To Corn Beef

From 1913:

Put two or three pounds of the under part of a round into the bottom of a pot; season with pepper and salt (just enough for a thin layer of salt and a dash of pepper). Put some of the seasoning into the pot first, then the beef and sprinkle that with both. Add a little piece of saltpeter. Too much make, the meat hard.
I make sure the beef is sufficiently salted; then cover some inches deep in cold water. Set in a cold place and keep covered. In five days the meat will be pink all through and ready to eat.