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