A SUPERB CORNED beef supper starts with selecting the right cut, preferably beef brisket or rump. (Make sure meat is indeed "corned beef" and that it is ready to cook not precooked and ready to eat).
The flavour of corned beef depends both on the ingredients in which it is brined and the liquid in which you cook it. Rinsing the beef under running cold water before cooking it removes excess brine on the surface of the meat. For a less salty taste, you can also soak the meat in cold water for an hour and drain off the water. Then parboil the corned beef in fresh water for a few minutes, drain and replace the water. Adding aromatic vegetables and pickling spices to the cooking water gives the corned beef even more flavour.
Once the meat is fork-tender, serve it hot or give it a baked-on glaze. Either way, corned beef needs only some coleslaw, fresh bread, and pie or fresh fruit to make a memorable meal.
SUCCESS TIPS:
Corned beef is safe to eat when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 160 degrees.
Colour is not a reliable indicator of doneness in corned beef, since preservative (nitrite) in the brine causes the meat to retain a rosy colour even when cooked.
Cutting very thin slices of corned beef for sandwiches is easier if the warm meat is placed into a bowl or glass loaf pan, covered with a plate or tray, weighted with a heavy object and chilled before slicing.
Simmering the beef with pickling spice greatly enlivens its flavour. Most brands of pickling spice include mustard seed, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaf, black pepper, ginger, red pepper, cardamom, turmeric and mace. To store corned beef, wrap it well and refrigerate it for up to three days or freeze it for up to three months. Leftover corned beef makes wonderful sandwiches.
Glazed corned beef with lentils (peas)
3 1/2- to 4-lb. corned beef brisket
1 medium onion, thinly slivered
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbsp. mixed pickling spices, tied in a 2 1/2-inch square of cheesecloth (optional)
1/4 cup bottled chili sauce or ketchup
Mustard-Honey Glaze (recipe below)
2 cups (about 12 ozs.) dried brown lentils (picked over, rinsed and drained) OR substitute split, black-eyed or gungo peas
Chopped parsley
METHOD
1. Rinse corned beef well under cold running water, then place in a 5- to 6-quart pot or Dutch pot. Cover with 8 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, discarding water. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic and cheesecloth bag of pickling spices; add enough fresh cold water to cover.
2. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer over very low heat until corned beef is very tender but not mushy and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees (approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours). Remove meat from cooking liquid, reserving
liquid. Remove and discard pickling spices.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place corned beef on rack in a roasting pan. Spoon Mustard-Honey Glaze over corned beef. Bake, uncovered, until well browned (30 to 40 minutes). Let stand at least 5 minutes before slicing.
4. Meanwhile, measure 3 cups of the cooking liquid (including some of the onion, carrot and celery) and return it to the pot in which the corned beef simmered. Mix in 3 cups water and chili sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add lentils, reduce heat to medium, and cook gently, uncovered, until lentils (or peas) are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed (30 to 35 minutes). Slice corned beef thinly and serve with lentils; sprinkle with parsley.
Serves 6 to 8.
Mustard-Honey Glaze
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 tbsps. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
METHOD
In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and ginger. Blend in mustard and honey.
Dilled Coleslaw
If red bell pepper is not in season, you can substitute 1/4 cup thinly sliced red-skinned radishes.
1 medium head (about 1 1/2 lbs.) green cabbage, thinly shredded
6 green onions (use part of tops), thinly sliced
1 sweet red or green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsps. finely chopped fresh dill or 1 tsp. dried dill weed
1 tbsp. each lemon juice (or 1/2 tbsp. lime) and white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
2 tbsps. olive oil
Chopped fresh dill, for garnish (optional)
METHOD
1. In large bowl, combine cabbage, green onions and bell pepper.
2. In another bowl, mix until smooth sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic, dill, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, sugar and white pepper. Using a whisk or fork, gradually beat in oil until well-combined.
3. Mix dressing lightly with cabbage mixture.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to blend flavors. Sprinkle with dill (if used) before serving.
Serves 6 to 8.
How corned beef got its name
Originally "Corned Beef and Cabbage" was a traditional dish served for Easter Sunday dinner in rural Ireland. The beef, which was salted or brined during the winterto preserve it, could then be eaten after the long, meatless Lenten fast.
Since the advent of refrigeration, the trend in Ireland is to eat fresh meats. Today this peasant dish is more popular in North America than in Ireland and is often eaten by Irish-Americans, and others, on St. Patrick's Day, Ireland's principal feast day, as a nostalgic reminder of their Irish heritage.
Corning is a form of curing; it has nothing to do with corn. The name comes from Anglo-Saxon times before refrigeration. In those days, the meat was dry-cured in coarse "corns" of salt. Pellets of salt, some the size of kernels of corn, were rubbed into the beef to keep it from spoiling and to preserve it.
Today brining the use of salt water has replaced the dry salt cure, but the name "corned beef" is still used, rather than "brined" or "pickled" beef. Commonly used spices that give corned beef its distinctive flavour are peppercorns and bay leaf. Of course, these spices may vary regionally.
Old-World Corned Beef
1 Beef Brisket, 5-8 lbs., trimmed off excessive fat (do leave some fat)
1 1/2 gallons (6 litres) fresh water
3 cups kosher salt, may require more after testing
4 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled
1 large onion, rough chopped
2 tbsps. whole mustard seed
2 tbsps. whole coriander seeds
1 tbsp. whole cloves
3 tbsps. whole peppercorns
2 large bay leaves
1 tbsp. thyme, whole leaves
METHOD
1. Use a large enamelled or stainless steel (not aluminium or cast iron) roasting pan or crock. Mix the salt and the water and stir for several minutes until all the salt is dissolved.
2. To test the cure for the proper amount of salt, place an uncooked egg into the brine. If the egg does not float, dissolve about 1/4 cup of salt at a time, testing with the egg after each addition to see if the egg floats. When the brine passes the egg float test, combine the remaining ingredients and add the brisket.
3. Submerge the meat using a heavy object such as another stainless steel pot or a non-porous ceramic plate or two. You want to make sure the brisket remains completely submerged at all times. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 days, turning the brisket once every other day. The thicker the brisket, the longer it will take to fully cure.
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Remove the corned beef from the brine, and discard the brine. Rinse the brisket thoroughly in cold water, and allow the brisket to soak in fresh water while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Corned Beef Brisket
1 bottle of beer (optional)
2 cloves of garlic, cut in half
1 onion, rough chopped
1 carrot, rough chopped
2 stalks of celery, rough chopped
1 tbsp. peppercorn
4 sprigs of thyme or 2 tsps. dried thyme
METHOD
1. Place the brisket in a pot with the beer and enough water to cover by about 1 to 2 inches.
2. Add ingredients and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover.
3. Cook for 2-3 hours or until the brisket is fork tender and pulls apart easily. Smaller thin briskets may take less time, but at least 1 hour.
Cabbage
Cabbage
Partially peeled new potatoes
Carrots cut into 2-inch pieces.
METHOD
Cook vegetables with briskets for an additional 20 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked to desired doneness. Remove the corned beef to a serving platter, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Serve with brown bread, lots of mustard, and plenty of beer.
Note: Freeze leftovers or use it to make sandwiches.
