Cut Corned Beef

Corned beef is a salt-cured beef that is served either as a roast or a lunch meat. The "corn" is actually large grains of salt that are used to cure it. It is commonly served in Jewish, Irish and Caribbean cuisines. You can find out how to cut corned beef to maximize its flavor.

Steps

Timing

1. Cook your corned beef, using the recipe of your choice. Make sure it is slow cooked, but also has an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius) or more.
2. Remove the meat from the oven or other heating element. Place it on a warm surface.
3. Cover the meat with aluminum foil. Rest it for 10 to 15 minutes before you cut it.

Grain Pattern

1. Sharpen your carving knife, if it has not been sharpened in a while.
2. Lay your corned beef on the cutting board.
3. Place it with the fattiest side down.
4. Look for the grain pattern of the meat. This is the pattern of visible long muscle fibers that run parallel to each other.
   • Brisket cuts have longer, tougher muscle fibers, because the cut of meat comes from areas that are built up when the animal was alive.
   • The grain is not the same as grill marks. If you have used a grill to cook meat, remember the grill marks are often arbitrary and they have nothing to do with the muscle fibers in the meat.

Carving

1. Position the meat on the carving board so that you can cut it against the grain. Your knife should run perpendicular to the grain, instead of parallel.
   • Slicing against the grain allows you to cut muscle fibers so that they are very short and no longer touch. If you leave muscle fibers long and intact, they remain strong and very hard to chew.
2. Use a downward motion that works from the blade edge to the tip of the blade.
3. Slice as thinly as possible against the grain. Serve immediately.

Things You'll Need

• Corned beef brisket
• Aluminum foil
• Carving knife

Related Articles

• Make a Traditional Corned Beef Pie
• Cut a Brisket
• Boil Corned Beef
• Cook Corned Beef in a Crockpot

Sources and Citations

• http://blog.cleveland.com/lifestyles/2008/03/_for_great_corned_beef.html
• http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/03/why-should-you-cut-meat-steak-against-the-grain.html

See also

• Make Orange Citrus Steak Sauce
• Cook French Beef Stew
• Make Beef Stew Subs
• Prepare Fillet of Beef Wellington
• Make Sweet and Sour Meatballs
• Make Biltong (South African Beef Jerky)
• Make Vegan Irish Stew
• Make Momos
• Make Milanesa
• Tell if Ground Beef Has Gone Bad

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