they will give you a price in lb's and kilo's.