Quality corned beef is a staple of Jewish, Irish and Caribbean cuisine. The meat is preserved with salt commonly called corn and then cooked over low heat for several hours. Since corned beef is made from the tough part of the brisket, it must be sliced thin to make it tender. After the meat has cooled, slice it thinly across the grain to maximize the flavor.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Cooking and Cleaning Beef
Step 1. Cook the corned beef before cutting it
Insert a thermometer into the center of the brisket to make sure the inside temperature is around 75°C so it's hot enough to melt the tough collagen in the meat. Slicing corned beef too quickly will make it lose its juices. So, leave the brisket intact with all the fat in it.
At the very least, cook the corned beef to 65°C before cutting it. At that temperature, the meat is safe to eat, although cooking it slowly to high temperatures will make it taste better
Step 2. Cover the meat with aluminum foil and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes
Transfer the corned beef to a cutting board once it's done. Loosely cover the meat with aluminum foil to keep it warm during the rest. This waiting process will allow the meat to reabsorb the moisture in it, so you'll get a brisket that has more juice and a cleaner cutting board.
- Remove meat from heat sources, including hot water, so it doesn't cook too long.
- Simmering the meat is a good time to finish preparing the vegetables or other ingredients you want to serve with the corned beef.
Step 3. Choose a sharp knife for easy slicing
If possible, use a knife that is the same length as the width of the meat. This way, you can cut the meat into whole slices instead of uneven cuts. A long butcher knife is a great tool to have on hand, especially for large brisket chops. Sharpen your knife to make sure it cuts through the meat neatly instead of tearing it apart.
Use a meat fork to keep the meat from shifting as you slice it
Step 4. Slice off the fat to remove it if you are cooking the brisket whole
Whole brisket meat consists of 2 parts. A layer of connective fat separates these sections. Gently lift the beef with a fork to reveal the fat in the center, then slice the bacon horizontally between the brisket to separate the pieces.
- The larger one is called the flat section. It was less fatty and even thicker.
- The fatter is called the point, the part is less and is located above the flat part.
- The flat and point portions are often packaged and sold separately so you don't have to use the whole brisket to enjoy a good corned beef.
Step 5. Remove the fat from the top of the corned beef
Place the meat flat on the cutting board with the white, soft fat side facing up. It may have browned a bit from cooking, but it's still easily recognizable. Prick the meat with a fork so it doesn't slide, then slice off the underside of the fat layer. Slice horizontally along the length of the meat to remove the fat.
- Leave some fat, about 2.5 cm or less. Fat adds flavor.
- It's possible to remove the fat before the meat is cooked, but it helps lock in the moisture and flavor of the meat.
Part 2 of 2: Slicing Meat
Step 1. Turn the meat over and find the grain pattern
Place the fat on the bottom if you left out the outside of the corned beef. Pay close attention to the direction of the muscle fibers of the meat. The fibers look like parallel lines along the flesh.
- The flat and point sections have different fiber patterns. So, cut that part separately.
- The grain of the meat is not the same as the former grill. If you are cooking meat on the grill, ignore the grill marks and look for the lines formed by the muscle fibers in the meat.
Step 2. Turn the meat over so you can slice the meat against the grain
Your knife should be perpendicular to the direction of the grain, not parallel. This will shorten the muscle fibers and make the corned beef more tender. Long muscle fibers are stronger and harder to chew.
Brisket meat has long and strong muscle fibers because it is the weight-bearing part of the beef. Not cutting the meat against the grain can turn good corned beef off
Step 3. Slice starting from the corner of the lean meat
The less fatty parts of the meat are easier to cut. Prick the meat with a fork so it doesn't slide, then slice the meat. For a neat cut, move the knife back and forth, as if you were using a saw. In this way, you alternately move the tip of the knife and the end that is in contact with the meat.
- Press the knife down as you cut the meat, then slowly cut the meat into slices.
- To make large pieces of meat easier to handle, cut them in half. As long as you cut it vertically against the grain, it's okay to reduce the size of the meat before slicing it.
Step 4. Slice the remaining brisket as thinly as possible against the grain
Slice the corned beef into approximately 0.3 cm if possible. The thinner your slices, the easier it will be to chew. Continue slicing the meat against the grain, slicing the meat about the same size until it runs out.
The thicker cuts make the effort we have to chew harder, but still that's okay. Some people even prefer the meat to be cut that way. Thick slices are perfect for recipes like corned beef hash
Step 5. Leftover beef can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days
To keep it safe to eat, put the meat in the refrigerator within 2 hours after cooking. Put the meat in a plastic or resealable container, if necessary label it. Otherwise, wrap the meat tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap so you can enjoy the rest of the meat a few days later.
- To freeze meat, place it in a freezer-safe labeled container. Frozen meat can maintain its quality for up to 3 months.
- Damaged corned beef will look mushy and smell bad. Discard the meat without tasting it first if you suspect it is spoiled.
Tips
- Corned beef is usually very thinly sliced when used on deli sandwiches. Thicker slices are suitable served with vegetables or added to other menus.
- For foods such as corned beef hash, cut the meat into squares after slicing.
- The fat in beef is edible. Depending on how you like the meat, leaving some of the fat on top can add extra flavor to the meat.
- Notice the different grain directions in the flat and point cuts on the corned beef. If you buy a whole brisket, you will get both pieces and must be separated before slicing.
