8 lb Brisket; boneless
1 c Salt
1/2 ts Sugar
2 tb Mixed pickling spices
1 Garlic; the whole head
1/4 ts Saltpeter
1 pn Alum
This recipe is ‘supposedly’ from GREENWALD’S SUPER DELICATESSEN, Louisville, KY. It was in LOVE AND KNISHES; Sara Kasdan; 1956. Sara says it comes from a ‘hamish’ deli; (very homelike) in a poor neighobrhood. Doubtful it still exists. And my copy of the book is on its way out too!!! OK here goes…Place brisket in a large stoneware crock and cover completely with water. Add remaining ingredients, stirring to distribute them evenly (I would add more garlic and more peppercorns; never enough in the mix) Let it stand at room temp for 4 days. place in the fridge for 16 days. Remove from the crock and place in a large kettle. Cover with
boiling water and boil for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off heat and let stand in water in which it has cooked for at least 2 hours. Remove meat to another deep kettle. Place in sink and let cold waater run into the kettle (not directly ON the meat) for 1 hour. (this seals the meat juices) Remove brisket from the water and refrigerate unntil ready to use. If you serve hot; steanm…do NOT boil. Well let me add that she quotes Mr. Greenwald. “You have to be crazy to go to all this trouble when you can buy at Greenwald’s fancy new delicatessen.” Mr. Greenwald is right…you HAVE TO BE CRAZY; but if you can’t get it any other way…this sounds KOSHER to me. Perhaps one of our great Kosher cooks can come up with a more modern method, !!! Oh yes, the deli moved after WWII to the Highland section…a fancy, ‘shmancy’ neighborhood.