To Collour Beef
From the treasured pages of Receipts for cookery and pastry work
Written by Mrs. Johnston
To Collour Beef
"Take a flank of good fat Beef, take off the inside skin, then take three ounces of Saltpeter, and as much Bay Salt, rub it well, take as much white salt as will salt it, let it lye a week then take it out from the Salt, and - take Black pepper, Jamaica pepper nutmeg, cloves, a Blade of Mace, beat the Spices well, take thyme, winter Savory, penny royall, Rosemary, bay - Leaves rub them very fine; strew - them all over the inside of your Beef, roll it up close, and tie it with Bed lape, you may either boil it or bake it in an oven; let the Strings Stay about it till it be cold."
Note on the Original Text
This recipe is written in the straightforward, practical prose typical of early 18th-century household manuals. Instructions assume familiarity with butchery and basic preservation techniques. Spelling is archaic ('collour' for 'color' in the sense of prepare or cure, 'lye' for 'lie,' 'nutmeg' and 'thyme' are spelled as today). Quantities are sometimes vague ('as much as will salt it') and would have relied on the cook’s experience. The use of lists, commas, and semicolons enables a flow of actions rather than detailed steps as in many modern recipes.
Title
Receipts for cookery and pastry work (1700)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Mrs. Johnston
Era
1700
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A delightful compilation of 18th-century recipes gathered by Mrs. Johnston herself, promising a charming journey through the flavors and culinary traditions of the early 1700s.
Kindly made available by
Folger Shakespeare Library
This recipe, titled 'To Collour Beef,' originates from the early 1700s and was compiled by Mrs. Johnston. It hails from a period when preserving meat was both a culinary art and a necessity. Curing with salt and spices allowed beef to be kept for extended periods, especially crucial before the age of refrigeration. Such recipes were common in English households and cookbooks of the gentry, blending practical preservation with aromatic enhancement. Where the recipe says 'collour,' it refers not to dyeing the beef, but to curing and flavoring it for both preservation and festive presentation. Beef prepared in this way was often served sliced thin, cold, at elaborate tables or during special feasts.
Historically, the beef would be prepared on a large wooden board or table with a robust butcher’s knife to remove the inside skin of the flank. Brass, earthenware, or wood troughs or pans would be used for salting and curing, and coarse cloths to cover the beef. Spices would be ground with a mortar and pestle, and fresh herbs finely chopped with a heavy knife or mezzaluna. For tying, strips of linen ('bed lape') rather than modern twine were used. Cooking would be done in a large cauldron over an open hearth for boiling, or in a brick oven for baking.
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs
Servings
8
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
- 4.5–5.5 lbs beef flank, fatty, inside membrane removed
- 3 oz saltpetre (potassium nitrate), or curing salt substitute
- 3 oz bay salt (or coarse smoked salt or sea salt)
- 3.5–4.5 oz coarse sea salt
- 1 tbsp (about 0.25 oz) black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp (about 0.25 oz) allspice (Jamaica pepper)
- 1 tsp (about 0.07 oz) nutmeg, grated
- 1 tsp (about 0.07 oz) cloves
- 1 blade of mace (or 1/2 tsp ground mace)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp winter savory, finely chopped (or substitute with more thyme or rosemary, if unavailable)
- 1 tbsp pennyroyal, finely chopped (modern substitute: mint or marjoram, as pennyroyal is not recommended for culinary use today)
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 3–5 bay leaves, torn
- kitchen twine (for tying or 'bed lape')
Instructions
- Start with a beef flank piece, about 4.5–5.5 lbs, and remove any tough membrane from the inside.
- In a bowl, mix 3 oz saltpetre (potassium nitrate, use with caution or substitute with 3 oz curing salt), 3 oz coarse bay (or smoked) salt, and add enough coarse sea salt (roughly 3.5–4.5 oz) to ensure the beef is well covered.
- Rub this mixture all over the beef.
- Place the beef in a non-reactive dish, cover, and leave it in the fridge (or in a cold larder, if authentic) for 7 days, turning and rubbing it daily.
- After a week, remove the beef from the salt and pat it mostly dry.
- Crush together 1 tablespoon each of black peppercorns and allspice (Jamaica pepper), and 1 teaspoon each of nutmeg and cloves, with 1 blade of mace.
- Add 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped fresh thyme, winter savory, pennyroyal (or substitute mint or marjoram if pennyroyal is unavailable or considered unsafe), rosemary, and a handful of torn bay leaves.
- Rub all herbs and spices well into the inside of the beef.
- Roll the flank up tightly (herbed side in) and bind it firmly with twine.
- You may now either boil it gently in salted water for about 2.5–3 hours, or bake it in a covered roasting dish at 320°F for 2–3 hours, until tender.
- Allow the beef to cool completely before removing the string and slicing.
Estimated Calories
300 per serving
Cooking Estimates
You'll need about 30 minutes to prepare the beef and spices, and 7 days for it to cure in the fridge. Once cured, cooking it takes 2.5 to 3 hours. Each serving is about 300 calories, and you'll get 8 servings from this recipe.
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.
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