Corned Beef At Home: Recipes, Tips, etc.

[kayb]

I would think the five days would be sufficient. I think the cutting them into individual ribs would be your preference; certainly if you DO, the five days will be plenty. If there's not a huge amount of fat, I'd leave it.

 

I looked at an eye of round roast to brine the other day at Aldi, and passed it up. May go back and get one. They make the best cuts for sandwiches.

[gfweb]

Brine curing time varies with the thickness of the meat.  I recall a 1 cm per day penetration rate. If so, a 2cm piece of meat would require 1 day to cure. we've talked about this issue before somewhere on eG.

[ElsieD]

40 minutes ago, kayb said:

I would think the five days would be sufficient. I think the cutting them into individual ribs would be your preference; certainly if you DO, the five days will be plenty. If there's not a huge amount of fat, I'd leave it.

 

I looked at an eye of round roast to brine the other day at Aldi, and passed it up. May go back and get one. They make the best cuts for sandwiches.

 

Thanks.  Eye of round does not get a lot of love on this forum but I have corned it, cooked it SV and thinly sliced, makes for pretty good sandwiches.

[chromedome]

13 hours ago, ElsieD said:

I picked up my beef short ribs today and my brine is cooling.  Ruhlman says to brine for 5 days.  Does brining short ribs change the brining time, does anyone know?  Also, what I have is what I was lead to believe was the full cut, which they cut in half lengthwise for me.  This brings me to two more questions.  Should I cut the ribs and brine them as individual ribs?  Also, they trimmed them fairly well but there are still some pockets of fat.  Should I trim this off?  Any advice appreciated.

The ones I bought were intact, in strips ~1 foot long.

[dcarch]

What do you guys do with the thick fat cap that you get on the corn beef? 

 

dcarch

[rotuts]

@dcarch

 

I don't use mine.

 

i know in the past you've ' deep fried ' it to get cracklings.

 

way too much work for me for a fairly low yield item in my Taste Book.

 

but glad you enjoy it.

 

 

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, chromedome said:

The ones I bought were intact, in strips ~1 foot long.

 

I just measured mine.  They are also a food long and about 4 1/4" wide.  Two of these pieces weighed 2.472 kg.

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, dcarch said:

What do you guys do with the thick fat cap that you get on the corn beef? 

 

dcarch

Carve it off.

[Porthos]

On 3/7/2019 at 10:04 PM, heidih said:

I just default to crock pot. Always works for me.

Kinda of low brow sous vide?

 

Crock pot on low, point cut CB, a can of Guinness and 8 hours make for a fine CB.

[Martin Fisher]

17 hours ago, gfweb said:

Brine curing time varies with the thickness of the meat.

 

And temperature of the meat, brine, etc.

And density of the meat muscle.

And connective tissue in or on the meat.

And fat in or on the meat.

And orientation of the muscle fibers.

And strength of the brine.

 

FWIW, here is a post of mine on equilibrium brining and a link to my curing calculator:

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/universal-cure-calculator.124590/

 

Edited March 11, 2019 by DiggingDogFarm (log)

[David Ross]

Just last week I was searching through my eG archives for a recipe for corned beef that I had posted.  Lo and behold I found it from way back in 2008 during our discussion of corned beef at home.  I'm too late now to make it for this week's celebration, but that's fine as a good corned beef is delicious any time of year.  And I hope my food photography has improved over the past 11 years.....

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/113064-corned-beef-at-home-recipes-tips-etc/?do=findComment&comment=1537296

[kayb]

That's damned pretty corned beef.

 

[David Ross]

2 hours ago, kayb said:

That's damned pretty corned beef.

 

Thanks.  I'm going to start one later this week. 

[scubadoo97]

Searching my freezer for a corned beef.  I’ve corned my own but the prepared ones are equally good.   I want to put one on my smoker soon.  

 

Just sold my business, and dealing with the death of my cousins 30 yo son this past week and getting medical insurance for my wife and my 91 yo mother dying  last month.  I need some normalizing  to keep me sane.  Shiva  for  his boy this week.  It’s been crazy.  To much information I know but I needed  to vent.  Cooking helps to keep me sane, that all is good in this world.  

[David Ross]

If I'm looking for a quick pastrami I'll buy a prepared corned beef then rub it heavy with a spice mixture for pastrami.  I use a digital smoker on the patio that uses "bisquettes" and I like to use hickory or mesquite chips and let it go for about 4 hours at 250 degrees.  Then I'll steam it a couple hours and slice for sandwiches.  Works pretty good for me as I live in a region with nary a decent deli for a few hundred miles in any direction.

[kayb]

1 hour ago, scubadoo97 said:

Searching my freezer for a corned beef.  I’ve corned my own but the prepared ones are equally good.   I want to put one on my smoker soon.  

 

Just sold my business, and dealing with the death of my cousins 30 yo son this past week and getting medical insurance for my wife and my 91 yo mother dying  last month.  I need some normalizing  to keep me sane.  Shiva  for  his boy this week.  It’s been crazy.  To much information I know but I needed  to vent.  Cooking helps to keep me sane, that all is good in this world.  

 

God bless you. Prayers for all, and may you find normalcy, comfort and corned beef.

[SLB]

I found a 3 lb "boneless shoulder roast" in my freezer, and I think I'm going to corn it.  It's late, but I've been out of town and, what the heck, better late than never.  I've never corned beef before; always bought it prepared.  

 

When I'm brining pork or turkey, I will usually put the meat into the brine frozen, and let it thaw in the brine.  But no one would consider my brines technically correct by any measure . . .

 

I'm planning to use a real corn recipe; but is there any reason not to start with frozen meat when corning beef? 

 

Assuming it's ok -- maybe add a day or two?

 

On Edit:  Nevermind.  I'm just going to thaw it.  

Edited March 12, 2019 by SLB (log)

[Tri2Cook]

On 3/10/2019 at 6:00 PM, ElsieD said:

Eye of round does not get a lot of love on this forum but I have corned it, cooked it SV and thinly sliced, makes for pretty good sandwiches.

I almost always use eye of round or top sirloin and follow the exact same process. Sous vide keeps it from being dry and I don't have the waste of all the fat I'm just going to carve out and throw away. But I won't be corning anything this year. At least, not for St. Patrick's Day. I have another plan in mind for that dinner.

[menuinprogress]

 

Pastrami slicing time!

[scubadoo97]

On 3/11/2019 at 4:13 PM, David Ross said:

If I'm looking for a quick pastrami I'll buy a prepared corned beef then rub it heavy with a spice mixture for pastrami.  I use a digital smoker on the patio that uses "bisquettes" and I like to use hickory or mesquite chips and let it go for about 4 hours at 250 degrees.  Then I'll steam it a couple hours and slice for sandwiches.  Works pretty good for me as I live in a region with nary a decent deli for a few hundred miles in any direction.

 

Pretty much my method as well.   I really like the steam finish

 

I did find one in the freezer yesterday and it went in the smoker this morning.  About a couple hours before  pulling it from the smoker and steaming it.   Pastrami sandwich  for lunch.  Just need to run out and pick up some decent bread 

[Alex]

Breaking Cat News chimes in about corned beef.

[scubadoo97]

Smoked a corned beef, steam finished in the oven.   Texas caviar for later in the week

[FeChef]

I am just tossing a frozen CB Point i bought last year @ .99/lb into the IP with a small head of cabbage, some celery, quartered russet potato's, some baby carrots, and a cup of water and calling it dinner. 

[rotuts]

My results for this year :

 

I PM'd  @dcarch to review the times he has used.    I have used 140 F for 24 - 216 and was happy w it for Point @ sale.

 

I decided to try 130 F for 24 then 135 F for 24.  I was wondering if some time at 130 f might decrease meat contraction.

 

I used my Igloo 30 Qt for the first time

 

https://www.target.com/p/igloo-contour-30-cooler/-/A-15373010

 

the foot print is not that much larger then the Coleman 16 qt

 

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-16-Quart-Excursion-Cooler-Blue/dp/B00GZQ80BE/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_vtp_ses_clicks_0_7/131-8559044-3212828?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00GZQ80BE&pd_rd_r=2a0467cd-2b25-4e5f-9234-b9475f69aad1&pd_rd_w=dciVZ&pd_rd_wg=cJ33j&pf_rd_p=05d75987-58ed-4d36-bbfa-515cd87e4ee3&pf_rd_r=12XBN1SBJTMN031E1YN9&psc=1&refRID=12XBN1SBJTMN031E1YN9

 

but its deeper.   I used the Anova bluetooth and it handled the extra volume fine.   I also used high end bubble wrap , w some clear packing tape around the edges to seal in the

 

water vapor.   the cooler and the bubble wrap worked fine w the Anova .  no water loss over 48 ++ hours

 

rapid cool in the sink w snow "

 

 

out of the pouches :

 

 

 

I forgot to rinse off the meat , thus the protein looking coolor on some of the surfaces   it does not effect taste ,

 

 

 

smoker set up

 

 

smoking in progress.  one your w applewood chips,  this is the first time I tried these , and the smoke seemed a bit harsh.  the snow on the top of the Weber

 

keeps the enclosure cool , as it was a mid 40's day , but sunny and the sun was warm !

 

 

finished smoking.  note the 1 Qt of ' Jus ' from the bags

 

I added two x 2 Tbs of jus to each bag.  thats a Cuisipo 2T coffee bean measure I no longer use for coffee.   I refrigerated the bags

 

I think 2 T of just went back into the meat while in the refrigerator .   I thad noted , even on cold smokes , the surface of the meat , both Turkey and CB  dry out a little

 

this solve that issue.  I refrigerate for a few days before I freeze so that some of that Jus can get back in the meat

 

 

bags ready for the freezer.   not that attractive looking , so I wont pass these around as Gifts.  notes made in the Red Notebo0ok to not forget a final rinse of the meat

 

next year.

 

tow different cuts all point :

 

 

and

 

 

both tasted fine

 

 

mise for a sandwich , on saurdough :

 

 

all in all I learned several things this year :

 

the 130 x 24 + 135 x 24  was not that different from 140 24 + as far as I can recall.   both made fine sandwiches  .  I have not tried this years crop as

 

a CB dinner.   I froze  6 oz of left over Jus in a brick to bring out when I make the potatoes / carrots / cabbage for a hot dinner in the iPot.

 

a final rinse is important for appearance sake be fore bagging for the SV cooking.   save the Jus and add to the new bags of cold-smoked CS

 

some will be reabsorbed.   the harshness of this particular pellet concerned me , but diminished after re-bagging for 24 H in the refrigerator 

 

it did not adversely affect the final sandwich.   from now on , Ill try to remember :  if the smoke is harsh , maybe only 30 min cold smoke.

 

the most important lesson for me is that the Igloo 30 qt is easy to use and well mated to the Anova / bubble wrap set up.

 

I could easily have added   6 - 7 full sized CB's   ( remember i trim them down ) to the 30 Qt w no issues at all. I used three  CB's here 

 

noted in an earlier post.    the 48 Hr cook was no problem at all and no extra work.  

 

clearly its time for me to retire the 48 at set-up upstairs using the SVMagic.

 

a P.S.: on the Igloo / Anova set up :    the Coleman 16 qt easily SV's  two whole 7 - 8 lbs Turkey breasts that I bone out , into 4 packs , 

 

the Igloo will easily hold at least twice that amount w only a sl larger foot print.

 

Its a fine set up if you SV in bulk as I do.

 

the small Coleman 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Excursion-Portable-Cooler-Quart/dp/B000G62SJE/ref=pd_bxgy_468_img_3/131-8559044-3212828?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000G62SJE&pd_rd_r=558a4aeb-48ce-11e9-969f-a1ee2b4b46aa&pd_rd_w=DSPBi&pd_rd_wg=uA4XL&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=F7WEFW220TY7C4941M8G&psc=1&refRID=F7WEFW220TY7C4941M8G

 

I use for small experiments and Re-Heats.

Edited March 17, 2019 by rotuts (log)

[Tri2Cook]

A few months ago, I cured beef chuck in the Ruhlman 5% brine, cooked it sous vide to get it nice and tender and tucked it away in the freezer. I took it out of the freezer yesterday before work. Today, I cut it into cubes and ran it through my meat grinder. The non-traditional twist on St. Patrick's Day dinner has begun. 



And the final mix... 2 lbs ground corned beef, 2 lbs fresh ground chuck, 6 oz grated butter and some black pepper.

Edited March 17, 2019 by Tri2Cook (log)