cooking instructions needed...

Mark Backer · March 2005

To all:[p]To celebrate her Irish heritage, my beloved decided to buy a 4-pound corned beef brisket (flat cut) pre-seasoned. [p]Any recommendations regarding time and temp?[p]Thanks in advance...

Unknown · March 2005

Mark Backer,
Well, since it is a brisket, cook it like one (you'd be makign pastrami, btw). Low and slow with indirect heat. I like to slice it thin and throw it on some rye bread with some horse-radish.[p]Brews,
Matt.

fishlessman · March 2005

Mark Backer,
irish corned beef is served as a boiled dinner. simmer until it softens with an onion and the water covering the beef. when it starts to get fork tender (about 3 hours) add root vegetables, potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, more onions. add cabbage at the end of the cook, after potatoes are soft.lots of butter and balsamic on the cabbage and beef. can be done in the egg, but maybe a soda bread cooked on the egg while the beef is simmering on the stove may be better. ive cooked a fair amount of corned beef like a brisket, too salty even when soaked in water for 24 hours. will be similar to a pastrami, but the spice blend is a bit off. still it makes a good sandwhich if sliced thin, if steamed or dropped in boiling water first. also makes good hash. serve everything with guinness, including the breakfast hash

Citizen Q · March 2005

Mark Backer,
I've tried corned beef on the Egg a few times, using different methods, but all came out pretty much the same, very, very salty and despite the Egg's magical moisture retainment properties, the hotter you go the drier the meat. The only good reason for doing a corned beef brisket on the Egg is to turn it into a pastrami: give the meat a generous rub of fresh garlic and a coating of fresh cracked coriander and black pepper then smoke it very low, 200 max, over mild wood chips or chunks such as maple or cherry, til you reach an internal temp of 180, then cool overnight before slicing.[p]If you are looking to give your wife a traditional Southie Irish corned beef dinner (recommended method) this is the way to go: Soak the meat in cold water for 45 minutes to an hour, changing the water twice, place the meat in a large stockpot on the stove top with enough cold water to cover and add 2 bottles of Guinness (or 2 cans of PBR or whatever beer you have on hand). If you have wire mesh spice balls or spice bags, fill 2 with the contents of the enclosed spice packet and add whole or chunk spices such as bay leaf, coriander, mustard seed, cinnamon, clove, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, anise and cardomom. You can make your own spice bags by cutting off a 4 inch square of cheesecloth and tying up the 4 corners tightly around your mixture. If you don't want to buy 12 bottles of spices that you might never use again, 1 jar of pickling spice will do the trick. You can substitute a splash or two of any of the above as ground spices, but whole is better.[p]Place the spice bags in the water/beer alongside the corned beef and bring the pot up to a simmer, NOT a boil, just until thin wisps of steam start rising and few if any bubbles in the water, about 190 degrees. Reduce heat to low and cover maintaining this slow simmer for about 4 hours, longer if doing larger cuts or 2 pieces in the same pot. The meat is done when you can fully insert the tines of a dinner fork into the meat and easily turn the fork. Remove the meat from the pot and place on your cutting board loosley covered in foil.[p]While the meat was cooking you should have prepared the following ingredients, small whole potatoes (red, white or yukon gold) 3-5 per person, 1 large yellow turnip cut into 1 1/2" cubes or 2 smaller red or purple turnips, 1 pound of parsnips cut into 3" pieces, 1 pound of carrots also cut to 3", and 1 large green or 2 smaller red cabbages, cut in half across the middle then quartered. If you are dead set against cabbage, fresh Brussles sprouts make a good substitution here.[p]After removing the meat from the pot, bring the heat up to a rolling boil and add the vegetables in that order, covering the pot and waiting about 1 minute between additions then reduce heat to medium low and let boil for about 8 minutes after adding the cabbage, or wait 3 minutes between the carrots and brussels sprouts and finish for 6 minutes. Drain and remove covered pot to a cool burner until ready to serve.[p]Slice the corned beef 1/4" or less and serve with a small variety of mustards and horseradish sauce. My favorite is to mix 2 parts spicy brown mustard to 1 part horseradish sauce and dab a little bit on everything. Have a nice loaf of bakery fresh French bread and butter on hand to mop up your plate.[p]If you simply MUST use the Egg to prepare this dinner, use it to warm the bread or some dinner rolls on the pizza stone.

Cheers,
C~Q

thirdeye · March 2005

Mark Backer,[p]As an alternate to simmering, you can prepare corned beef in a pressure cooker by bring to a simmer, skimming the foam, then cooking for about an hour and 15 minutes. [p]Still follow all of the excellent advice posted below about soaking for several hours, the spices and adding the veggies and the cabbage at the end. The corned beef will be very flavorful and quite tender.[p]~thirdeye~

fishlessman · March 2005

Citizen Q,
im north of boston and see corned beef both red and grey, do they have the grey in south boston. with the red its sometimes good to toss the first boil and then prepare the way you suggest.

Unknown · March 2005

fishlessman,
You are correct, red is usually referred to as Jewish Corned Beef and the grey is preferred for the Irish boiled dinner, the difference being that the red is cured with sodium nitrite (nitrate?) in the brine, while the grey is not. Grey is usually only readily available at St Patricks Day, but if you ask for it at your local supermarket throughout the rest of the year, they can usually get it for you within a couple of days. Pearl makes an excellent grey as well as red and they are right down in the South End/Roxbury area. The rest of the country, outside of metro areas with large Irish populations like Boston, New York or Chicago might have a bit more difficulty finding grey.[p]Cheers,
C~Q

Unknown · March 2005

Did anyone see the "display until March 8" issue of Barbecue and Beverage"? In it was a recipe entitled "Jim's Amazing Beef Brisket" (page 36) which starts by boiling a corned beef brisket with the corning spices as per pkg directions. Then he dries the meat, rubs it with olive oil and a paprika-ginger-cayenne rub and then... TRex's it to a brown crispy crust! We tried it with an uncorned (no nitrate) brisket, made up the boiling spices (don't remember what, just followed some recipe for corning beef,) and rubbed it with Ken Stone's Easy Life. The crust added a great touch. I think this will be our approach forever...

cooking instructions needed...

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