"The Raw and The Cured" Cured Tenderloin of Beef

• MAKE-AHEAD

Ingredients

1. 2 cups sugar
2. 2 cups kosher salt
3. 8 black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
4. 1 teaspoon crushed dried jalapeño or other hot chile
5. 1 star anise pod
6. 1 cup fresh orange juice
7. 1/2 cup citrus-flavored vodka
8. 1/2 cup olive oil
9. 1 tablespoon soy sauce
10. One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
11. 8 fresh mint sprigs
12. 1 pound center-cut beef tenderloin

1. Combine the sugar, salt, peppercorns, jalapeño and star anise in a medium bowl and mix well. Add the orange juice, vodka, olive oil, soy sauce, ginger and mint sprigs and stir well. Pour into a glass or ceramic loaf pan or another pan or dish that would hold the beef snugly.
2. Add the beef to the loaf pan and turn it several times, rubbing the curing mixture into the meat; the beef should be buried in the curing mixture. Cover the beef with plastic wrap and weight it with a 28-ounce can or another heavy weight. Refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.
3. Remove the beef from the pan. Brush off the curing mixture and pat dry with paper towels. Wrap the tenderloin in plastic wrap and freeze for about 30 minutes, or until partially frozen. (This will make the meat easier to slice.)