Christmas Spiced Beef Recipe - Get yours marinating now!

I'd like to share with you a little family tradition that has been passed down to my brother and I from my mum. Every year, for as long as I can remember, mum always does spiced beef at Christmas. I have great memories of opening the fridge in the mornings of December to be greeted by the heady aroma of spices and staring a great slab of beef marinating in the fridge... and the excitement that follows once mum has cooked it as my brother and I always fought over the "nubby" ends of the spiced beef! When you cook the beef, the smell fills the house and you know Christmas is here! It needs to cut thin once cold, and has lovely spiced edges leaving you with a pastrami style beef... I'm drooling!

This is what you need:
- 2oz juniper berries
- 2oz sea salt
- 1.5oz black peppercorns
- 0.5oz cloves
- 1oz allspice berries
- 2 bay leaves
- 4oz dark muscavado brown sugar
- 5lb silverside beef

This is what you do:
- Place the meat in a big dish and cover with the sugar and leave to stand in the fridge for 24hours.
- Blitz the spices together in a food processor until powder like.
- Cover the meat with the spices. Don't drain the sugary juices away, they help to keep the beef moist!
- Cover with cling film and pop in the fridge.
- Every morning turn the beef and massage, with love, the juices and spices back in to the beef!
- Do this for 14 days. I have been known to ask people to "beef" sit for me if we go away for weekend in December!
- ON the 14th day, scrape off most of the spices. Place the beef in a roasting tin. I tend to line mine with tinfoil as it's easier to clean afterwards. Cook slowly in a preheated oven 130C/Gas Mark 1 for 6hours. Get giddy with the smell! I put mine in the oven in the morning, and then spend a day pottering around the house, inhaling as I go!
- Leave to stand. Carve when cold and fight over the ends!
- Will keep for a long time and freezes really well!

I'll post some pictures over the next couple of weeks of the beef! I'm off to pick it up from the butcher later! Can't wait!

Cheers,

Nic xoxox