Corned Beef is a staple item with American meat processors, a profitable way to market tough cuts, usually a brisket.  While it is associated with the Irish, it was first created in early 18th century England as a means of tenderizing and preserving beef, particularly for consumption on sea voyages (at the time, a welcome alternative to Salt Pork).  The term “corned” is synonymous with “brined,” a soaking of food in a salty liquid, and reputedly is derived from a description of rock salt crystals as “corn.”

Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, KB

Recently, we experimented with corning our own beef.  The tests led us to concoct a brine recipe that creates a flavor superior to any commercially soaked meat we’ve tried.  We also found that it is well worth it to eschew the cheaper brisket cut for a Tri-tip Roast  cut that still offers some economy.  Patience is a virtue in corning…keeping the meat immersed for two weeks is our recommendation.

You’ll need a ceramic crock or large enameled pot to hold your brine.  The following brine recipe will make 2 gallons of liquid, enough to process a 4-6 pound chunk of beef.

 Vice Admiral Corned Beef brine

 Mix the following in two gallons of water:
  
  6 oz. Brown Sugar   1½ lbs. Rock Salt
  1½ tsp. fresh ground Black Pepper 3 Bay Leaves 
  ½ tsp. ground Cloves   1 tsp. whole Allspice
  1 tsp. whole Mustard Seeds  1 tsp. whole Dill Seeds
  1 tsp. ground Cinnamon  1 tsp. whole Coriander Seeds
  1 tsp. ground Cumin   1 tsp. ground Cardamon
  3 minced Garlic cloves  ½ minced Purple Onion
 Note: you may add 1 oz. of Sodium Nitrate to your brine to redden the meat, but it’s not pertinent to the flavor.

 Place meat in the brine and weight it down with a heavy plate to keep it immersed.  Store in the fridge for two weeks.  Remove the meat, place in an oven dish with one inch of brine and roast at 300 degrees for one hour, add one cup of water and some peeled Carrots and Potatoes, roast another 1½ hours and add a quartered small Cabbage for a final 45 minutes roasting.  Serve with a choice of mustard & horseradish.

Other meats work well

Any wild game (such as Venison, Bear or Moose) is an ideal candidate for corning…the brine tenderizes and removes the musky, “wild” flavor some folks detest.

On the subject of soaking meat, we heartily recommend our method of preparing succulent grilled steak:
 
 Drunken Steak

 Mix the following:

  ½ cup Brown Sugar  1 cup Red Wine
  ½ cup Soy Sauce  2 tsp. fresh ground Black Pepper
  2 minced Garlic cloves 1 tsp. ground Cumin

 Soak steaks in this liquid for 6 hours (a zip lock baggie is ideal for the purpose), wipe dry and grill.  We use this recipe to add tenderness to Top Sirloin cuts, or to enable New York steaks to burst with flavor.

Pot Lickin’s…the month of May is Shad Roe season, and if you live on either the left or right coast, your fish monger should be able to provide these egg skeins from the silvery Shad that spawns in coastal streams.  Dredge skeins in seasoned flour and lightly brown in butter…May is also the month Oregon’s farmer’s markets open.   Sales success has inspired a greater group of these venues than before, with outposts opening throughout our state…we salute Trader Joe’s challenge to all pizza parlors with its new offering of prepared dough ready to roll out for your oven, in a thickness you control and with toppings of your choice…hooray for the increase in Wild Rice packaging for a store near you.  Once gathered only in the wild by Minnesota native Americans, farms in Oregon and California now cultivate the species…our thanks to the Feds for finally allowing the importation of genuine Spanish Chorizo sausage.  Seek it out, it is in another continuum from the various Mexican versions that have been sold here.

© 2002  Oregon Magazine