Corned Beef

I never buy the pre brined brisket that makes it's appearance in the markets in March. I don't like all the additives let alone the seasonings. I have in the past brined without Prague powder or saltpeter and had no spoilage but the color was off putting. This year I have seen a recipe that calls for 2 slices of beet root to add color to the brine. Has anyone tried this or have any comments?

I haven't but my thought would be that the betalain pigments (red and yellow) would oxidize in the cooking process and turn brown.

One thing that seems to survive cooking without either browning or adding significant flavour is Chinese pork. I wonder if you tried some red fermented bean curd if it would give you what you want?

[Jenise]

Good suggestion Bill.

I've never made my own corned beef, Christina. It was on my list of things to do and then Snake River Farms came out with their wagyu version, and I like it so much I've never looked back. It's less salty and doesn't taste commercial.

Going slightly off-topic, Costco is currently selling an already cooked version called something like Bill Bailey's. They were demo-ing it in the store the other day. AWFUL. Tastes more of preservatives than beef, and if you dropped a piece I think it would bounce.

I've made corned beef a bunch of times. There isn't a lot of work. It's mostly waiting.

Growing up we always had grey corned beef (and boiled dinner) and the cabbage stench filled the house. I was never keen on the color. After I learned about the red corned beef, I never went back and learned how to properly cook cabbage.

The first time I made the corned beef, I used Prague Powder #1 but hadn't arrived until the corning was about half done. It was kind of interesting to see the cut beef had a red outer area and a slight, maybe 1/4 inch grey interior. Since I now have a lifetime supply of it, I always add it at the beginning.

It will be interesting to hear how the beet root works. I'm not sure I would ever try that method since I'm OK with the PP#1

I always buy the uncured corned beef briskets processed with all natural products like celery juice. Excellent and I love that I am not putting chemicals in my gut that do not belong there.

Well, the color of the brine is promising but we shall see next week. Thank you Bill for reminding me of a recipe that I have done several times from Saveur. Char Siu Chicken wherein the red color comes from using beet powder. They gave a recipe for the diy beet powder and as I recall after cooking it was a brownish red but very tasty as the beets added a little sweetness. I think I will do that for next years corned beef. I would need some guidance regarding a brine containing red fermented bean curd and I suspect that it would take the dish to a very interesting level with modification of brining spices. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Jenise]

Christina, have you seen/done salmon soaked in beets? The color's amazing.

[Jenise]

Another question for Christina: we need an update on your oven situation. What did you finally get?

About the oven.....the exterior glass shattered when the door was taken off to replace light bulb. Because the model was discontinued 15 years ago Miele no longer had parts. I tried every US and Canada distributor/service department. Just before shopping for a new oven I took the panel containing the glass to a glass dealer who was able to put an oven tempered glass panel into the frame and it has worked perfectly. The only difference is that the old glass was smoked and the replacement is clear which allows me to more clearly see the interior of the oven.
NOW, the new snag is the refrigerator, a GE Monogram that has been faultless for the 20 year run. Again, it is a discontinued model, no parts and would involve work the service men are declining to do. Sub Zero has a 1 year plus lag time! All high end fridges have a long lag time. Going to see what if any floor models might fit the cabinet space. I do not want to do any cabinet work.
The fridge runs but it will not last long.

My latest appliance snag is my Microwave, it is still working but the revolving turntable wheels have started to rust, and leave a nasty rust color in the track it runs in. I have to scrub the track and the wheels and get a nice clean oven for a week, maybe. It sits shoulder height in my kitchen in the middle of some pull out pantry cabinets, and has a beautiful trim kit around it. I cannot find a microwave that size to fit the space the current once occupies. Cabinet men brought out another trim kit that would work, but when he saw mine he immediately said, "you are not going to like this one". He was right, it was so ugly, I could not believe the manufacturer even made it. So, I continue to use and scrub it. My kitchen is all custom made and the appliances all fit flush into a space. made for them. I think I am in for a lot of cabinet work someday.

[Jenise]

I almost wish my fridge would crap out, I hate it. Maybe if I put in an order for a SubZero now.... Sorry to hear that the appliance situation is still backed up. We lost our DW during the pandemic and bought something we're not entirely happy with (another Bosche, but a different model because no one knew when our model, which we loved and would have replaced, would come back again).

Karen, have you considered giving up on trim kits? I refused to go that route for fear of ending up in the exact situation you're in, and I also advised Bill Spohn to do the same when they remodeled their kitchen. So what both of us did was simply create a bookshelf space on which any brand MW under a certain size would fit with a few inches air space and leeway. When Bill's MW crapped out recently, he was glad they could replace the machine immediately and not have to worry about cabinetry.

Karen, I don't know the exact config of your MW but can you just change the wheels, or coat them with lacquer/wax to contain the rust?

I have to admit I've never seen a MW with metal turntable wheels.

Re the corned beef using beet slices. The meat is not red but it is not grey either. I think it an improvement.
Re the fridge, I found a dealer that was remodeling the Sub-Zero display and the only one they had fit my cabinet exactly. It is panel ready, french door top and freezer below with interior water dispenser. They told me it would be a month before delivery but I got it expedited to 5 days. I consider it all fortuitous.

I went to two grocery stores comparing prices on cabbage and a point-cut corned beef. At Albertson's, all I could find was the flat cut, so I asked the meat guy if they had any point cut. He directed me to a counter. I told him they were all flat cut.

He picked one up and looked at it. "Looks like a point cut to me."

I told him the package said "Flat Cut."

"Oh, well, if you want to go by the package...."

Well, yeah, I did want to go by the package. There's a significant price difference between the two at the checkout counter.

I found a point cut at Smith's and the cabbage, too. Both priced lower.

I really hope that the Kroger/Albertson merger doesn't happen. I like the two separate stores and their separate brands, inventories, and management styles. Albertson's is more expensive than Smith's, and I can see prices rising if the two do merge.

Congrats on the fortuitous find, Christina! When we were furnishing our home we took two 'floor samples': a dining table small enough to fit our space (but that comes with two leaves), and a Kindel gaming table with a green leather top that was just too beautiful to let pass.

[Jenise]

Well, yeah, I did want to go by the package. There's a significant price difference between the two at the checkout counter.

Don't mess with Larry!!!

[Jenise]

Congrats on the fridge, Christina, that's great!