3 lb Beef Brisket or Beef Tongue

      1 qt Cold Water

      2 ts Pickling spices; minus the

           -red pepper. or with them
      5    Garlic Cloves; chopped

      4    Bay Leaves

      3 tb Salt

      1 ts Saltpeter; seenote

           -or
      1 ts Ascorbic Acid

   Seenote; saltpeter, controversy about the use of this item makes me add a
  substitute.
   From a well known source I quote; " Use Pure crystalline ascorbic acid
  (Vitamin C) instead of saltpeter because pure ascorbic acid can't do you an
  iota of harm. Use at the rate of 0.05 percent of the weight of meat, which
  works out to 1 gram of crystalline ascorbic acid for every 4.5 pounds; or
  rounding it off, to 1/4 teaspoon for 5 pounds, 1/2 teaspoon for 10 pounds,
  and so on. Add the ascorbic acid to either the dry cure or the Brine."
  This from "Putting Food By" a resource for storing and preservation by the
  team of Hertzberg, Vaughn, and Greene.
   Buy the brisket well marbled with fat. This is cheaper cut, usually, but
  turns out to be more suitable for this recipe. Use the exact recommended
  weight of meat because the other ingredients are calibrated for this. Be
  especially careful when measuring saltpeter; use exactly the amount listed.
  Place the meat in a deep glass bowl or a stoneware crock. Pour the quart of
  water into another glass bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, mix together,
  and pour over the meat; add enough water to cover. Tightly cover and
  refrigerate. It is best to keep this in the coldest part of the
  refrigerator. Mark your calendar: For best results, marinate for 19 days.
  Every 2 days turn the meat, using wooden spoons. Add water if necessary,
  but ONLY A LITTLE BIT, or the meat might spoil. At the end of the pickling
  period, discard the pickling water, and wash the meat with cold water. It
  is ready to cook