Corned beef... oven or stove?

[ashii]

I would like opinions regarding the preparation of corned beef. Personally my family always did it covered with water and simmered on the stove for 3 hours or so.

A friend of mine however swears to putting a few inches of water in a large pan, covering with tin foil tightly and in the oven for 3 hours or so at 325

Which method does everyone prefer? Is there anyother preparation i should be considering?

Thanks in advance!

[tzurriz]

My family has always done it on the stove top.

[fourunder]

I have experimented with both methods....the better results are usually achieved on top of the stove top...3.5-4.0 hours covered...never touching the lid, on low flame. Cooking in the oven....once at the restaurant show in New York, I sampled some Corned Beef cooked in a cook and hold oven for 12 hours.....it was great, tender and lots of flavor. I have never been able to achieve similar results with many attempts, so it on the stove top only from now on.

[janetms383]

Always on the stove top and 1 hour per pound

[fourunder]

janetms,

I would have to respectfully disagree with with the one hour to per pound guideline. I just cooked a ten pound piece on the stove for 4.5 hours....a little longer than my suggestion above....taking into account it was pretty cold yesterday and I did not know it the pot maintained it's temperature.

The result was less than stellar and the meat was a little drier and close to falling apart at the edges...to me a sign of over cooking.....

[janetms383]

The usual size that I cook is between 3 - 3 1/2 pounds, never cooked one that was 10 pounds. I cover with water and simmer an hour per pound. If anything, the meat is sometimes too tender. Really don't understand how it can be dry after being covered by simmering water, however, once cut the meat will dry out quickly.

[fourunder]

Think of a chicken breast. when you poach it for a short while till it's cooked through, it's moist....keep that same chicken breast in the water for two hours and it shrivels up to nothing and becomes hard......with beef, when it in the heat too long it becomes tough and the meat fall apart so it cannot be sliced, but rather shred or tears apart.

[Diane in Bexley]

Fourunder, I have searching for a Jewish style corned beef brisket for a long time. The ones I have access to here in Columbus, Ohio are Irish corned beef and they are, regretfully, not spiced the same.

Do you spice/season your own corned beef? Is it Jewish style? Can you please share your recipe? thanks!

[fourunder]

Diane,

If by Jewish style you mean the brisket cut exclusively...large thick cut and not the thin First cut, yes that is what I purchase...under different brands depending on sales at the store...but also what is available at the Wholesale Supply Stores where I also have access to...e.g., The Restaurant Depot or Sysco Foods. However, my favorite cut for both Pastrami and Corned Beef is the Deckle cut or the Cap from the Prime Rib. The briskets and deckles are usually brined in pickling spices, salts, sugar, vinegar and who knows what kind of nitrates....for a period of three weeks time. I used to work for the premiere Kosher caterer in New York and New Jersey, and we made our own Deckel cuts....far superior to the Brisket. We served so many Prime Ribs, we had an abundance of the caps....and as a result, we salvaged the caps for serving during the cocktail hour at the carving table as pastrami, prime beef or corned beef. The guests really never realized the extent of my boss's commitment to serve only the best...but that's for another day.

Getting back to preparation, my favorite way to cook it is steamed above the water line in a pan/tray/colander above the boiling water....lowered to simmer for four hours. This is difficult to do at home with larger cuts, like the ten pounder I referenced above, but smaller pieces(5 pounds or less) work well. When the steaming option is not available, I do immerse in the water....boil to remove the scum....then add additional pickling spices, salt, carrots, onions and celery to the pot after the skimming process....otherwise, the pickling spices get caught in the scum.....bring back to boil....cover tightly, reduce flame to simmer and do not touch for four hours (I usually cook a large piece, but I would cook for less if it were a small piece under three pounds....probably 2.5-3.0 hours time). The only other variation I have seen cooking on the stove top in water is to add brown sugar...which I have never done. This step is recommended by many larger Corned Beef purveyors.

Considering the time of year...you may want to try your hand at brining your own corned beef. Beef is on sale in most stores and it's cold in Ohio. Due to space constraints within your refrigerator, no access to a second refrigerator, do not want to temp the cellar.....it's cold enough you could prepare in a bucket and leave in your garage or porch.

Here's a recipe I found worth considering from David Rosengarten...

http://www.bigoven.com/102435-Jewish-Style-Corned-Beef-recipe.html

http://www.davidrosengarten.com/conte...

[woodburner]

fourunder: some confusion here... the full brisket, aka a "packer" brisket, so called because that is how it is shipped in the cryovac from the plant, is composed of the flat (first cut) and the deckle, aka the point, still together. Total weight, usually 12-16 lbs or so. some cook them together, some separate them and cook separately -- particularly since the point has more fat, takes longer, and the grain runs perpendicular to the flat (requiring a different slicing direction). When BBQ'd whole, some separate them once the flat is done, reserve the flat for slicing, but chop up the point, add some sauce, and place back in the pit for a couple more hours to produce "burnt ends." Anyway, hard to find full briskets in most places (I know you can get it at Restaurant Depot), even the full flat can be hard to find except at the wholesale stores...

[fourunder]

WB,

I am going to assume you mean the confusion exists with the term "deckle". the part of the meat I prefer is the cap that is an extension or any part of the strip of muscle and fat that lies right on top of the ribs. So that means that rib-eyes also have a deckle,

Everything else you cite with reference to to "packer" is correct. I also prefer the less desired point for my sandwiches as well.....the First Cut is too dry for my tastes....I need the fat to enjoy it properly for me.

http://www.slashfood.com/2006/02/27/d...

With reference to the Caps being removed for brining at the Country Club for events....Prime Rib was served without the outer deckle for practical reasons for guests ordering Prime Rib Dinners. The trimmed roast beef Eyes made better plate presentation and cuts were easily made with consistency of thickness when serving upwards of 500 beef dinners alone. In order to fit the vegetables and potatoes on the plate, the cap needed to be removed, otherwise there would not be enough space.

[woodburner]

More than one deckle... I like it! I also like the deckle on the rib roast best... like the brisket point. Marbled, flavorful. thanks.

[Shane Greenwood]

If the meat is drying out after you cut it, then it's overcooked.

[applehome]

I've done it in the oven for many, many years with consistently great results. Before then, I used to boil and get uneven results - sometimes tough, sometimes ok.

The pan 1/2 full with water and sealed with foil works great. In fact, if you want to remove the foil for the last 1/2 hour and baste once or twice, you'll get some roasted flavor while still getting a tender corned beef. Sometimes, I'll put more pickling spices in the water (bay, whole black & white peppercorns, whole yellow & brown mustard seeds, whole coriander seeds, garlic).

Since I bought a large dutch oven, I no longer use the pan and foil. I just bring the water about half way up the roast, cover, and put in the oven. 300 to 325 for an hour/lb sounds about right.

[valerie]

I use both the stove and the oven. My mother did it this way and now I do it too.

Boil the corned beef for about an hour. Then place it on a sheet of foil and brush it with a "glaze" of brown sugar and dijon or honey mustard. Wrap tightly and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 1.5 hours at around 350. It's really delicious.

[PattiCakes]

I have used Valerie's method. I do the traditional "boil", but finish the meat in the oven with a glaze. I would not dream of NOT doing the traditional "boil" because it gives me such a wonderful base for a split pea soup later in the week. If I don't have time to make the soup, I freeze the stock & make it later.

[thursday]

This is how my mom always did it, and now how I always do it, except instead of simmering for just an hour I simmer according to what's printed on the package (usually about 2.5 hours), subtracting 1/2 hour from that for the oven time. Then it goes in a 350 or even 400 degree oven with the glaze for 15-30 minutes, until the glaze bubbles and starts to really bake in. So we don't wrap it, we leaveit exposed so it gets crusty. Tender in the center and a nice crusty sweet glaze=perfect!

A tip my mom swore by that I've followed--NEVER boil, only simmer. Boiling is what makes it tough.

[valerie]

Now that you mention it, I think I simmer it too, rather than boil.

[PattiCakes]

You are correct on the "boil" part. I tend to use the term "boil" because the whole concoction (beef, cabbabge, potatoes & etc.) is also referred to as a "New England Boiled" dinner.

[foodperv]

i found a recipe yrs ago for new eng boiled dinner in a recipe book that was over a century old then
it was the A typical one calling for the corned beef, std mix of veggies but here is the kicker
a small ham and a chicken added to the pot it was great

[kchurchill5]

Grama, she always put a small picnic ham (not sure what they called it then) with the corned beef and she did cobs of corn cut in half and the carrots were almost whole, big, not sliced and squash, acorn, really. I know ... but true.

I never followed that version, She said her mom taught her that and it was gramps favorite

[adrienne156]

Thank you for posting this. I used your method with Valerie's stone ground mustard/brown sugar glaze on Friday night and the SO loved it so much he requested I make it AGAIN the next night for a family dinner.

Btw, Trader Joe's has some great corned beef at the moment. Well seasoned, not too fatty, great color. It is FLYING off the shelves though...

[akp]

Hi Valerie, Just wanted to let you know that I did my corned beef your way and it turned out perfectly - it was my first try with corned beef. Had 6#, simmered for 1.5 hours and then transfered to oven with glaze for 1.5 hours. Thank you!

[SoCal Mother]

I made pickled deckle a la Valerie for Rosh Hashana. It was a big hit. My teenagers said it was the best thing I had ever cooked. The pea soup with the liquid was a bit too salty so next time I will water it down.

Thanks!!!

[valerie]

Wow, I guess I haven't checked back on this thread in a while but I'm glad that everyone has enjoyed the corned beef. I haven't made it in some time, but I may have to put it on next week's menu. My husband and kids love it, though my somewhat picky 4 year old son will only eat it when I remind him that it tastes like a hotdog (it does, kind of!). And then he puts ketchup on it. But he eats it, so who cares?!?

[katmeat]

ROAST the beef like any other meat. Boiling in water dilutes the flavor. keep a small amount of water in the roasting pan to keep the meat from drying out, but you want a nice black char on the meat just like any good beef roast. the fat should be yellow and crisp. Slice thin and make sandwiches on a good rye bread or serve with boiled cabbage and potatoes.

[scubadoo97]

If you are using a pre-brined or corned corned beef found in the cryo-packs at the store they are loaded with salt. Cooking in water helps to leach out some of this salt. If you cook in a dry method without first doing an extended soak to remove some salt the meat will be too salty to eat. Of course some produces use more salt than others. You can take a small thin sample and cook it in a pan and taste it. If it's too salty to eat then soak.

I just did a corned beef on my smoker and made pastrami. Coated it in black pepper, coriander and other spices and into the smoker at 230F. A four pounder took 7 hours to reach 195F internal. It can be cooked to a lower internal and then steamed the rest of the way as well.

[Jack Barber]

I have a small piece (1 lb) of corned beef from a butcher shop in brooklyn.

I want corned beef for sandwiches -- nice char, tender inside -- so katmeat's method sounds like what I want.

If I oven-roast like I would a pork shoulder (250 or so degrees, as long as it takes) will that work ok?

Any other tips? do I need liquid? foil?

[phantomdoc]

With a piece that small you may be able to increase the temp a little. Braise in beer covered for 1 hour, then take off the cover for a little crisping action.

[Jack Barber]

Thanks for the response.

Do you think the braise is essential?

What if I stuck it in a ridged cast iron pan in 250-degree oven fat side up a couple hrs. (like oven bbq, basically) Would it end up too dry?

[woodburner]

IMO, that's a tiny piece of meat, and it will never survive straight dry heat... you need at least 5-6 lbs to hold up to the smoking or dry heat. the braise will hopefully keep it moist, and pull out the salt.

[phantomdoc]

I agree that a small roast cannot take too much heat. Meat can dry out submerged in water if it too hot for too long. If you can regulate to 140 degrees you can keep the corned beef warm, but do the high heat crust last, and have some liquid under it.

[woodburner]

Another preparation? :-)

Get a big corned beef... maybe 5 lbs or more. Soak in cold water for an hour (with ice cubes). Change water and do it again. Then change water and do it again.

Make a rub of cracked coriander seed, cracked mustard seed, and cracked black peppercorns. Rub the beef and place on a smoker at 250 or so for about 1 to 1.5 hrs per lb, or about 6-7 hours, til it hits about 185 or 190 internal.

Pastrami.

[Whosyerkitty]

Beer. You must cook your corned beef in beer. I do it every year for St Pat's and the beers have gotten darker and darker as the years go by. I am now up to Guinness. I have done this both in the crock pot and on top of the stove. The broth is wonderful. Last year I also buzzed the broth and veggie remnants in the blender and made soup. It was great.

[Amuse Bouches]

I cook my corned beef in beer in the crock pot too. MMM.

http://www.savour-fare.com

[kchurchill5]

I have but have 20 people coming over. Turkey roaster this year. Crock is a bit small. But it does work good.

[TimCarroll]

Is this a real pastrami, or just something to do with a corned beef?

[woodburner]

Good question. Authentic (Jewish) pastrami is, by definition (I think), a beef brisket (not a stinking round) that has been cured in a brine, then smoked, with the seasoning rub. Whether the brines are the same for a corned beef and pastrami, I don't really know. I do think the rub is close to authentic, and the smoking is right. So I'm taking advantage of the brine of the corned beef, soaking 3X to remove the heavy salt, then using the rub and smoking. Sure tastes right to me :-)

[fourunder]

TC and WB,

Yes it is real Pastrami. My brother actually does this with a stove top smoker, although he transfers to the oven for more even cooking temperatures. It comes out very tender and delicious.....as I can attest to.

http://bbq.about.com/cs/barbecuetips/...

[phantomdoc]

I believe the best cut for pastrami is the navel and not the brisket. (Katz's)

[fourunder]

While I am a huge fan of Katz's.....as I referenced above in my discussion with (woodburner).....I love the deckle cut above the Rib Eye Roast too.

http://www.slashfood.com/2006/02/27/d...

[TimCarroll]

Thank you for your input(s). I noticed that there are many questions of the cooking times on the corned beef. As a fellow meat smoker, we tend to go by internal temps. I didn't see any of that when there is a debate in either the stove top or oven methods? Is this you think more of a textural debate? Thanks again

[scubadoo97]

Agreed you need to cook to temperature not time. When I do a corned beef on the smoker for pastrami I take it to at least 195F for slicing. You can do it to a lower temp but I look for a very tender endpoint.

[Querencia]

Fake Pastrami: Simmer corned beef for two hours in water with several tablespoonfuls of mixed pickling spice. Fish it out of the water, wash it off, dry it, put it in a Pyrex dish, and stick whole cloves all over it. Then mix brown sugar with enough mustard to moisten it and smear this all over the meat. Bake for 20 minutes or so to glaze. Slice thin and make sandwiches on rye bread.

[PattiCakes]

That's exactly what I do! Now my mouth is watering.

[Boccone Dolce]

Hmmmmmmmmm........... this might be what I try. Will this make the meat crisp up a little bit?

[Foodandwine]

Would like a bit of help here. I normally purchase the point cut corned beef that my local supermarket has on sale for st pattys day. It some national brand from the midwest or wherever. I assume its always less than 3 pounds normaly 2 to 3 pounds. I boil ( simmer ) on the stove. some years its dry and some not. I think less time is better an taste along the way to prevent over cooking. Is 2 1/2 hours too long for a 2 1/2 pound corned beef..?? any help is nice..

[kchurchill5]

Stove, have for over 30 years. 1 hr per lb, not sure on that. I cook mine 1-2 hrs then add the potatoes carrots and cabbage. Already have the spices in and been braising in chicken in dark beer, always, well not set time frame. 5 lbs about 4 hrs usually for me, but depends on the cut.

Stove always. To finish the corned beef I add 1/4 cup cognac and then served with a horshradish mayo with the carrots, potatoes and cabbage.

[scubadoo97]

As long as it's cooked in water it shouldn't matter too much whether it's oven or stove. Prepared corned beef briskets have been brined for a long time and if you don't submerge it in water during preparation you will end up with a very salty end product. Oven has advantages of being more stable so you don't have to tend to it as often as you would if it was on the stove. I've always done mine on the stove. Recently I smoked a couple to make pastrami. I did have to soak for at least 12 hours to leach out some salt and even then it was still quite salty.

[Sharuf]

"Corned beef... oven or stove? " -- slow cooker crockpot. Perfect venue for corned beef. I go 5 - 6 hours on high.

[swoncho]

I second the slow cooker. set the roast on top of some carrots & cabbage, add a small amount of dark beer (or water) and slow cook. I tried the traditional stovetop method last year and I thought it came out tough and not as flavorful.
if no slow cooker, i'd say treat it like a roast and do it in the oven.

[cpulliam]

I "third" the slow cooker recommendations. Mine always turned out great. I brought the slow cooker into work last year, plugged it in around 8AM and at 1PM we all had a great lunch. Lots of kudos! Also, I chopped up some cabbage and threw that in the last hour of cooking. Perfect.

[KailuaGirl]

The slow cooker is great. Like Patticakes I like to use the broth for split pea soup. Last year for St. Patty's Day I did one corned beef in the slow cooker, using dark beer as the liquid, and another simmered in water on the stovetop, so I could make split pea soup the next day. Both were great and got raves all around. My favorite was the split pea soup with lots of good, crusty bread. :-) Refrigerate the cooking liquid overnight and skim off the fat the next day, then chop up your soup veggies and get going on the soup. Since I throw in a lot of cubed corned beef, finely diced onion, celery, and carrots, I like to use a mix of green and yellow split peas for color contrast.

Once a friend of mine made a corned beef in the oven with a red currant jelly glaze. That was fantastic! Unfortunately she lost the recipe (she'd used one from a magazine that she threw out).

I think I will try the stovetop followed by the oven method this year. Sounds like a great idea!

I wish corned beef went on sale more often. Sigh...

[kchurchill5]

http://southernfood.about.com/od/corn...

I did this once, pretty good, sometime last year mid year I think ... or the year before. Not sure if it the same.

[Will Owen]

For the first time ever, this year I followed advice on another thread, and not only bought the point cut I'd scorned so long but cooked it in the crock pot. Got a piece just under four pounds, put it in water just barely to cover around 4:00pm, turned heat to LOW. At 10:00 I turned it to WARM and went to bed. Thursday morning at about 7:30 I turned the heat off and let it cool in the water until midafternoon. Made a thick mustard gravy with some of the broth, poured it over the sliced-up meat in a gratin pan and reheated it to serve. Mrs. O, who tends to tolerate my love of CB&C rather than agreeing with it, was ecstatic. And surprised.

[catarry]

I'm a convert to the oven method.
I grew up with the top of the stove method, straight out of a NYC Irish tradition of Mulgannons, Hogans, O'Learys, etc.
I decided to give the stove method a try, and now wouldn't do it any other way. I find it easier to experiment with different beers, spices and flavorings in the oven method.
Of course, this is all a matter of taste, and mine is more satisfied now, but the notion of using the water from the stove top method as a base for split pea or bean soup may persuade me to go back to that technique...and it gives me a reason to cook corned beef twice!...MMMMMM

[The Professor]

Steaming it is the best way to prepare it...whether you steam it stovetop, covered on a rack in a pot over a few inches of water or in the oven over some water and covered well with foil, it'll be a LOT better than simmering it swimming in water or worse, boiling it.
Steaming it retains more of the flavor and makes it tender without it falling apart. That's how the best delicatessens do it.

[phantomdoc]

Professor, does the steaming (as opposed to simmering) pull enough salt out of the meat? Please share your knowledge.

[The Professor]

I've never had it come out too salty...a quick rinse of the meat before cooking to wash some of the brine off helps. The brine has done its work, so a rinse or even a soak in cold water for an hour or so is not a bad thing.

[phantomdoc]

Professor, I cooked corned beef yesterday. I put (3) 3.5 lb. pieces in large pot with pasta/steamer insert. Set the water level to the bottom of the insert. After an hour or so of steaming so much water came out of the meat that the level was halfway up the pot. I spilled the broth out to return the level to the bottom of the insert and steamed for another hour or so. I cut the 2 point cut briskets in half in between the 2 muscles to expose the internal fat. The third piece was a flat cut. I then moved the meat to a glass baking dish, (fat sides up) with a bottle of Coors. In to my over the stove convection oven set to 420F. I looked at it every 15 min. or so to check for browning and internal temp.
At 45 min it was beautifully browned and had rendered a large amount of fat.
Very tasty and delicious. Most non fatty way I have ever had point cut corned beef.

[Bat Guano]

Oven or stove? Both! Actually crock pot and stove; crock pot, submerged in water or beer for an hour per pound or so, then under the broiler to melt and crisp up the fat on top.... sublime.

[mrsgus]

I have been cooking the corned beef in the slow cooker for years (in beer), and it is truly delectable. Never thought of broiling afterward, but will try that this year. BTW, I put the potatoes and carrots in the slow cooker with the meat (they pick up flavor from the meat and the beer), but steam the cabbage separately so it stays together and gets tender, not mushy.

[BerkshireTsarina]

mrs. gus, do you use the high or low setting on your slow cooker? And how many hours do you set it for? Your method sounds like what I've been looking for, so I'd appreciate (if you even see this!) hearing: how many hours do you set it for? How much beer (i.e. 1/2 cup, 2 cups)? Veggies underneath? Onions (I like 'em)? Then the cabbage to follow as you describe. If I didn't make it for anything else, I'd make it for the cabbage!
Thanks for any advice.

[fourunder]

Bat.

Slipped a six pound thick point cut into a slow cooker this morning at 9:00AM, set on high. Have been checking since 2:00PM and it's still tough.

I'm going to switch it to low and give it 10-12 hours and see what happens.

Right now, not my preferred method(slow cooker that is).

[woodburner]

how much liquid went into the pot with the point? the point will take longer to get tender than a flat. have you checked the internal temp of the meat? it will need to get to about 190 or so before it gets tender. if it is below that temp, keep going.

[fourunder]

wb,

Put a pint of beer into the vessel and it reached the top level of the meat . I didn't check it with a thermometer....I rarely do, but it was fork tender at 4:30, at 4:15 there was still a little fight in it. For anyone counting, that was 7.5 hours total time , 5 .0 on high and the remaining 2.5 on low. The whole brisket was originally 13 pounds, but I cut it at slightly under half of whole so I could fit it in the oval slow cooker. The remaining portion is going to be made into a pastrami like you mentioned above. I will report back when that process is completed.

[scubadoo97]

nice pastrami woodburner

[woodburner]

Thanks. Let me ask: Ever have any corned pork???

Tonight I made an Alton Brown "creole" red beans and rice recipe. It called for pickled pork butt, which I have never made. Cubed and pickled some butt, and in it went with the meripoix (sp), water, spices, and a pound of dry kidney beans. 3 hrs later, fabulous! very pleased with this. The pork was like corned beef..... but pork (duh).

[kchurchill5]

I did 4 1/2 approx flat cut with veggies on top (carrots, onions and potatoes), guiness and a little beef stock, a couple of whole cloves, and a bay leaf. Put on a 7 on high, at 3 turned down to low and added cabbage. Done at 6. It fell apart.

[Candy]

Stove top and in a pressure cooker. Takes no time at all.

[skybolt]

Absolutely! Pressure Cooker! Takes 1/3 the time, and the meat does not shrink so much. Always tender, never dry.

[podunkboy]

Oh, good -- I was about to ask "what about pressure cooker?" I'm always looking for a reason to use the cooker. If they go on sale tomorrow I going to run out and pick one up and try it. If I mess it up, I'm always willing to eat my mistakes.
Corned beef, yum.

[podunkboy]

To follow up on my "experiment": Bought a couple point cuts (around 4.5 pounds total), rinsed them off, put them in the pressure cooker with some carrots, celery and onion, poured in a beer and about a half-cup of apple cider, whizzed up the seasoning packets in the spice grinder and sprinkled it on top of the briskets. Sealed it up, brought it up to pressure and cooked it for an hour. So tender and juicy. Used some of the broth to cook up some lentils with carrots and celery and onion. Only took another 5 minutes of pressure cooking.

[chef chicklet]

Slather with brown sugar/garlic powder and mustard all over..thick.
roast covered with a glass or so of white wine or water or both, add cloves, peppercorns, and pickling spices wrapped in cheesecloth, 1 stalk celery cut, one large onion quartered drop into the liquid. Cover wtih foil. Roast at 325 for about 4 hrs. During the last hour drop in sliced cabbage more onion, carrot and baby red potatoes. Delicious every single St. Patty's day and the left over meat is moist and makes terrific sandwiches too.

[foodperv]

i found some info on a recipe site i would question
it call for simmering an 1hr per pound and the meat will pull apart after
this sounds to me almost like overcooked stringy but i am not sure
opinions please
thank you

[The Librarian]

Thanks for everyone's great advice. I've always boiled my corned beef with uneven results. This time I put it in my Dutch oven, poured a bottle of beer over it, and baked it covered for an hour a pound at 325. I basted it a couple of times, but probably didn't need to. Perfect results - I'll never go back to boiling again.

[bayoucook]

We do both. Slow cook until it's tender, then spoon a glaze over it and bake until crusty.

[kchurchill5]

Crock pot, carrots, potatoes, cabbage and onions, dark beer, cloves, beef broth, seasoning, 4 1/2 lbs, I thickened the broth with a little corn starch and also served a spicy horsy mustard sauce on the side. It fell apart. Great flavor, wonderful taste. Couldn't of been better. Picked up some soda bread. No time to bake and dinner. My guests just left 2 of them work a midnight shift so a little bit earlier than normal dinner.

So kudos go to the crock pot. And I hope everyone's, however you made your corned beef turned out good as well and you enjoyed your St. Paddy's Day.

[gmm]

I also like the crockpot method. Previously, I've been cooking it until it was falling apart tender, which I now think is too long. I was never able to slice it nicely without it crumbling apart (even after chilling.) This time I cooked a 3.5 lb brisket for 11 hours on low (overnight), it was tender, but not to the point of falling apart. It came out nicely tender, but I was still able to slice it thinly for sandwiches. After removing the beef from the crockpot, I added the potatoes and cabbage and cooked those for 4 hours on low.

[Matash]

Crock pot for sure - or what about dusting off the pressure cooker if you have one-great in there too

[Patrincia]

Stove - simmer it low and slow!

[bayoucook]

I boil mine in highly seasoned water top of the stove until tender, saving a cup or so of the cooking water. Then I glaze the briskit with coarse mustard/brown sugar/apple jelly and bake it in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes - I set the corned beef in the cooking water before glazing and baking. Everyone loves it, works for me.

[katmeat]

Roast the corned beef so the flavor does not get diluted. Cook the cabbage and make some mashed potatoes separately. The best!

[katmeat]

I abandoned the boil or steam method years ago.

The meat should be dry rubbed before roasting of course. And it should have a nice char and an interior redness when done. Slice as thin as you can with your best knife.

The leftover beef, cabbage, potatoes can be mixed up with chopped onions and green peppers and fried the next day also. Make a pan sized patty. Fry in butter until golden then flip and do the other side.

[phantomdoc]

Made some point cuts 2 weeks ago. Refined my method a little. Use my largest stock pot with pasta/steamer insert. Put on the smallest burner of my ceramic glass stovetop at the lowest setting. Leave it there for 6 hours or until my never on time in-laws arrive (In this case 80 minutes).
Still have an issue with too much water leaching out or the corned beef into the pot. Then transfer to convection oven for crisping up the fat, 45 minutes at 400 degrees, uncovered.
Slice as thin as my skill level allows, with my 12" slicing knife. Delish.

[observor]

I've got a 2.75 pound gray corned beef that's a flat cut from the supermarket...what is the best way to prepare it?

[fourunder]

Are you looking for a recipe...or a technique/method?

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7719...

[observor]

I suppose both of them...I have never made a *gray* corned beef. It is soaking right now in warm water to draw out satiness. Musing about grilling it and maybe smoking it, but wonder which is best...simmering, slow-cooking, or oven roasting.

[fourunder]

Are you looking for a softer or firmer texture? Simmering on the stove and slow cooking in an electric device is essentially the same, but the stove will take about 3.5-4.o hours and the electric slow cooker will take 7-8 hours respectively, depending on your preference for doneness. Grilling is out, as it will not be chewable. Smoking, then consider making it into a pastrami instead using (woodburner's) advice and method. Or use (Valerie's) method in the thread provided for a combination ov simmering and roasting with a glaze.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5873...

[observor]

It will take that long for a 2.75 pound brisket? What is wrong with grilling it, I know barbecued beef brisket is doable, why would it be different with a corned beef? I am just wondering if a gray corned beef should be treated differently than a red one.

[scubadoo97]

"What is wrong with grilling it, I know barbecued beef brisket is doable, why would it be different with a corned beef? I am just wondering if a gray corned beef should be treated differently than a red one."

The big difference is that the corned beef is loaded with salt. Check the sodium level per serving. They vary a lot depending on brand. I buy Crown brand corned beefs to smoke to make pastrami and it has 220mg/4 oz serving. Most brands have over 1000mg/ 4oz serving. Even with the lower sodium Crown brand I soak it in water for at least 24 hrs before smoking it. These prepared corned beefs are intended to be cooked in water which will leach out a lot of salt. Grilling them or as I did once, roasting it in an oven will resulted in a end product that tasted like a salt lick.

Always do a fry test to check the saltiness of the meat if you are going to grill, roast or smoke a prepared corned beef. Cut off a little slice and quickly fry it up in a pan. It won't be tender, but you will be able to taste the salt level first hand.

[observor]

Ah, yes, just checked and this has 1070 mg/4 oz....it has been soaking for two hours right now in water...does that mean it is not makeable for this evening you think?

[scubadoo97]

Do the fry test and judge for yourself. If it's still very salty I would let it sit another day or two. You can fry test several times but remember that as moisture is lost in dry cooking the % of salt increases.

[observor]

I should have done the fry test. I had let it soak for about two hours and then simmered it for an hour before finishing it in the oven. That is like a f***n salt lick. Damn.

[fourunder]

Maybe we are confusing terms here. I assume grilling to mean more over direct heat. If you are Smoking, you are using wood chips to add some flavor., but with indirect heat. Without the wood, it would be barbecue. If you intend to do this outdoors, then the general consensus would be it's done when it's done. The meat would have to reach an internal temperature at a minimum of 170*, but I would suggest you go higher unless you like a little fight and chew to your meat. Giving you a specific time is impossible, as we can't possibly know your technique and variables of temperature control and settings.

[woodburner]

btw, what in the world is a "gray corned beef." If it wasn't red when you took it out of the package, throw it away. If it's gray because it has been soaking to get the salt out, that's fine.

2.75 is a small baby. I would just boil it for 3 hrs and be happy with a moist, yummy corned beef. Throw in a head of cabbage quartered, and a couple of onions with the outside skin removed, and some white taters for the last hour. Use mustard. Mmmmm. Too small to really smoke, IMHO.

[Euonymous]

Gray corned beef used to be pretty traditional in the northeastern United States. It's pretty much the same as the red stuff, but without all the coloring added to it. Some say it is less processed. Supposedly it's cured in salt and water only, with no extra preservatives.

[scubadoo97]

Usually it's not coloring but the nitrates that cause it be redden up.

[observor]

I had never seen it before either. It is a brisket that has been brined, that's it...no nitrates or other seasonings added.

[woodburner]

Wow. Learn somthin new every day! I bet that's what Montreal smoked meat is made with. With the regular corned beef in all US supermarkets, I just boil for 3 hoiurs and it is done, just right. I also get whole packer briskets that have been corned, from a restaurant supply store, and I soak and change out water three or four times, then rub with coarse crushed coriander, mustard seed and black peppercorns, and smoke for 10 or 12 hours to 185 internal, for quick pastrami!

[scubadoo97]

nice pic woodburner. I love making pastrami with prepared corned beefs. I take mine a little further to 195*

[Euonymous]

We're having corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes (New England boiled dinner) tonight. Didn't have any corned beef for St. Paddy's day so we're having it now.

I simmered my 3.8 lb corned beef as slowly as possible for 3 hours in enough water to come about 3/4 of the way up the meat and it is now tender, juicy, and not particularly salty at all. Brand is Shenson.