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Corned beef

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

Beef

Beef Cut:

Brisket

Steak Type:

Corned beef

 

Corned beef is beef that is first pickled in brine and then cooked by simmering. Usually, cuts of meat are used that feature long muscle grain, such as the brisket.

The name "corned beef" is due to a coarse salt used in the pickling process. Corn originally meant grain, as in a small particle of something (in German "Korn" still has that meaning), and referred to the corns of salt.

 

In the United States and Canada

 

Katz's Deli in New York City serves large corned beef sandwiches.

Katz's Deli in New York City serves large corned beef sandwiches.

In the United States, corned beef is often purchased precooked at delicatessens. Perhaps the most famous sandwich made with it is the Reuben sandwich, consisting of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing on rye bread which is then grilled on a flat griddle or in a cast iron pan. It is served hot.

In certain regions, such as in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Corned Beef Special is a popular offering. It is served cold. It is made by first steaming the corned beef and topping it with cole slaw, and then placing both between rye bread that is coated with Russian dressing. The Corned Beef Special was first developed by Charles Weber at R&W Deli in Philadelphia in 1957. In most parts of the country today, Thousand Island Dressing will be used or a Russian Dressing which recipe more closely resembles it in that the dressing contains sweet pickle relish.

In the United States, corned beef is also associated with Saint Patrick's Day, when many Irish Americans eat a traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage. According to the History Channel [1], while cabbage has long been a traditional food item for the Irish, corned beef serving as a substitute for Irish bacon first became traditional in the late 1800s. Irish immigrants living in New York City's Lower East Side sought an equivalent in taste and texture to their traditional Irish bacon (similar to Canadian bacon), and learned about this cheaper alternative to bacon from their Jewish neighbors.

A similar dish is the boiled dinner, consisting of corned beef, cabbage, and root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, and potatoes, which is popular in New England and parts of Atlantic Canada.

The Saint Patrick's Day tradition caused controversy among American Catholic dioceses in 2000 and 2006, when the holiday fell on a Friday during Lent. Lenten custom dictates that no meat be consumed on Fridays during Lent, but some bishops granted dispensations to their dioceses for eating corned beef on St Patrick's Day. [2]

Corned beef hash is commonly served as a breakfast food with eggs and hash browns.

Smoking corned beef, usually with the addition of extra spices such as black pepper, produces a cold cut known as pastrami, or, in Canada, smoked meat. New York City delicatessens have traditionally added pastrami to the Corned Beef Special, above, calling it a "Corned Beef Combination" or "Corned Beef Club" if the two meats are separated by an additional slice of rye. Aficionados are divided in their opinion as to whether the separation of the meats by the bread enhances the sandwich by giving the palate separate flavor stimuli or detracts by preventing the two flavours to meld on the tongue.

In the United Kingdom

 

A can of corned beef

A can of corned beef

In the United Kingdom corned beef is commonly found in the canned form, and has next to nothing to do with the cured and boiled version. When served "loose" at a counter is sliced from canned meat, and can also be bought in smaller cans for consumption at home. It is usually regarded as a "cheap" foodstuff. Most of it is sourced from Brazil and Argentina. In the British Army and Royal Navy it has been a staple component of rations since before World War I, and is known as bully beef. It is common in the United States in this form, as well.

However, American style corned beef is also available in the United Kingdom from Jewish delicatessens, where it is known as salt beef, as it is in Newfoundland.

In Denmark

In Denmark, corned beef is alternatively known as either saltkød or sprængt oksebryst. Traditional uses of the two are distinctive:

In the Philippines

The most common way to cook corned beef in the Philippines is to sauté it with onions and diced potatoes. It can also be cooked as a soup, with chopped cabbage, or used as an ingredient in torta (omelet) or in Filipino spaghetti. It is normal for an entire family to share one can of corned beef for a special occasion. Cheap local corned beefs have texturized vegetable protein (TVP) added.

19th century corned beef recipe

This recipe appeared in the Household Encyclopedia:

Place the meat into a sealable tub, such as a large bucket. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over the meat. Seal the tub and optionally refrigerate for three to four days. Finally, slow-cook the meat until it reaches an internal temperature of 160-180°F, either in a crock pot set to low, an oven set to 225°F, or in a smoker.

References

 

 

 

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Corned_beef&action=history

http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html