Cured tenderloin of beef
Instructions:
- This cured beef makes an unusual alternative
to gravlax, and it is sure to appeal to
anyone who likes cured fish. Laid out on a plate,
the thinly sliced meat looks very much like the
elegant Italian appetizer called carpaccio. The
beef is served with Mango Ketchup, to provide
a sweet, fruity accent.
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups kosher salt
- 8 black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
- 1 teaspoon crushed dried jalapeño or other hot chile
- 1 star anise
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 cup citrus-flavored vodka (such as Absolut Mandarin or Citron)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 8 sprigs fresh mint
- 1 1-pound center-cut beef tenderloin roast
- Mango Ketchup
- Combine the sugar, salt, peppercorns, jalapeño, and star anise in a medium bowl and mix well. Add the orange juice, vodka, olive oil, soy sauce, ginger, and mint, and stir well. Pour into a nonreactive loaf pan or other pan or dish that will hold the beef snugly.
- Place the beef in the loaf pan and turn it several times, rubbing the curing mixture into the meat; the beef should be buried in the curing mixture. Cover the beef with plastic wrap and weight it with a 28-ounce can, clean brick, or other heavy weight. Refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.
- Remove the beef from the pan, brushing off the curing mixture, and pat dry with paper towels. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until partially frozen. (This will make the meat easier to slice.)
- Slice the beef as thin as possible. Arrange the slices on a platter and let stand for 20 minutes, or until the beef has reached room temperature.
- Serve with the Mango Ketchup
on the side.