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I know that the uncooked corned beef sold for St. Patrick's Day has gone up in price over the past few years out of proportion to the general rise in meat prices, to the point of it becoming a luxury cut.
After the day had passed, I was able to get a "bargain" discount on one of those packages with a smallish fat cap and not too much liquid, so I decided to find out what the actual cost was.
Package weight 3 pounds even. Cost: $10.63 + Alabama state and county food sales taxes: $.64 = $11.27
Cost per pound: $3.76
Weight after draining the brining liquid but before cooking: 2 pounds 8 ounces.
Cooked sous vide at 155 F for 26 hours with no added ingredients other than the spice packet, refrigerated to let juices stabilize in meat, then drained the liquid from the sous vide bag and re-weighed the meat.
Weight now 1 pound 8 ounces.
Removed the fat cap and sliced
Finished weight 1 pound 5 ounces.
Cost per pound of finished meat:$8.59
Approx. cost of good quality name brand deli corned beef at Publix: $16 per pound.
Approx. cost of top quality New York Deli corned beef: $38 per pound.
Now, I got a cut with an unusually small fat cap and much less brining liquid than I have seen in most packages. The bottom line?
When buying raw corned beef, triple the price, keep that price per pound in mind and walk over to the deli counter and look at prices there for the finished product with no waste.
*Be aware that the cheap deli corned beef is likely trimmings that have been glued together. Real brisket corned beef or pastrami is likely to be more expensive.
Another alternative is to shop at a high-end butcher. I found a nice round primal of corned beef that would have ended up costing less per pound after cooking than the prepacked and discounted mainstream corned beef.
I know that the uncooked corned beef sold for St. Patrick's Day has gone up in price over the past few years ...
Corned Beef is a cooking method ... NOT a cut of meat. Same as London Broil.
As to the price per pound for utility grade bottom round vs prime brisket (or flank steak for that matter) ...
Corned Beef is a cooking method ... NOT a cut of meat. Same as London Broil.
As to the price per pound for utility grade bottom round vs prime brisket (or flank steak for that matter) ...
No, it is not a cooking method, it is a preservation method, along with all the other salt cures. "Corning" refers to the large grains of salt used in the preservation of the meat. I doubt you could even find "prime" brisket these days, as it is used in so many dishes.
No, it is not a cooking method, it is a preservation method, along with all the other salt cures. "Corning" refers to the large grains of salt used in the preservation of the meat. I doubt you could even find "prime" brisket these days, as it is used in so many dishes.
One of my threads was closed because you posted some nonsense in it about a chocolate boat.
There is also the option of buying a nice chunk of round a couple of weeks before you need it, and brining it yourself. You get good corned beef that way and it keeps the cost down.
You have to have a safe place to brine meat, but you can start with good quality meat. The corned beef from the market tends to be beef that wasn't good for any other purpose and some of it , even after cooking all day, can be tough.
And I suggest round because good brisket is expensive and you would cut a lot of fat off before brining, which makes it even more expensive. Save the brisket for BBQ and use an angus round or rump roast. I've seen them with some acceptable marbling.
I used to buy the cheap Cb around Paddys day ( under $2 a pound ) & keep it in the freezer for the winter. Now I just buy the presliced packages at Winco, no fat & already sliced up for a good Reuben.They do shrink a lot when cooked.
There is also the option of buying a nice chunk of round a couple of weeks before you need it, and brining it yourself. You get good corned beef that way and it keeps the cost down.
You have to have a safe place to brine meat, but you can start with good quality meat. The corned beef from the market tends to be beef that wasn't good for any other purpose and some of it , even after cooking all day, can be tough.
And I suggest round because good brisket is expensive and you would cut a lot of fat off before brining, which makes it even more expensive. Save the brisket for BBQ and use an angus round or rump roast. I've seen them with some acceptable marbling.
I agree, and your second paragraph makes a lot of sense. I haven't messed around with pink curing salt, but I might need to give it a try. Sous vide isn't hot enough to destroy botulism toxins, so I'd have to cook the more traditional way until I got more confident.
What got me wondering about the whole process was finding some packages of corned beef in the store that had an excess of the pickling brine and fairly small cuts of meat.
That's how it all started. An Irish and Jewish Soul Food cooking method for po' folks.
Coq Au Vin the same.
Very true!
If the current marketers of corned beef actually priced the stuff closer to the price of the scrap meat they use, rather than inflating the price and adding more brine, I'd be buying it more regularly.
You guys crack me up. Nobody thinks of making their own these days.
Discussing her newlywed son and his wife girlfriend said, "Oh, they don't cook. They use the microwave." It's no wonder nobody can afford to eat anymore.
This is not the recipe I use but is one of many online calling for various spices you can chose from to meet your tastes. Easy. Just takes a little experimentation and then you have something of your own.
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