Corned beef what is it made out of

If you'd like to see what Irish people really eat these days, please check this page for some background. And if your heart is set on corned beef and cabbage anyway and you'd like something Irish for afterwards, take a look at our new Irish dessert website at RealIrishDesserts. We particularly recommend the Irish Coffee cake and the Baileys marbled cheesecake.

You might also like Peter's Irish Mum's soda bread recipe, which frankly is the best on the Web. EuroCuisineLady says: And I'm not just saying that because she was my mother-in-law. She was an artist with the stuff, having been born here just past the turn of the last century, and she knew how it should really be made. I've saved some how-to pages on doing the corning process from scratch - I plan to try that this winter. This is going to sound like a criticism, but it isn't It isn't fishy, but it is a brine-cured and canned meat, like canned tuna.

Cooked, the stuff falls apart like cheap dog food, but it has the flavor of salty, overly fatty hamburger, which really is what it is. What about the fact that Corned Beef is the cheapest form of grass-fed beef, insomuch as South American beef is the last bastion of grass-fed as the rule rather than the exception.

Very interesting hub. On a few occasions, I have found myself explaining to people that the Irish in Ireland don't traditionally eat corned beef or any beef, for that matter. I always thought it was called corned beef because they cows they obtained it from were corn fed. I haven't done much research into the topic, but the title caught my attention for sure!

Hi belinda, thanks for your comments! Sounds like you have better-quality corned beef over there in Australia :. It is always interesting to learn about where foods originated.

I have heard about corned beef and cabbage for years associated with the Irish. I recall it was some comic strip but of hand can't remember which one. The title of the hub is misleading I initially thought that corned beef might be harmful, which is sad considering I love corned beef When I got to read your hub I was relieved hehehehe. Really enjoyed the fun facts. I really thought of corned beef as pastrami, only from a can.

Thanks for sharing :. Here in australia i grew up eating bully beef an cabbage. Mum used to serve it with rice. I liked it then and still do. I must admit if you buy the really cheap stuff its not to great but the more you pay the better quality. Ive never come across hair or skin or anything gross. And ive been eating it once a week for 22 years.

Ive had the real stuff but not only does it take a lot of prep i find the canned better. Like someone said earlier of slicing and pan frying it is good to. I usually have that with sunny side up eggs, mushrooms,toast and beans on occasion when i haven't managed to buy bacon. If your finding bits of hair or skin in your canned stuff maybe look at the place its made.

Wish we had the nicer variety with brisket, etc, then I would've eaten the stuff. Your recipe sounds very good and I will certainly give it a try. I have to say we like corned beef and we eat it a lot. When times are hard we can't complain we can afford to buy a tin of corned beef for dinner.

Cut some slices of canned corn beef and cook them over high heat in a cast iron skillet until the edges are almost crispy. I think A reuben made this way is as good or better than one made with actual corned beef from the deli. Okay, that has to be one of the nastiest things I have ever heard. I don't think I will even come close to being in contact with canned corned beef ever again!

I vomitted everything i ate immediately. Never touching processed food again Hi bel, I think fresh is definitely better, but I know people who prefer the canned, as well. Plus, you're right, it is cheaper. I guess it's a matter of taste :. Surely if it's fresh corned beef will taste better, like most things. The brine for making corned beef is similar to the brine used for making pickles. Thus, it's fair to say that corned beef is essentially pickled beef.

One of the key ingredients in making corned beef is a curing salt called Prague powder , which is what gives the corned beef its distinctive pink color. Prague powder is made of sodium nitrite, a substance that has been the source of some controversy. Sodium nitrite as well as sodium nitrate is a food additive that helps prevent the growth of bacteria that cause spoilage and food poisoning.

The Mayo Clinic notes that:. Nitrates may also affect the way your body uses sugar, making you more likely to develop diabetes. Other sources, though, maintain that sodium nitrite is a harmless material that poses no adverse health risks. This argument points out that more nitrite is ingested by eating vegetables such as spinach, celery, and lettuce than by eating cured meats.

These vegetables contain concentrations of sodium nitrite up to ten times higher than in cured meats. Cured meats appear to account for only about 6 percent of all nitrites ingested. You're about to find out. Corned beef typically is made by salt-curing beef. Usually, it's brisket that's used , as brisket is a tough cut of meat that's made tender by a long, salt-filled cooking process. The brine used to cook the brisket down into corned beef is not unlike a pickling liquid.

In fact, The Spruce Eats went so far as to call corned beef "essentially pickled beef. Once done with the brining process, corned beef is super tender and easily sliceable, hence why you see it in sandwiches a more Jewish preparation and cut up in long slices next to cabbage a lot of the time an Irish tradition. The actual term "corned beef" was reportedly coined in the 17th century by the English.

Great question!