Recipe Manuscript

To Pot Beef

Name: To Pot Beef
Prep time: PTPT40M
Cook time: PTPT3H
Yield: 12
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 2-3 kg beef round or silverside (buttock cut); 42 g saltpetre or 28 g pink curing salt (see note); 30 g kosher or sea salt; 200 g unsalted butter, plus more for sealing; 2-4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped; 60 ml water; Pastry dough (simple flour and water, for sealing pan); Optional: extra melted butter for mixing or topping

1720

From the treasured pages of Cookbook of 1720

Unknown Author

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Intermediate Snack Other

Original Recipe • 1720

Original Manuscript(circa Culinary Enlightenment, 1700 - 1800)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

To Pot Beef

"Take 4 or 6 pound of a butterck, & rub it well with 1 ounce & half of salt petre, & a handfull of common salt, let it lye 3 or 4 days turning it, drain it well & put it in a mug with a little water at the bottom, & put butterr between every slice, put a coarse crust over it & bake it, when it comes from the oven, pick it clean from the strings & fat, beat it exceeding fine, with anchovy (picked) to your taste, & put a little of the clear gravy that comes from it when baked (or fresh boild butterr if you chuse it) & mix it well together, & let it be as stiff as butterr then put it in small mugs very close & put oiled butterr over it"

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is compact and iterative, assuming the reader understands core skills: salting, turning, baking under a 'coarse crust,' and potting with butter. Quantities are given in weight for saltpetre, but most measures—like 'a handfull'—were visual or tactile. Spelling and word choices reflect typical 18th-century English: 'lye' for 'lie,' 'exceeding fine' for 'very fine,' and instructions like 'pick it clean from the strings & fat' use household logic and observation rather than precise steps. The expected reading audience were skilled home cooks, not complete beginners.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cookbook of 1720 - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cookbook of 1720 (1720)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Unknown

Era

1720

Publisher

Unknown

Background

Step back to the early 18th century and discover a delightful treasury of recipes and culinary secrets, where traditional flavors meet timeless technique—a feast for curious cooks and history lovers alike.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from early 18th century England, roughly around 1720, a time when 'potting' was a popular preservation method before refrigeration. Potting involved cooking and shredding meat, then pressing it into pots and sealing with butter to keep out air—prolonging its shelf life. Such recipes appeared in household manuscripts intended for the upper-middle class, where attention to resourcefulness and flavor both mattered. This process not only preserved the meat, but created a deeply savory, spreadable delicacy to serve for breakfast or at a gentleman's supper.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Back then, the cook would have used a large earthenware or stoneware pot, a strong knife for slicing, coarse string to tie up the beef, and a mortar and pestle or two heavy forks for shredding and pounding the meat exceedingly fine. An open hearth or large bread oven provided steady, gentle heat for baking. Pastry for the crust would be mixed by hand just to seal—prebaked crust wasn’t meant for eating. Pots or mugs were used for storing the potted beef, and clarified butter was poured over to create a protective seal.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

40 mins

Cook Time

3 hrs

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

4.5–6.5 lb beef round or silverside (buttock cut)
1.5 oz saltpetre or 1 oz pink curing salt (see note)
1 oz (about 2 tablespoons) kosher or sea salt
7 oz unsalted butter (about 14 tablespoons), plus more for sealing
2-4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
¼ cup (2 fl oz) water
Pastry dough (simple flour and water, for sealing pan)
Optional: extra melted butter for mixing or topping

Instructions

Begin with a beef round or silverside joint weighing about 4½ to 6½ lb.
Rub the meat thoroughly with 1½ ounces (about 3 tablespoons) of saltpetre (potassium nitrate, though today pink curing salt can substitute for safety) and a generous handful—about 1 ounce (about 2 tablespoons)—of kosher or sea salt.
Let the beef cure for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, turning it daily to ensure even seasoning.
After curing, drain the beef well.
Slice the meat and layer it in a baking dish or large heatproof bowl, adding a few tablespoons of water in the bottom.
Dot each layer generously with unsalted butter.
Cover the dish with a rough pastry crust (a mix of flour and water suffices, just to seal in moisture, not for eating).
Bake at 320°F for about 2½ to 3 hours, until very tender.
Once baked, remove the beef, discard any strings and visible fat, and finely shred or pound the meat using a stand mixer with a paddle or food processor.
Add finely chopped anchovy to taste (start with 2-4 fillets), and moisten with some of the clear gravy from baking, or extra melted butter, blending until the mixture is as smooth yet stiff as whipped butter.
Press into small ramekins or jars, compacting well, and top each with a thin layer of clarified butter to seal.
Store chilled.

Estimated Calories

350 per serving

Cooking Estimates

This recipe takes several days for curing, but only a few hours of hands-on prep and baking. The calories shown are for one serving, based on dividing the finished dish into 12 portions. Actual values may vary depending on how much butter is used and meat fat content.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.