[Sca-cooks] pickled brisket

[Amy Cooper]

<snip>
This recipe will not make a nice pink piece of meat because I left out the
sodium nitrite (not nitrate!!!!!) - that's what is used to preserve the meat
and keep it pink.  We have some now but it's not easy to get unless you know
someone with a compounding pharmacy or someone in the drug business.  My
mother used to be able to get it at the pharmacy but these days they look at
you as if you're nuts!  Besides, if you're going for a more "natural"
process you're not going to use it anyway.
</snip>

Actually, sodium nitrite is readily available from many sausage-making
places. It's apparently often called Prague Powder #1, and does have some
red dye added to it (I'm guessing to help keep it distinguishable in the
cupboard from other ingredients). I totally understand leaving it out of
stuff, as my hands don't like it. My father and I used to make sausage every
New Years' Eve Day, and the last time we made it, the prague powder tried to
cure my hands as well as the sausage. I prefer my fingers to look like
fingers, as opposed to hot dogs, thank you very much ;-)

Now to see if I can talk my lord husband into letting me make my own corned
beef. It does seem FAR less messy than Master B's home-made prosciutto,
which he has refused to let me make. I wonder why he doesn't like the idea
of a crate of salt sitting in the basement for a while?? LOL

YIS,

Ilsebet