Another miss on Corned Beef :(

13 years ago

I love corned beef, I cook it a few times a year, but the last say 3 years have all been misses. I always boil. Once I used a slow cooker and it was very salty. I like it a bit salty, but it was too salty even for my salt loving husband. I got a dutch oven for Christmas, a 7 quart and a 5 quart. Today I had a 4.41 pound corned beef. I used the 7 quart. One beer and covered the meat with water. I keep the "sauce" that comes with the bag and used the spices that come with it. Brought it to a boil, and then dropped it to a simmer. I started it at around 2:15. At 5:00 I added 7 medium sized potatoes in very large chunks and 24 pre-cut carrots. At 5:45 I took out the meat to rest, and put in half of a cabbage in wedges. Brought it almost to a boil. The flavor was meh. It wasn't very salty at all, they veggies were cooked just fine and tasted nice. But the juice was bland and boring. I read another thread on here, and read that cooking corned beef requires no skill at all :(. I think I have skill, lol!!! Can anyone help, what am I doing wrong??? Thanks, Christy

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Comments (11)

Teresa_MN
13 years ago
I've found the brand often times makes a difference. And a higher priced brand is not necessarily less salty.

Have you experimented with different brands?
Olychick
13 years ago
I love corned beef too and two years ago I discovered Trader Joe's cb. It's really the best supermarket corned beef I've ever had, but it's only available around St. P's day. So last year I bought a couple extra to put in the freezer. And I cooked them in bake in bags. They were all perfect. The right amount of salt, not soggy from boiling, just roasted deliciously! I think I followed the recipe from the bag package for timing. So if you have a TJ's near you, try one at St Patrick's day and see what you think.
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Botulism isn't usually a concern if its cured with nitrates/nitrites. The 'Prague' is adding nitrites (and nitrogen) to the meat and has a preservative effect, which makes it stay pink. They use these in pepperoni, and you have probably seen pepperoni and other meats that are not even refrigerated, like some specialty sausages and even summer sausages. Because you don't have good control over the amount or salt and nitrites/nitrates in the Morton Tender Quick, it tends to be suitable for those who are not too concerned if its overly salty, or just want to give it a simple single try. When I make this brine, its usually the meat that gets weighed and the brine amount its based on the salt and Prague (nitrites/nitrates) and water. Here, I do use measuring devices, as its important to get the right amount of salt, and after curing if its too salty its hard to remove it. Prague is also got pink color and salt added so its not just pure nitrites/nitrates. If it were, it would be about 1/8 the amount that is in a tablespoon of Prague. They do this so that its easier to measure or weigh the nitrites/nitrates, and you are less likly to over do the amount. Soaking the meat for that long (2 weeks!? )is too much time. No matter what the books say. I use a meat pump, an oversized hypodermic needle and syringe and inject the brine into the meat. Because a brisket is quite thin, it needs very little brining, maybe 2-3 days tops. A very low, slow cooking is essential for a tender result. In this forum are many sources for the nitrites and nitrates and other curing supplies as well as links to recipes. Corned beef is also made into pastrami, by coating the outside with the same pckling spices and baking very slowly like 6 hours at 250 degrees. Usually the nitrates are used for longer, slower air curing, and nitrites are used for fast curing like sausages and corned beef. They also identify these as Instacure #1 and Instacure #2. Here, I don't use a pickling spice mix per se, but instead grind up peppercorns, mustard seed, coriander, bay leaf, celery seed, dried garlic, onion, and a few other spices (done in a small blender type coffee grinder) THis spice mix is also added to the brine. Suggest that uou remove it from the brine now, and rinse it off well, then either simmer to cook it very slowly for several hours, or bake at a very low 200-250 degree oven, covered, for about 4-6 hours. The internal temp should eventially reach about 160. I have even made a great pastrami from very lean eye of the round, which in itself tends to be quite tough. Not sure if you actaully tasted the brine before it was soaking the meat, but if it was overly salty, it may result in that same end result. Years ago, before I started making cured meats, my mom had gotten a recipe off a package of Morton Tender Quick to make a hamburger type pepperoni that was wrapped in aluminim foil like a big sausage and baked. It did turn out quite interesting, but was a bit salty. I still have that almost full bag of Morton Tender Quick here, for nearly 30 years now, and have not used any since. Lots of good info on nitrates and nitrites at this link to: http://www.butcher-packer.com/pages-document_general_info/product-743/nitrite-and-nitrate-curing-salt.html Here is a link that might be useful: Butcher Packer
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There will be plenty of leftovers, that Reuben Dip looks to die for! I found a recipe for a Reuben Casserole that looks good too: From Jan Iowa Reuben Casserole 6 slices Rye bread 2 T butter or Margarine 8 oz. cooked ham cut in cubes or strips (I used corned beef) 1 cup shredded swiss cheese 1 cup rinsed and drained sauerkraut Spread one side of bread slices with butter, stack and cut into cubes. Place in greased 12X8X2" dish and add meat, cheese and sauerkraut and toss together. 3 eggs 1 cup milk 1 t salt 1/4 t peppet 1T mustard Wish eggs, milk, mustard salt & pepper together and pour over bread and bake at 350ÃÂº 30 to 35 min or until lightly brown and well set.
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Marilyn, you're welcome. :-) This is another one I like with corned beef. Like the Horseradish Sauce, you can decrease amounts to make less. Mustard Cream Sauce Makes About 3 1/4 cups 2 T. butter 2 T. flour 2 cups broth from cooking your corned beef and vegetables 1 cup heavy cream 1 T. prepared horseradish sauce 2 T. whole grain mustard (or add to taste) 2 T. fresh chives, minced To make the roux: Melt the butter in small sauté pan, then slowly stir in the flour and cook over low heat for about a minute, stirring constantly. To finish the sauce: In a small pot, bring the stock, cream, horseradish and mustard to a low boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and slowly add the flour/butter, a little at a time, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the chives.
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One more sauce I’ve made for it. Recipe courtesy of Bristol Farms here in SoCal. This also makes a lot but easy to reduce. Mustard Cream Sauce Makes about 3 1/4 Cups 2 T. butter 2 T. flour 2 cups broth from cooking your corned beef and vegetables 1 cup heavy cream 1 T. prepared horseradish sauce 2 T. whole grain mustard (or add to taste) 2 T. fresh chives, minced For the roux: Melt the butter in small sauté pan, then slowly stir in the flour and cook over low heat for about a minute, stirring constantly. To finish the sauce: In a small pot, bring the stock, cream, horseradish and mustard to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and slowly add the flour/butter, a little at a time, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the chives.
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deegw
13 years ago
I cooked corned beef today too. I got a lower sodium version and it turned out pretty good. I usually rinse my brisket but besides that I prepare it exactly the same way as you. However, I never use the juice/ cooking liquid. Mine always gets kind of scummy and never looks very appetizing to me.

I serve corned beef with grainy mustard which probably covers up a multitude of sins.

I supposed it you wanted to do some sort of gravy you could thicken the cooking liquid with flour and then season it or cook it down.
Teresa_MN
13 years ago
olychick - I will give TJ's a try. Costco sold the Vienna Beef brand corned beef until 2 years ago. It was excellent and not salty at all. And they had more than one cut available. Their flat cut was well trimmed and not fatty at all.

I will give the TJ's CB a try. I was thrilled with the organic chicken legs I bought yesterday.
colleenoz
13 years ago
I rinse my corned beef before putting it in a large pot with a litre of ginger ale and topped up with water. A few peppercorns and that's it. Simmer until done, adding vegetables at the right times depending on the size of the beef. Serve with hollandaise sauce with a generous dollop of wholegrain mustard mixed into it, yum. Leave any remaining beef to get cold in the cooking water before removing to the refrigerator. I always cook double the vegetables to make hash the next night :-)
christy2828
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for all of the suggestions, I've not considered the brands!! I've moved three time in the last 3.5 years, so different grocery stores. I had a commissary in Maryland and was making a really nice CB up there. It was the whole thing, not just the flat cut, like the fat :). Then in FL I bought at Publix and here in NC there is Farm Fresh. There is a TJ's an hour North of me, along with Target and an actual mall. Also some commissaries in Norfolk. I'll start paying attention to the brand. I've always wanted to wash off the brisket, but thought I was supposed to keep it. I dislike that nasty floating stuff that it creates, from now on I'll be washing it off!!! Christy
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
13 years ago
Also, it's easy to make your own.

dcarch
Susan Lane
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Use beef broth and water instead of beer and I've been very disappointed in my cb from Publix the last couple of years. Looking for a better brand. Any suggestions?
Olychick
9 years ago
Trader Joe's is great!
sarah_socal
9 years ago
I have been very happy with Boar's Head's CB - come out this time of year.

I will have to try the TJ version.
User
9 years ago
Worth trying?

What if You Could Make Great Corned Beef?

Exactly! What if you could make a great corned beef? What if you could make it taste the way it does not in the Irish pubs of memory but in the reality you sometimes see in the hot baths of Jewish delicatessens, where it sits aside pastrami, its smoked and spiced cousin: ruddy pink and salty and fatty and meltingly sweet?

Homemade Corned Beef

Another miss on Corned Beef :(

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Teresa_MN

Olychick

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Another miss on Corned Beef :(

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