Is it really beef? And what process is corning? I've heard of pickling food, but that's the only thing I've ever heard of that is corned. I'm not talking about hash, just the corned beef part.
2007-01-11 07:21:28 · 4 answers · asked by crystal 3 in Food & Drink ➔ Ethnic Cuisine
Corned beef is a tough piece of meat that has been pickled or cured in a brine that contains really coarse salt (ie "corns"). Then it is boiled in more salty water so that the tough cuts of meat are gradually broken down.
If you've ever had beef brisket, it's slow roasted for at least 12 hrs b/c the piece or meat is a horrible cut. It's fatty and tough if not cooked long. By slowly cooking it, it makes it more tender, and after 12 hrs, it falls apart with a fork. If you take a look at corned beef, it shreds if you cut it the wrong way. That's b/c corned beef is usually beef brisket, just prepared with lots of salt to tenderize it.
2007-01-11 07:29:43 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Corning is a form of curing; it has nothing to do with corn. The name comes from Anglo-Saxon times before refrigeration. In those days, the meat was dry-cured in coarse "corns" of salt. Pellets of salt, some the size of kernels of corn, were rubbed into the beef to keep it from spoiling and to preserve it.
Today brining -- the use of salt water -- has replaced the dry salt cure, but the name "corned beef" is still used, rather than "brined" or "pickled" beef. Commonly used spices that give corned beef its distinctive flavor are peppercorns and bay leaf. Of course, these spices may vary regionally.
2007-01-11 07:45:47 · answer #2 · answered by Cister 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You might be interested in knowing that corned beef is not Irish. In all my times in Ireland the only place I ever saw corned beef was in Dublin, and there it was usually advertised as "real American corned beef" or something. There are many theories as to why the Irish in America picked corned beef for St. Paddy's Day.
2007-01-11 08:46:19 · answer #3 · answered by Stephen B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is a "pickling" process.
"To make Corned Beef, a brine (salt) solution is used to cure a less-tender cut of beef, usually Brisket, but sometimes Rump or Round. Peppercorns and bay leaves are commonly used in the solution to add flavour. The curing process gives the meat a bit of a tangy taste."
2007-01-11 07:28:09 · answer #4 · answered by Yahzmin ♥♥ 4ever 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋