Salt Beef Sarnies with Pickled Red Onion and Béarnaise Sauce

This is the king of all sandwiches and the most indulgent offering at the picnic. Our dry-cured raw salt beef brisket has a perfect balance of aromatics to salt and the zing of the picked red onion cuts through the buttery béarnaise sauce.

Ingredients

Salt Beef Sarnies

• Pickled red onions (see below)

• 1 Knepp Wild Range Raw Salt Beef, cooked (see below)

• Bearnaise sauce (see below)

• 8 thick slices of fresh sourdough bread

• 4 tsp butter

Pickled Red Onions

• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

• 1½ tsp sumac

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 1/8 tsp salt

Salt Beef

• 800g Knepp Wild Range raw salt beef

• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered

• 2 bay leaves

• 6 black peppercorns

• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 4 pieces

Béarnaise Sauce

• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 4 tbsp dry white wine

• 2 tsp finely chopped shallots

• 1 pinch of freshly ground pepper

• 2 organic egg yolks

• 110g butter, cut into 2cm cubes

• 1 tbsp tarragon leaves, finely chopped

Method

Salt Beef Sarnies

1. Heat a large heavy based frying pan to medium heat and add 1tsp butter. Add two slices of bread and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until crispy and golden. Repeat with the other slices.

2. Spread a generous layer of bearnaise onto one half of each sandwich.

3. Thickly slice the salt beef and add.

4. Top with a sparing layer of pickled onions (a little goes a long way)

5. Serve as an open sandwich or top with another slice of fried sourdough.

6. Eat immediately or wrap in greaseproof paper and transport to your favourite picnic spot in an airtight Tupperware.

Pickled Red Onions

1. Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix.

2. Allow to soften and pickle for at least 20 minutes before serving, or transfer to a sealed airtight container and keep for up to 3 days

Salt Beef

1. Place the salt beef in a large pan and cover with cold water.

2. Add the onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, and carrot.

3. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook until tender (approximately 1 hr 30 minutes).

4. Anything left-over will keep well in the fridge for 3 days

Béarnaise Sauce

1. Boil the first 4 ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan until completely reduced and the pan is almost dry but not browned.

2. Remove the pan from the hear and immediately add 1 tbsp cold water. Allow to cool for 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Whist in the egg yolks and return to a very low heat, adding the butter bit by bit and whisking continuously.

4. The sauce will gradually thicken, but if it shows signs of becoming too thick, or slightly scrambling, remove from the heat and add a little cold water.

5. Finally, add the tarragon and season

6. Use immediately.