Corned Beef At Home: Recipes, Tips, etc.

[heidih]

9 minutes ago, TdeV said:

So, I should rise and soak in cold water (3-4 hours)

or cook as per the suggestions on the bag?

----------------------------------

Instructions on bag:

Slow Cooker: Remove meat from package. Place meat in slow cooker and cover the roast with cool water. Set cooker on high for 4 hours or internal temp to 160°F. Let cool 20-30 min before slicing.

Oven: Preheat to 300°F. Remove meat from package and place on rack in pan, fat side up. Add 1" water to bottom of pan. Cover with contents of spice pack if desired. Cover pan with lid. Bale 1.5 - 2.5 hours, with 10 minutes left uncovered to internal temperature of 160°F. Let cool 20-30 minutes before slicing.

Reminder: We recommend that any juice in this package be used in cooking the product.

----------------------------------

To me, the juice in the package looks semi-solid, like very loose jello.

 

Advice?

I cooked one every year during a long marriage (he was 1/2 Irish). In the slow cooker on low, in the garage, whie I was at work. Potatoes in with meat. Never soaked. Potatoes took on lots of flavor and absorbed some of the salt I imagine. Just the ones the groceery store features this time of year. A no brainer. Not too salty, no mush. Cabbage we preferred as coleslaw. Adds tangy note plus crunch. Not MY favorite meal, but he loved it.

Edited March 17, 2022 by heidih (log)

[Dave the Cook]

Results seem to be hit-or-miss with papain-treated, store-bought corned beef (and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure there's such a thing as non-papain-treated corned beef in the meat case at your local grocery). Encouraged by rotuts' experiments and these photos of his, which show clear evidence of papain, we cooked one sous-vide last year, and again this year. I just pulled this year's out of the bath, and it's fine. This guy seems to do well, also.

 

And yet, @gfweb (and a few others, based on web accounts) have ended up with corned-beef mush. What gives? Any theories?

 

[gfweb]

17 minutes ago, Dave the Cook said:

Results seem to be hit-or-miss with papain-treated, store-bought corned beef (and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure there's such a thing as non-papain-treated corned beef in the meat case at your local grocery). Encouraged by rotuts' experiments and these photos of his, which show clear evidence of papain, we cooked one sous-vide last year, and again this year. I just pulled this year's out of the bath, and it's fine. This guy seems to do well, also.

 

And yet, @gfweb (and a few others, based on web accounts) have ended up with corned-beef mush. What gives? Any theories?

 

 

SV time and Temp might play a role.  I used 140 F which is right at the max activity of papain.  If you SVd at say 165 and shorter time, you'd be having less enzyme activity so less mush. 

 

Traditional simmering at around 200 would inactivate  the enzyme, so no mush at all.

 

I found a CB labelled "no papain " by the maker.  In a few days I'll try SV and see if it gets mushy too.

 

[Dave the Cook]

1 minute ago, gfweb said:

SV time and Temp might play a role.  I used 140 F which is right at the max activity of papain.  If you SVd at say 165 and shorter time, you'd be having less enzyme activity so less mush. 

 

I wondered about that. But I cooked (both times) at 142.5/42 hours. The lifehacker dude says 145/36 hours.

 

I'm interested in your papain-less CB.

[Duvel]

I did 10h @ 180 F (82 oC). Just pink salt, no tenderizers needed …

 

[TdeV]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

If you SVd at say 165 and shorter time,

 

How much shorter time?

[Shelby]

34 minutes ago, Duvel said:

I did 10h @ 180 F (82 oC). Just pink salt, no tenderizers needed …

 

Is that a mustard sauce?

[TdeV]

Sorry to belabour what must seem obvious, @gfweb @Dave the Cook @rotuts,

if my corned beef is covered in thick creamy stuff (presumably the papain, etc.) and a spice bag,

should I omit that creamy stuff in the sous vide cook?

 

And @Duvel, if that is mustard sauce, could you please give recipe?

[btbyrd]

Apart from the beef and the spices, anything else in the bag should go in the trash. Especially if it's thick and creamy. You might consider soaking the brisket for a few hours if it's not low-sodium.

[rotuts]

@TdeV 

 

Ive never had thick and creamy

 

is that fat ?  I have trimmed off fat that 

 

' didn't look so well '

 

bu it was sl grayish 

[TdeV]

No, rotuts, it's not fat. Thicker than water. I'll have to taste it to see if it's salty.

[rotuts]

@TdeV 

 

you can't see papain .  it's in solution 

 

you CB doesn't seem well to start off with

 

take a pic ?

[Shelby]

25 minutes ago, TdeV said:

No, rotuts, it's not fat. Thicker than water. I'll have to taste it to see if it's salty.

I know what you mean.  I have the same thing.  I don't rinse it--but I have mine in the slow cooker on low since early this morning.  It's like runny pinkish jello.

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, TdeV said:

Sorry to belabour what must seem obvious, @gfweb @Dave the Cook @rotuts,

if my corned beef is covered in thick creamy stuff (presumably the papain, etc.) and a spice bag,

should I omit that creamy stuff in the sous vide cook?

 

And @Duvel, if that is mustard sauce, could you please give recipe?

I suspect that the slime is hydrolyzed protein...like gelatin...but from papain action on the meat.

 

I'd wipe off the slime

Edited March 17, 2022 by gfweb (log)

[Dave the Cook]

Just now, gfweb said:

I suspect that the creamy stuff is hydrolyzed protein...like gelatin...but from papain action on the meat.

 

I'd wipe off the slime

 

That would be my guess -- and advice, too. But rotuts has a point -- a photo would be extremely helpful.

[Norm Matthews]

WikiTree has an app that lets you check on other people to see if you are connected.  It just recently expanded to go back more than 50 generations and yesterday they gave out some famous Irish people and their code numbers so anyone who as a tree on there can see if they have any connections.  Turns our I am a 49th great grand nephew of St. Patrick.  I guess eventually, if you go back far enough, everyone is related in some way.  

 

I always make my own corned beef brisket.  It has to be brisket.  Even though corned beef isn't Irish, Irish people who immigrated are associated with corned beef, probably because it was a cheap. The best thing about the next day is that there are going to be Rueben sandwiches.  The only new thing on our menu this year are soda scones.  They turned out really well and will become a regular.

[Shelby]

2 minutes ago, Norm Matthews said:

WikiTree has an app that lets you check on other people to see if you are connected.  It just recently expanded to go back more than 50 generations and yesterday they gave out some famous Irish people and their code numbers so anyone who as a tree on there can see if they have any connections.  Turns our I am a 49th great grand nephew of St. Patrick.  I guess eventually, if you go back far enough, everyone is related in some way.  

 

I always make my own corned beef brisket.  It has to be brisket.  Even though corned beef isn't Irish, Irish people who immigrated are associated with corned beef, probably because it was a cheap. The best thing about the next day is that there are going to be Rueben sandwiches.  The only new thing on our menu this year are soda scones.  They turned out really well and will become a regular.

How cool!!!  

 

Everything looks amazing.  Love the parsnips with the carrots.  What is the white sauce?

[heidih]

2 minutes ago, Shelby said:

How cool!!!  

 

Everything looks amazing.  Love the parsnips with the carrots.  What is the white sauce?

I'd hope for soiir cream/horseradish but maybe whipped butter

[Norm Matthews]

1 minute ago, Shelby said:

How cool!!!  

 

Everything looks amazing.  Love the parsnips with the carrots.  What is the white sauce?

Thanks.  The white sauce is 1 cup sour cream, 2Tablespoons scallions, 6 Tablespoons horseradish and 1 Tablespoon chopped dill pickle.

[Norm Matthews]

Just now, heidih said:

I'd hope for soiir cream/horseradish but maybe whipped butter

Often in the past, I have made Irish butter: it is butter, softened, then some Irish whiskey and sugar are whipped in.

[TdeV]

@rotuts @gfweb @Dave the Cook

The first photo is the sauce. Now that it's out of the fridge, it's much more like water. The dark spot in the middle is a flower motif painted on the pie plate.

 

It's a much fattier cut than I imagined. The bag calls it a Prime Point Brisket. I've removed some fat at the base of photo. I'm going to do the rest tomorrow because I'm feeling rushed and I don't want to cut myself.

 

The sauce is abominably salty. Maybe soak it in plain water overnight?

 

Other advice?

 

 

Edited to add that the package states that the sauce/water is included in the weight of th package which was 4.62 lbs (2095.60g). I measured 1247g beef, 553g fat, 338g (11.92 oz) water. (Theres 40g error in math). A lot of waste!

Edited March 18, 2022 by TdeV (log)

[gfweb]

2 hours ago, TdeV said:

 

How much shorter time?

 

Purely guessing. 2-3  hours if that papain-CB of mine is any guide.  I'd say better off to simmer it if papain-treated

Edited March 17, 2022 by gfweb (log)

[gfweb]

10 minutes ago, TdeV said:

@rotuts @gfweb @Dave the Cook

The first photo is the sauce. Now that it's out of the fridge, it's much more like water. The dark spot in the middle is a flower motif painted on the pie plate.

 

It's a much fattier cut than I imagined. The bag calls it a Prime Point Brisket. I've removed some fat at the base of photo. I'm going to do the rest tomorrow because I'm feeling rushed and I don't want to cut myself.

 

The sauce is abominably salty. Maybe soak it in plain water overnight?

 

Other advice?

 

The sauce is the juice in the bag from the store before cooking?

 

I throw that out.

[Dave the Cook]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

I throw that out.

 

FWIW, so do I.

[Duvel]

9 hours ago, Shelby said:

Is that a mustard sauce?

Yes, it’s Dijonnaise (60% Dijon mustard, 40% Kewpie mayo).