Corned Beef

Corned beef — beef brisket cured in a salt-and-spice brine for 5-10 days, then simmered until tender — is the Irish-American dish that is not actually Irish. In Ireland, the traditional preserved meat was bacon (salt pork); corned beef became the Irish-American substitute because beef brisket was cheap and available in the Jewish delis and butcher shops of the Lower East Side, where Irish and Jewish immigrants lived as neighbours in the late 19th century. The Irish bought their cured beef from Jewish butchers (who were expert curers from the pastrami tradition, AM4-09), and corned beef and cabbage became the Irish-American holiday meal — served on St. Patrick's Day across America despite having no meaningful presence in Ireland itself.

A beef brisket (flat cut — leaner; point cut — fattier and more flavourful) submerged in a brine of water, kosher salt, sugar, curing salt (sodium nitrite — for the characteristic pink colour), and pickling spices (mustard seed, black pepper, coriander, bay leaf, allspice, clove, juniper) for 5-10 days in the refrigerator. The cured brisket is rinsed, placed in a large pot with fresh water, brought to a boil, then simmered gently for 3-4 hours until fork-tender. In the last hour, cabbage wedges, potatoes, and carrots are added to the pot. The meat is sliced against the grain and served with the boiled vegetables.

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