Irish Spiced Beef

January 2025. Winter in Memphis, 66 years old, and the cold has settled into the house on Deadrick Avenue the way cold settles into old bones — persistently, without malice, just the physics of aging and December. Rosetta has the thermostat set at 74, our eternal compromise, and I cook warming things: stews and soups and slow-braised meats that fill the house with steam and flavor.

Walter Jr. came by with the grandchildren, bringing the noise and energy that grandchildren bring, the house expanding to hold them the way a good pot expands to hold a good stew. Trey at the smoker, learning, absorbing, his hands getting steadier each visit, the fire recognizing him the way fire recognizes those who are meant to tend it.

Smoked turkey wings this week — big, meaty, brined and rubbed and smoked at 275 for three hours until the skin crackled and the meat pulled clean. Turkey wings are the working class of BBQ: cheap, underrated, and transformed by smoke into something extraordinary. Uncle Clyde served them on Fridays at his stand, and I serve them on Saturdays in my backyard, and the tradition bridges the gap between then and now.

Sunday at Mt. Zion, the choir sang and I sat in my pew and let the music hold me. The bass notes I used to add are quieter now — my voice is aging, the way everything ages — but the listening is its own participation, and the church holds me the way the church has held this community for a hundred years: faithfully, unconditionally, with room for everyone who shows up. I show up. That is enough.

What I cooked for Trey and the grandchildren that Saturday — those smoked wings, brined overnight, rubbed with purpose, given hours of low heat — reminded me that the best food never shortcuts patience. That same instinct sent me back to this Irish Spiced Beef, a recipe that asks you to cure a roast for days before it ever sees heat, letting the spices work the way time works on everything worth keeping. It’s not smoked, but it’s kin to it: working-class meat, transformed by faith in the process.

Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 5–7 days curing) | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes active | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3–4 lb beef brisket or round roast
2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Prague Powder No. 1 (pink curing salt)
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground juniper berries (or 4 berries, crushed)
3 bay leaves, crumbled
1 medium onion, quartered
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
4 cups water or beef stock (for braising)

Instructions

Mix the cure. Combine the kosher salt, brown sugar, curing salt, allspice, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, juniper, and crumbled bay leaves in a small bowl. Stir until evenly blended.
Apply the cure. Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Rub the spice cure all over the surface of the roast, pressing firmly so it adheres to every side.
Cure in the refrigerator. Place the beef in a zip-top bag or a sealed container. Refrigerate for 5 to 7 days, turning the meat once daily so the cure penetrates evenly. The roast will darken and firm as it cures — this is correct.
Rinse and soak. On cooking day, remove the beef from the cure and rinse it thoroughly under cold water. If you prefer a milder salt level, soak the roast in cold water for 1 to 2 hours, changing the water once.
Braise low and slow. Place the beef in a Dutch oven or heavy pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Pour in the water or stock until the liquid comes about halfway up the roast. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to the lowest simmer, cover, and braise for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the meat is fork-tender.
Rest and slice. Remove the beef from the pot and let it rest, tented with foil, for 15 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain. Serve warm with braising vegetables, or refrigerate overnight and serve cold — both are traditional and both are excellent.

Nutrition (per serving)

Irish Spiced Beef — Slow-Cured Meat for the Faithful and Patient