Mmmm corned beef
Several months ago I bought a couple of vacuum sealed bags of corned beef at the local supermarket. They were only a couple bucks a bag so I jumped on them. They sat and sat in the meat drawer of my refrigerator until the other day when I finally decided to cook one of them. The "expiration date" on them was July 4th. I cut the bag open half expecting a rancid, stomach turning odor that would surely force everything from my stomach that's been digesting for the last couple of days. Surprisingly enough I was greeted with the wonderful scent of "fresh" corned beef. It was a bit more ripe than usual but that only added to the appeal. I decided to cook it to see how it would turn out.
I tossed it in a stock pot, dumped in the contents of the spice package that it came with, filled the pot with water until the beef was just covered and began cooking. After letting it boil for about 10 minutes I lowered the heat to a simmer and left it alone for a few hours. It must have been the most tender, flavorful corned beef that I've ever put in my mouth. I'm not exactly the pickiest eater, though, so I decided to let my wife try it before I passed final judgement. Even she loved it and for once in her life she finished everything on her plate! At this point I could have mentioned the fact that she was eating something 6 1/2 months past the "best by" date but that would have surely spoiled her taste for it. As much as I wanted to just to prove a point I held back.
Despite the fact that it was absolutely excellent we still had a lot left over. There's only so much that two people can put down. Especially when you can feel your arteries clog with every bite. So I took the leftovers and decided to make some corned beef hash. It turned out every bit as wonderful as the original roast. My wife is going to be pissed with all of the smoke in the house because I heated up the cast iron skillet a bit too much but she'll understand once she puts that first bite in her mouth (I hope). The fan over the stove has been on for over an hour and I've had a window cracked long enough that I can feel the temperature dropping in the kitchen. At least the hash turned out really good, though!
So what's the moral of this story? Don't pay attention to "best by" dates. Use your own senses (including the common one) to decide if what you've got is safe to eat or not. These days it doesn't hurt to throw it away just to be safe but a time may come sooner than you think where you'll actually want to be able to rely on your instincts.
I tossed it in a stock pot, dumped in the contents of the spice package that it came with, filled the pot with water until the beef was just covered and began cooking. After letting it boil for about 10 minutes I lowered the heat to a simmer and left it alone for a few hours. It must have been the most tender, flavorful corned beef that I've ever put in my mouth. I'm not exactly the pickiest eater, though, so I decided to let my wife try it before I passed final judgement. Even she loved it and for once in her life she finished everything on her plate! At this point I could have mentioned the fact that she was eating something 6 1/2 months past the "best by" date but that would have surely spoiled her taste for it. As much as I wanted to just to prove a point I held back.
Despite the fact that it was absolutely excellent we still had a lot left over. There's only so much that two people can put down. Especially when you can feel your arteries clog with every bite. So I took the leftovers and decided to make some corned beef hash. It turned out every bit as wonderful as the original roast. My wife is going to be pissed with all of the smoke in the house because I heated up the cast iron skillet a bit too much but she'll understand once she puts that first bite in her mouth (I hope). The fan over the stove has been on for over an hour and I've had a window cracked long enough that I can feel the temperature dropping in the kitchen. At least the hash turned out really good, though!
So what's the moral of this story? Don't pay attention to "best by" dates. Use your own senses (including the common one) to decide if what you've got is safe to eat or not. These days it doesn't hurt to throw it away just to be safe but a time may come sooner than you think where you'll actually want to be able to rely on your instincts.
Comments
Point is, the driving force s$!t was odiferous-borderline, and they charged ahead... can only hope it was HIS maternal side of the family what shined thru.
Come to think, his mom don't do NO cookin' when OUR dad is away...
:P
Keeper in the dank-- er, -- DARK!
Cygnusdozolike
Now, for that smoke, next time. Wet a dish towel, to the point it won't drip, and swing it around the kitchen. For whatever reason it clears the smoke. For the scent, put out a dish of white vinegar - it absorbs the smell.
always tender this way and somewhat less saltier sometimes
marc
Cooked it all day in the crock pot, added some quartered cabbage (from the garden! in January!) about a half-hour before eating, and mashed up some taters.
Yum, yum.
The odd thing, we were both hungry afterwards.
My wife says it's something to do with certain spices that can boost appetite.
We've got another corned beef still waiting in the freezer for a week or two down the road.
Hang in there!