Jump to content

  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Smoked Corned Beef

col klink

By col klink
in Cooking

 Share

Recommended Posts

col klink

col klink

Posted
Posted (edited)

Howdy folks,

As you may or may not know, St. Patty's day is coming up and corned beef briskets are coming out of the woodwork here. If anyone would like to try my smoked corned beef brisket either post here or pm me like we've done for my kielbasa endeavors.

Here's the deal, you pay for the meat, the vacuum bag and shipping and I'll smoke it and mail it out to you. Donations are accepted too. :biggrin::biggrin: St. Patty's Day falls on a Monday this year so I'll smoke everything up on Saturday the 8th and ship on the following Monday. Shipping runs $3.85 and a pound of finished product will run about $6 to $10. It's hard to gauge exactly how much shrinkage there is in the smoking process.

A few of you have tried the smoked corned beef brisket and you know that it's a completely different animal than your regularly prepared corned beef brisket. Mine is more like a pastrami but a lot smokier and less peppery with the added bonus that he brisket fat is very smooth and almost the best part. Here are some user comments:

Fat Guy:

Armed with about a couple of pounds of Klink's smoked corned beef brisket and a smaller amount of smoked lamb, the friends I was staying with and I made hash and eggs the next morning for breakfast. Thanks to Klink's raw materials, I believe this was perhaps the greatest hash event in the history of the universe. The smoky flavor of the meat got all into the potatoes, onions, and everything else. A bit of heavy cream combined at the end, plus a couple of poached eggs on top and I was in heaven.

Jason:

Jason: "Ok, so you gotta make some bacon"

Klink: "Yeah, bacon is great"

Jason: "Seriously, bacon."

Klink "Ok, I think I can make some."

Jason: "Your only mission in life from now on is to make bacon"

Yes, this sounds like Jason. Then again, I've heard he likes Corned Beef too. :biggrin:
Agreed. But I don't think Jason normally likes Corned Beef - he probably liked Klink's though.
Its true, I'm not really a corned beef kind of guy, but Klink's was so smoked that it really wasnt corned beef any more, it was like a chunky beef bacon.

It was not inspiration but rather desperation that initially led me to smoke corned beef brisket. I was having a case of the shakes for brisket, but unlike Texas, Seattle does not have a ubiquitous supply of fresh brisket in every grocery store. So, I bought the only brisket I could find and smoked it. I didn't even like it at first so I saved it for the next day and brought it over to my buddy's place where in a whole mess of people dove into it. Now, I just love the stuff and so has anyone who's tried it.

I primarily serve it as an appetizer or make sandwiches out of it. Or you can do as Fat Guy did and make hash and he's right, it makes for some damn fine hash. If you'd like to give it a whirl, let me know!

edit: I recalculated a lower estimated cost.

Edited by col klink (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
col klink

col klink

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Me again folks, after some further number crunching, I don't see the final product being higher than $8/lb. Secondly, I didn't say how I was going to ship! I have a vacuum sealer, and as soon as the brisket (or any other meat I'm planning on shipping) has cooled, I seal it right up. So to allay any fears of spoilage, this brisket is fully cooked (just like regular Texas beef brisket), smoked (a form of presevation) and then vacuum sealed to make sure no oxygen can reach it. The flat rate shipping will deliver it within 2 to 3 days.

I've been shipping smoked meat, mostly kielbasa, but aslo brisket, turkey, pork shoulder and even lamb for the last six months without any problems. Well, that is nobody's complained so far!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
nightscotsman

nightscotsman

Posted
Posted
I've been shipping smoked meat, mostly kielbasa, but aslo brisket, turkey, pork shoulder and even lamb for the last six months without any problems. Well, that is nobody's complained so far!

Dead men tell no tales.

KIDDING! Klink's smoked brisket is awsome. And like he says, the fat is really the best part. Last party he served some I just wanted to camp out by the platter and eat it by the handful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
col klink

col klink

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Just a little update (and to bring the thread up to the top), I so far have 8 people signed up for smoked corned beef brisket. Keep 'em coming folks!

At this rate I'll actually smoke on two days, next Friday as well as Saturday!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jinmyo

Jinmyo

Posted
Posted

I'd order some mon colonel, but once it hits the Candian postal system it could be a loooong time in transit. :sad:

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

Link to comment
Share on other sites
col klink

col klink

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Heron, I'd be happy to smoke you up a small portion.

Jinmyo, tomorrow morning I'm dropping in on the post office to see how much it is to ship to Ontario for another user. I'll let everyone know the results.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jinmyo

Jinmyo

Posted
Posted

Thank you, colonel.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Stone

Stone

Posted
Posted

Can you splain what smoked corned beef is? I thought the corning process required boiling the brisket with salt-peter (or something like that to explain why the Irish . . . . ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
col klink

col klink

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Corning beef is brining it with salt (corn refers to the size of salt granules, typically the size of a kernel of corn) and with other spices and herbs. It's a reletively stiff brine, one with enough salt to float an egg. Commercial brines include salt peter as a preservative and it also makes the meat bright pink. The meat is left in the brine for up to two weeks but I know a local butcher that only brines for a week.

Most people boil it for three or four hours for two reasons, pulling out excess salt and breaking down the tough meat. Some folks will also substitute half of the cooking water with beer.

I prefer my corned beef brisket, like any other tough cut, smoked for long periods of time. It breaks down the brisket better than boiling, simmering or braising yet leaves it whole at the same time. Plus all that smoke flavor and the crisped edge fat as well as the internal fat is really, really damn good. Smoking concentrates meat flavors versus simmering which leaches out flavors. Who the hell wants that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
col klink

col klink

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

To the Candadian folks: $7 (US) flat rate global and it will get there in 5 days. This smoked meat is pretty sturdy and it's even more so in a vacuum sealed bag. I have confidence that it will make it to you. If it comes spoiled, I'd be happy to wave the charges.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
pixelchef

pixelchef

Posted
Posted

Count me in klink.

Could you please PM exactly how much I should send you? I have no clue as to how you go about weighing and stuff. Do we order by-the-brisket.. or?

I'm new to this type of thing. A corned beef virgin, if you will. Be gentle. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites
col klink

col klink

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

The fresh briskets come in 3 and 4 lb packages and when finished will be 2 - 3 lbs. Since shipping here in the states is $3.85, final cost should be between $15 and $20. Sorry I wasn't clearer above!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...