Fat Side Down or Up for Corned Beef
| Stove top method, brought to a boil and simmered. I don't have any reason, other than "That's the way Maw done it" so if you have an argument, I'm all ears. Also, few things in the world smell better to me than simmering corned beef. Few sandwiches in the world taste better than corned beef and swiss on rye with brown mustard. Corned beef: Top 5 Meats of all time. Edit: Add fourth option. Joy of Cooking makes no suggestion. Maybe it doesn't matter at all. |
| If ever a poll needed a taco option... |
| The fat side goes down when cooking brisket. Keeps the meat from getting over-browned and tough. Also, I use a crockpot for my own corned beef. You can experiment with various stocks and beers for flavor, but I like a bit of beef bouillon dissolved in some Guinness and poured until about halfway up the side of the brisket. |
| General answer is fat side up lets it baste the brisket as it melts. |
| WhiteKnight wrote: If ever a poll needed a taco option... Sorry, I updated with a better description. I was referring to a corned beef brisket, which is a fairly standard (if not very popular year-round) preparation of brined beef brisket available in the US. It's mostly associated with Irish descendants and sometimes associated with Ireland, but it's mostly unique to North America. Usually, you can get it in restaurants only around St. Patrick's Day in the US and probably never in Ireland, excepting places that cater to US tourists. |
| Verboten wrote: WhiteKnight wrote: If ever a poll needed a taco option... Sorry, I updated with a better description. I was referring to a corned beef brisket, which is a fairly standard (if not very popular year-round) preparation of brined beef brisket available in the US. It's mostly associated with Irish descendants and sometimes associated with Ireland, but it's mostly unique to North America. Usually, you can get it in restaurants only around St. Patrick's Day in the US and probably never in Ireland, excepting places that cater to US tourists. Yep, here we call it "silverside". But because I've only seen it cooked in a pot of brine on the stove top I don't really think about "up" or "down". Is the "brisket" cooked in a shallow pan where it can touch the bottom and/or the top is out of the brine? Or in the oven instead of on the stove or something? Because now I'm thinking what silverside would taste like with one side kind of roasted. It's not a bad thought... |
| Fat cap is ALWAYS on top. |
| You can of course brine your own brisket and roast or broil or simmer it in or on whatever and however you want. However, the most common supermarket prepped corned beef brisket here is vacuum sealed in plastic after brining and comes with a tiny bag of peppercorns and other spices and is meant to be submerged in water, brought to a boil and then simmered for ~3 hours. No conclusive input so far and it wasn't a heated debate that brought up the poll. I'm guessing that it makes very little difference since the entire cut is either submerged in water, or getting a 100% humidity heat bath from the covered lid. For the record, I always simmer with the fat cap up and will continue to do so until compelled otherwise. DiePilot is of course a renowned beef brisket master, but more of the smoke variety. The crockpot Guinness recipe sounds awesome but for simmering, I'm not convinced. I'm gonna keep doin' it like Maw done. |
| I would think if you're doing it on the stovetop, having the fat down might be advantageous since it'd keep the bottom of the steak from coming into contact with the bottom of the pan where the heat is concentrated. If you're doing it in the oven, slow cooker, or smoker, where there's more even heat all around, having the fat side up for instabasting would be best. |
| My mom always put it fat side down and gave it a good sizzle that developed a crust on that side. After the crust is formed, she would turn it over and simmer it. The fat would dribble down the sides and give the meat and juices that nice flavor. |
| If you were roasting it, it might matter, but since it's a corned beef which one boils, I don't think it makes a bit of difference. |
| Sear both sides, then add liquid to simmer, fat side up. |
| An odd fact I learned when working in logistics over 70% of the corned sold in the United states is sold in the 14 days surrounding St. Patricks day. Who knew? |
| One thing I do miss about my ex is the food. Irish mother and Italian father, and both could cook very well, with my ex picking up both. Corned beef and cabbage at her parent's house was a feast. I usually sear both sides and then simmer, fat side up. You are doing potatoes and cabbage in the same pot, right? |
| Pretty hard to find around these parts except around St. Patrick's Day. I usually buy ten or so and freeze them so I can have them year 'round. And I usually cook them fat up in the crock pot, in water, with cabbage and red potatoes. And during the summer it's a special treat because the cabbage and red potatoes come from my garden. |
| This is one of the biggest common arguments in the BBQ world. Half say fat side up, half say fat side down. I think if cooking in a crockpot, won't make any difference whatsoever. |
| Taster's choice? Cook 'em both ways and see how they turn out. Conversely, corned beef tacos? Why hasn't this been done before?? A little sauteed cabbage w/srachi and pepper, some good Irish cheese, and carmelized red onions. Potatoe salad on the side. Irish tacos! |
Source: https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?t=1137191
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