Last week of November and counting!

Well, we've still got the central heat in the house off - at least, it's not on automatic yet. We've had to turn it on for an hour or two a couple of mornings this week to take the edge off the morning chill in the house, but it's not running 24/7 yet. This house apparently has a fair bit of solar gain during the day and loses that gain very slowly at night due to being partly underground. So with luck we'll be able to eek another couple of weeks or more out of that and not have to actually turn the heating on for good for a while. I'm frankly amazed that we've been able to go this long - I suppose we could have gone this long in years past, but never knew to try. It will be interesting to compare our electricity and gas usage for this autumn with the previous three autumns and see if we've managed to cut that down.

Sauerkraut is coming along nicely - smells just as it should and we're planning to taste it soon. We're planning a second jar tomorrow, and perhaps more after that if I can get another good deal on cabbage. We're also going to try making some kimchee soon. I should make a corned beef so we can have Reuben samiches with the kraut. (Home made corned beef is super, super, super easy and much better for you than store bought - I'll post the recipe at the end of this note.) Wheat beer is in the fridge to cold stabilize in preparation for bottling, and the wines have finally begun slowing down a bit after that last racking. The vinegars are still making more "mother" so I'm leaving them to finish up a bit longer, although they probably could be used now as they are. I'm really looking forward to putting all these lovely things in bottles and setting them down in the store room to age! I've always wanted a storeroom like I have now, and I'm having a blast using it!

So, here's the corned beef recipe:

* Morton's TenderQuick salt - navy blue bag in the spice section, usually on the bottom shelf.
* Lean beef roast - that's the beauty of making your own - you can use *good* beef
* water - plain cold tap water is fine
* "Pickling spice" (or if you can't find that, mix peppercorns, red pepper flakes, crushed bay leaves, whole coriander and mustard seed in a combination that pleases you.)

Find a large, non metallic container with a lid. A gallon glass jar or a couple of half gallon canning jars with lids work well. Or you can use a small, clean, plastic food grade bucket, or even a large, deep ceramic or plastic bowl with a makeshift cover. Just remember that whatever you use, it has to be deep enough for the meat to stay submerged in brine, and the whole thing needs to be able to fit into your refrigerator.

Cut the meat into chunks, or leave it whole. Chunks 4 inches on a side or thereabouts cure faster than a whole roast, but it's up to you whether to cut the roast smaller or not. Rinse the meat in clean, cool water and put it into your clean non-metallic container. Mix enough brine in a 1:8 ratio of Morton's salt to water to fully cover the meat, and pour it in. Throw in a handful of spices, put the lid on, and set it in the fridge to cure. Chunks will be ready to eat in about 4 days, but larger pieces might take up to 10. Fish out what you want, cook it however you like, and leave the rest in the brine for later. Up to a point, it just keeps getting more flavorful.

That's it! Corned beef at home is so simple and fast there's no reason to pay exorbitant prices for fatty, low quality corned brisket packed in brine at the store. Making your own means you control how much fat is in the final product, and also how spicy it is. You don't even have to add spices if you don't like them, it's your choice and won't affect the curing at all. You can also use plain kosher or canning salt instead of the Morton's, but it won't look like, and may not taste like, the corned beef you've had in the past. But if you have a thing about nitrates, give it a try on a small scale and see how you like it.
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