It takes about two weeks to make corned beef from scratch

[gfweb]

I just checked my book. I do 60C for a day and a half to 2 days with top round or brisket. Usually 2 days.

[rotuts]

I do these cuts two ways, depending on how I want to eat them:

 

140 - 145 for 24 hours.   this method is for cold thin cut, in sandwiches.

 

if I want something for a 'corned beef dinner, Ill add time to the above as does gf.

 

if it gets too tender, its difficult to handle for The Sandwich, which the thin slicing takes care of 'not quite fork tender.  

 

if its fall apart tender, the sandwich falls apart .   

 

there is little change in flavor, just texture.  for The Sand.  Id like a Bit of a Bite.  Just a Bit.  not real work.

 

Sales around here:  1.69 point cut, some nice 'flat' pieces in this bin. These are the ones I look for. have 6 so

 

far in the fridge.

 

will clean out the frig and go back Mon. and get at least another 6 or more.

 

Im a big fan of my method:  de-external fat / soak in cold water to de-salt / 24 140 / 2 hr 130 Weber Smoke

 

rebag.  Freeze.  makes fine summer eatin'

 

understanding that after the smoke step its not really 100 % pasteurized.  gets treated as such after The Thaw.

Edited March 9, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[scubadoo97]

Yeah, I know slicing a tender cut of brisket can be a problem.  I most often cool then slice and resteam the sliced meat for sandwiches.  taste like it was just made

[rotuts]

there is one drawback to SV CB:  this may be a minor one or a major one, depending on your tastes:

 

you don't get the CB 'broth' to cook the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage in.  Not so important for the Sandwich, but

 

de regueur for traditional USA CB Dinner.

[alanz]

It's true that you don't get the broth. However you can look at it another way : the flavor stays in the meat instead of being lost to the 'soup'

[rotuts]

true enough.  the SV world is too small to support a 'Boxed CB Broth for Veg'

[Norm Matthews]

Some of the 'flavor' drawn out of the corned beef is saltiness from the brine.  The 'soup' is seasoned, not just plain water and that adds flavor to the vegetables as well as additional flavor to the meat. 

Edited March 9, 2014 by Norm Matthews (log)

[rotuts]

it would be interesting to know what that 'corned' flavor is, if you get the drift.

 

take out the salt.  its meat 'jus' plus what ever else is used in the brining.

 

that 'jus' is not the same as the 'jus' that would come out of same cut of meat non-brined

[Norm Matthews]

Saltiness in home-corned beef is analogous to country cured ham.  Ham is skinned, soaked in hot water for around 24 hours, water changed, then boiled, baked, sliced and sometimes simmered in water again to decrease the saltiness.  The result is ham, not leg of pork.  Corned beef is cured beef, not roast beef. 

Edited March 9, 2014 by Norm Matthews (log)

[alanz]

All I can say is that we haven't boiled a corned beef in the last 20 years.  As mentioned, I'm not trying to make corned beef soup... look what happens to the flavor of a chicken's meat when cooked in water (it makes soup).

 

So we've cooked CB (that we typically corn ourselves) in one of thee ways.  

1. Smoked (coated with ground black pepper and coriander seed, to make a pastrami-like result)
2. Steamed 
3. Roasted  (typically glazed at the end with a mixture of currant jelly, mustard, brown sugar)

When we want cabbage and potatoes, we cook those separately.   If we wanted saltier, corning spices in the vegetable water... we'd simply add those spices to the water.

 

All I'm saying is that I see no reason to give up any beef flavor to the water. 

Your actual mileage may vary.

Edited March 9, 2014 by alanz (log)

[dcarch]

Every time I try to make my own corned beef, corned beef goes on sale for $1.77 a lb, and brisket at $4.75 a lb.

 

dcarch

[Norm Matthews]

There was a minor revolt in my family one year when I said I thought I'd just buy a corned beef  instead of making one from scratch.  

[scubadoo97]

Every time I try to make my own corned beef, corned beef goes on sale for $1.77 a lb, and brisket at $4.75 a lb.

dcarch

Unlike past years this year $3.89/lb. maybe after St Patricks day when they go on mark down. Clearly the homemade was better but hard to justify the cost difference

[Norm Matthews]

I did some checking at the Costco website and brisket was 2.73/lb while corned beef brisket was 3.25/lb. 

[dcarch]

Pathmark - corned beef $1.78 a lb, cabbage $0.17 a lb.

 

Shoprite - corned beef $1.99 a lb, cabbage $0.17 a lb.

 

Stop&Shop - Corned beef $1.79 a lb, Cabbage $0.19 a lb (last year $0.07 each!)

 

A&P - corned beef $1.99 a lb, cabbage $0.17 a lb.

 

I will be clearing the freezer. No way I will be making my own. 

 

dcarch

[Norm Matthews]

Darch, I am always in awe of the great food prices you find.  I didn't find anything that compares here in Kansas City when I went looking for a bargain on corned beef today.  If I could find any at those prices, I'd get some for the freezer to use later in the year for sandwiches, hash and colcannon.  However once a year in March I always make it at home because St. Patrick's Day is a special meal for us and homemade is so much better that it is worth the extra effort once in a while.  You seem to be such a perfectionist, that I am surprised that you would use store bought but I can understand it. Most people use store bought and New York has those legendary deli's. 

 

Just for comparison here is what I found out here in the midwest today. I found that there is deli corned beef, corned beef in a bag-ready to cook and corned beef in 15 ounce cans.  The deli corned beef is uber expensive, not made with brisket but top round and is good for sandwiches.  Canned corned beef is not very good at all and I avoid getting it unless i am really lazy and plan to make it with eggs.  Finally the corned beef brisket in a bag, ready to cook is very good but we can tell the difference.

 

So at Price Chopper, deli corned beef was $9.99 a pound, in a bag was on sale for $3.49/lb and canned was $1.87 for a 15 ounce can.

Aldi didn't have a  deli but the bagged ready to cook corned beef was not on sale but still $3.49/ lb and the canned was $1.89

 

Hen House Market where I usually shop had top round corned beef in the deli for $12.49/ lb.  Bagged corned beef brisket on sale for 3.49/lb and 15 oz can corned beef for 1.94. 

 

Brisket at Price Chopper was the best deal at 3.99/ lb.  Aldi didn't have brisket and Hen House was the worst at 7.99. I did not think to notice whether Price Chopper and Hen House had different grades though.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Norm Matthews (log)

[rotuts]

I think the CB sales are in areas thought to have a 'significant' Irish population.

 

a Wiz would compare the prices in Cities w a St.P parade and those w/o.  wonder how they go in CHI.

 

Clicky-clicky.

 

dcarch's Stop&Shop is pretty pricey.   My S&S outside BOS sells the same thing for $1.69.  that's a $ 0.10 / lbs savings.

 

more 'Irish' around BOS?

 

I stopped by S&S and got 10 nice looking packs.  keeps in refirg for 2 months pre cook.

 

my savings total was :  $ 56.15.  Id have gotten more but having a bit of 'SV Congestion'

 

I might take my savings a move up one shelf at TJ's on a case of wine .

 

take a look at this beauty.  All are like this  3.01 lbs  $ 5.09  :

 

Edited March 10, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[Norm Matthews]

Kansas City had a lively Irish Day parade tradition in the 19th century but it died out until in 1973 when Dan Hagerty, Mike Murphy and Pat O'Neal decided to resurrect it and walked 1 1/2 blocks from the Continental Hotel to Hagerty's Cocktail Lounge for drinks.  It has grown somewhat since then. 

 

http://kcirishparade.com/history/the-modern-parade

Edited March 10, 2014 by Norm Matthews (log)

[rotuts]

they have green beer?  a must.

 

nice ref.  thanks.

 

and the sale on CB there is ????

Edited March 10, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[dcarch]

Guys, a quick tip, if you had not realize this already.

 

Trim the thick fat cap off, cut in small pieces and fry to render the fat out. The remaining "cracklings" are more delicious than bacon.

 

Try it!

[rotuts]

Ill be trying this this year.

[Norm Matthews]

I don't know if there was any green beer that first year. I think they had a green calf in the parade a few years later. All the CB I found was $3.49/ lb.  

Edited March 10, 2014 by Norm Matthews (log)