Corned Beef

[tommykendall]

PIcked up six points yesterday @ $0.57#

[jeffsasmokin]

Originally Posted by tommykendall

PIcked up six points yesterday @ $0.57#

Damn, TK - between you and Mista, I'm gonna have to move to Cali to get some of these meat prices ya'll have been getting!

[G$]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the preferred method of smoking a corned beef point? Am I wrong to think I can smoke it like any other brisket, but with less salt in the rub?

[Bigdog]

Originally Posted by G$

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the preferred method of smoking a corned beef point? Am I wrong to think I can smoke it like any other brisket, but with less salt in the rub?

That's right, no salt in the rub. I did one with the DP marinade and it came out great. Important to note, this will not taste like a reg. point. It is smoked corned beef.

[Neil]

Did you say no salt in the rub? Ooops! Oh well, live and learn.

[BigBelly]

I posted some really good recipes for making Homemade Corned Beef and Pastrami. Sounds like TK is going ot be in ladi-boy heaven in a few days, maybe a week!

[racer_81]

points here for $1.29 and flats for $2.49.

I'm waiting for the post-st.patrick's day corned beef sale.

All you gotta do is soak the salt out of them, right?

[jeffsasmokin]

Originally Posted by racer_81

All you gotta do is soak the salt out of them, right?

Good question! Are the corned beef briskets (other than size) somehow different from, say, a packer Brisket? I always thought they were the same except for the little seasoning packet that comes with them.

[Bigdog]

Originally Posted by jeffsasmokin

Good question! Are the corned beef briskets (other than size) somehow different from, say, a packer Brisket? I always thought they were the same except for the little seasoning packet that comes with them.

No, they are not the same thing. They seem to have been soaked in a brine, hence the salty taste. Marinating them in a sugary solution such as Dr. Pepper seems to take some of the saltiness out. Anyone else have an opinion here?

[david]

No opinion, but I can tell you from experience that if you don't soak the salt out... you get a big beef flavored salt lick.

I've read that you should soak it overnight in plain water (maybe changing the water once) to get rid of the excess salt.

[Neil]

Haven't sliced the one I smoked on Sunday yet. Sounds like I have one of those salt licks in my fridge.

[Bigdog]

I wonder if on reheating it, you could boil the salt out. Bad dog, said the B word, go to the dog house.

[FlCracker]

Corned beef is a pickled meat ,it is either brined or injected with pickling solution.The spice pack is pickling spices(same ones you can buy at a grocery store).Same basic idea as making regular pickles.


William
Woodhouse Grill

[parrothead]

Copied this from somewhere.

Hi all, since I have been asked a lot of questions in regard to SODIUM NITRATE and SALTPETER, I must say that as of April 12,2002 nothing has changed. Sodium Nitrate is still the best bet and Saltpeter is the other one. I have heard from the FDA, the meat industry and the University they have all said the same thing. A substitute is trying to be found. This is where patience comes in. When I hear something different, I will let everyone know.
Thanks to Glenn Schmidt and Dr. Martha Stone of Colorado State University, Virlie Walker of the FDA in Denver, CO and Cody Brown of Allied Kenco Sales in Houston, Texas. Without them, I wouldn't have an answer.

Corned meat originated in the town of London, England in 1725. It was invented by a man named John Wilson, a chemist. The real secret of producing true corned meat is known only by a very few people and they guard their secret very carefully. Although some cookbooks and food editors of magazines from time to time publish recipes for corning meat, these recipes are not even close to the real one. This is the first time the real authentic recipe for corning meat has ever been published.

You can corn venison, antelope, moose, bear or beef with this same authentic corning method. It makes all of these meats simply wonderful eating. People who will not eat wild meats just love them corned. Corning wild meats takes out all the musky wild flavor that most people do not like and even the toughest of wild meats becomes as tender as can be.

The canned corned meat called corned beef that you can buy in all our grocery stores is not corned beef at all but simply a poor a very poor preserved beef made in South America and sold under the label of corned beef.

In World War 1 this South American so-called corned beef was shipped to our fighting forces in Europe. They did not like it at all and gave it the nickname of "Corned Willie", meaning goat meat preserved by soaking it in corn whiskey. The name stuck. In corning beef no corn or corn whiskey of any kind is ever used.

In stores the fresh corned beef you can buy is never really good. Packing houses invariably take the brisket of beef which is the cheapest, poorest possible meat and corn it so they can get a high price for it.

Here are the ingredients to make up to 6 gallons of corning liquids. If this is too much, cut the recipe in half or if too little, double it.

10 ounces of sugar
2 1/2 ounces of sodium nitrate
3 pounds of salt
3 level teaspoons of pepper
1 level teaspoon of ground cloves
6 bay leaves
12 level teaspoons of mixed pickling spice
If you care for onions, mince one onion 3 inches in diameter
If you care for garlic, mince 4 garlic cloves.

Put the ingredients into a pickle crock or glass jar and add enough water to make a total of 6 gallons including the ingredients.

The ideal temperature for corning meat is 38 degrees. During the fall or spring months this is not too difficult to get. In the you can use an unheated part of your basement for corning meat. During hot summer months it is hard to find a place around 38 degrees. Higher temperatures will not affect the end result of your corning at all but for every 15 degrees of a higher temperature than about 38 degrees, add one-third more salt. At about 83 degrees for example, add 3 more pounds of salt making a total of 6 pounds of salt used.

Now place your meat into the liquid. If it tends to bob up, put a heavy plate on it smaller than the inside of the crock to keep it down. Cover well. A good piece of the round is wonderful corned but you can take poor pieces of meat like the brisket and corn it to make it easier to eat.

Let the meat remain in the corning liquid for fifteen days. On the fifth and tenth days stir the liquid well and remove the meat and put it back in a reverse position. After the fifteenth day remove the meat. Use what you want for immediate use and store the balance in a cool place.

The meat at this stage has a dull unappetizing color but pay no attention to this. When cooked, corned meat turns a beautiful fresh red meat color that is very, very appetizing.

[jeffsasmokin]

Here! Here! Professor Greg!!!!!! Lest I must say, I am impressed! Thank you for taking the time to research this subject and share it with us in a post. Very interesting reading.

Am I to understand that the reason the meat will not turn rancid in 86* temperatures for 15 days is that it is in essence, being salt cured? Would this also be why store bought smoked Ham's always have a reddish color thoughout the meat, unlike what we can acheive with a Fresh Ham in the smoker? Just curious?