Corned Beef... Do-it-yourself


 

Joe Ames

TVWBB Member
CORNED BEEF
Tender, juicy corned beef is easy to make. Corned beef cured with Tender-Quick will slice firm. It will be tender. It will have unusually fine flavor and excellent appearance when cooked. The full richness of the hidden natural flavors in the meat are developed and intensified by the Tender-Quick cure.
The curing ingredients in Tender-Quick counteract the usual drying and hardening effect of the common salt, and instead of shrinkage in the meat and loss of meat juices, corned beef cured with Tender-Quick remains firm, juicy, and full of flavor. This is brought about by the tendering and firming up processes that take place in the meat fibres, the retaining of the meat juices and the fact that the Tender-Quick penetrates more fully into the muscle fibers and into the fat.
TENDER, UNIFORM CURE The thorough penetration of the Tender-Quick pickle into the tiny muscle fibers provides a place of deposit for the meat juices—helps bring about the tendering process and makes possible a mild, uniform cure. Every part of the meat is evenly cured. There are no under-cured or partially cured spots in Tender-Quick cured corned beef. The brisket is the most popular cut for making corned beef, but boneless cuts from the plate, flank, chuck, rump, and shank are also good cuts to use. Of course, the better grade of meat used the better will be the finished result.
The beef should be thoroughly chilled, fresh, and unfrozen. Cut the meat into uniform size pieces, about 6" to 8" squares, for curing.
MAKING THE CURING PICKLE Make the curing pickle by mixing at the rate of 2 lbs. Tender-Quick per gallon of water; stirring the Tender-Quick until it dissolves. The water should have been boiled and allowed to cool before using.
Use a clean crock or curing container for packing in the meat. After the meat is packed in the container, pour in the Tender-Quick curing pickle until the meat begins to shift. Place a weight on the meat and pour in enough additional pickle to fully cover the meat.
After the meat has been in the cure 5 or 6 days pour off the pickle and repack the meat, changing the position of the pieces by putting those that were on top at the bottom. Then weight the meat down and re-cover with the pickle.
The meat should remain in cure about 2 days per pound; for example 6 lb. pieces 12 days, 8 lb. pieces 16 days, 10 lb. pieces 20 days. etc. Smaller pieces will be ready to use in about a week.
Corned beef that is to be used up in a reasonable time after it is cured can be left in the pickle until used.
Corned beef that is to be kept for a long period of time may be canned, or it may be taken from the pickle, washed in tepid water, and thoroughly dried. Then wrap in parchment paper and hang in a cool, dry place.
 

 

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