# Do You Like To Eat Corned Beef?



## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

The humble corned beef, maybe a family staple, maybe not, maybe something you avoid, maybe something you eat when camping.

Whatever it is, do you eat corned beef?

I like it, very now and then especially when I am on the run. Gently fried, with some carrots, onions, maybe some potato.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

What would a Reuben be without it?


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I avoid it because I am on a healthful diet (more or less) and do not eat a lot of meat (mainly turkey and fish). However, I remember the days when I lived a mile from a great Jewish deli and they served up the most wonderful corned beef sandwiches in the world. They were huge. I could make two meals out of one of those sandwiches.


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## Celloman (Sep 30, 2006)

Not a fan of it. A bit too corny for me.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I avoid it, since I am mostly vegetarian (except in restaurants, occasionally). I do like Reuben sandwiches, of course, which is where I mostly have it. Gently fried, with carrots, onion and potato sounds tasty, too, ArtMusic; however, I am concerned about frying, since cured meats (containing nitrites) become carcinogenic when charred and overcooked.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

I don't eat it too often, but I have it every now and then as a special treat. I like a Reuben sandwich and Corned Beef and Cabbage. mmmmm........


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

GreenMamba said:


> What would a Reuben be without it?


Toasted with cheese, some onions, lettuce, pickles ...


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

This was a staple at our home because of the relatively cheap cost of making it from scratch for a family of four during rough times. (1950's, 1960's)

It was, then, nutritious and quite filling. My cousin referred to it as dog food :lol:


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Corned Beef Reuben sandwiches on Rye... Mmmmm!










Eggs and Corned Beef Hash!... Mmmmm!










Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick's Day! Mmmmm!










I must say the Corned Beef I know looks nothing like the processed stuff in the OP.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

What would a Reuben be without it?

Toasted with cheese, some onions, lettuce, pickles ...

Corned Beef, Sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese, and Thousand Island Dressing (Russian Dressing in NYC) on hearty Rye Bread. No onions. Big dill pickle on the side.


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

I like it, and eat it quite often



StlukesguildOhio said:


> I must say the Corned Beef I know looks nothing like the processed stuff in the OP.


That was my first thought too.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Krummhorn said:


> This was a staple at our home because of the relatively cheap cost of making it from scratch for a family of four during rough times. (1950's, 1960's)
> 
> It was, then, nutritious and quite filling. My cousin referred to it as dog food :lol:


It still is an occasional staple. Times were rough at times, but it can be nutritious and filling with good taste. A versatile food.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

I love corned beef and Reuben sandwiches. My mom makes really great corned beef.

I agree with people saying that the corned beef in the OP looks a little strange...


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

I voted 'no'.

We grew up on it too. It was cheap and cheerful. Corned beef was a staple in the army in WWII, so my father used to refer to it as 'soldier meat'. He was a very macho man who quite obviously preferred his three sons to his three daughters. It was also on the school menu. I didn't really like its strong taste, although I quite liked it in the cottage pie, with mashed potatoes, that sometimes featured in school dinners and occasionally at home, when I'd smother it in tomato ketchup. 

In adulthood I rarely touched the stuff, and when I did, I was struck by how fatty it was. Of course, all our 'soldier meat' came out of a tin, so the Jewish delicacy talked about above is probably delicious. 

In one episode of 'Dad's Army', the famous British sitcom about the Home Guard in WWII, Walker the 'spiv' character is finally called up and eats a meal of corned beef for the first time - enjoys it - and later is very ill. He is invalided out of the army because of his allergy to corned beef. As a plot line, that amazed me, but my mother said it would make sense, since soldiers ate it so much.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

The British version comes out of a tin:










Even when you buy it loose or sliced in a supermarket it will have been sliced from a large block of the stuff decanted from a tin.

It can be fairly dry and many people (self included) like it in sandwiches smothered in tomato ketchup to make it slightly less dry. The US version looks quite different.


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## Guest (Apr 6, 2015)

I voted no. I also Avoid it! - it's cos I'm a veggie.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Yep - I'm partial to a bit of the old Fray Bentos or Princes in sandwiches but I haven't bought any for some time. Corned Beef and Colman's English Mustard on crusty granary bread - oh, yes...


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## Chris (Jun 1, 2010)

I've not touched any kind of processed meat since the revelations of what constituted these foods during the BSE scares of the 1990s. I remember the government ordering manufactures to stop including brain tissue in beefburgers. There was something else about chopped feathers being part of the recipe for Turkey Twizzlers. Don't want to say any more...I'm feeling ill.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Oh no! You poor people who have only had corned beef from a can  

Homemade corned beef has amazing flavor, not much fat either.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Thank you Taggart and Ingelou for explaining the difference between the tinned corned beef in the UK, and the proper stuff that Americans have. Now the question makes sense.  Together with spam (which my grandparents, who loved it, called 'luncheon meat' to make it sound posh) corned beef was still a staple of school meals in the 80s and was the one 'choice' that was invariably still left whenever it was my class' turn to eat last. Teachers always managed to have something tasty saved for them: one elderly class teacher justified this by saying that she could never eat corned beef now because she'd had so much of it during the war! :lol:


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

Yup, love it, but only the real McCoy that us Americans have. Comes as a 3-5 lb. brisket vacuum-packed in the brine that it was "corned" in. Reuben, corned beef hash, corned beef and cabbage... all delicious!


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

OMG, that look so delicious, Taggart! Meat should always be smooth-edged. 


BTW, we Yanks incorrectly assume corned beef dinner (the last of Stluksguild's pics) is an Irish staple.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Even when you buy it loose or sliced in a supermarket it will have been sliced from a large block of the stuff decanted from a tin.

The closest I have ever seen to that is the corned beef hash that comes in a can. Otherwise it is sliced from an entire roast:


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Figleaf said:


> .. Together with spam (which my grandparents, who loved it, called 'luncheon meat' to make it sound posh) corned beef was still a staple of school meals in the 80s and was the one 'choice' that was invariably still left whenever it was my class' turn to eat last...


Spam and corned beef were also fried in batter and served as fritters in our school dinners. We quite liked this, because when slices of real beef or pork was served, it was appalling - full of fat and gristle. I think I've told this story before - ah, to be in one's third age  - but our table of six once complained when we had some beef like this. 
We said *it wasn't fit to eat*. The teacher on duty was nonplussed & sent for the headmistress. She was also nonplussed, I think, but said sharply, 'I'd have had more sympathy if you'd tried to eat it.' 
Sigh - that was *our point*, silly woman!


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

Ingélou said:


> ... nonplussed ...


I'm adding this word to "crony". :tiphat:


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

Figleaf said:


> Thank you Taggart and Ingelou for explaining the difference between the tinned corned beef in the UK, and the proper stuff that Americans have. Now the question makes sense.  Together with spam (which my grandparents, who loved it, called 'luncheon meat' to make it sound posh) corned beef was still a staple of school meals in the 80s and was the one 'choice' that was invariably still left whenever it was my class' turn to eat last. Teachers always managed to have something tasty saved for them: one elderly class teacher justified this by saying that she could never eat corned beef now because she'd had so much of it during the war! :lol:


Okay, now I think I finally understand: there is a delightful food called "corned beef" and rather less-than-delightful tinned equivalent. I think that this tinned variety would be much like a tinned food sold here in Soviet time, called "Tourist Breakfast". This is not what the tourists who came with dollars, pounds, (West) German Marks ate in the Intourist hotels - they ate the food that was unavailable in the stores. No, this is what WE ate when we were tourists in our own country.

(It wasn't too bad as long as the company you shared it with were nice! :lol


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Ingélou said:


> Spam and corned beef were also fried in batter and served as fritters in our school dinners. We quite liked this, because when slices of real beef or pork was served, it was appalling - full of fat and gristle. I think I've told this story before - ah, to be in one's third age  - but our table of six once complained when we had some beef like this.
> We said *it wasn't fit to eat*. The teacher on duty was nonplussed & sent for the headmistress. She was also nonplussed, I think, but said sharply, 'I'd have had more sympathy if you'd tried to eat it.'
> Sigh - that was *our point*, silly woman!


Spam fritters were actually really nice! Corned beef never got battered and fried at our school- I can imagine that wouldn't taste good. Me and my cronies would have been pretty nonplussed!


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## Guest (Apr 6, 2015)

Ingélou said:


> I think I've told this story before - ah, to be in one's third age


That's why it's called that: it denotes the typical number of repetitions.


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

Mmm, corned beef hash in white rice please!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

What a coincidence -- corned beef hash with poached eggs this morning. We make it with Argentine tinned beef. Add chopped potato and onions, certain secret spices...


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

Taggart said:


> The British version comes out of a tin:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Do you know if it tastes like corned beef as found in New Zealand or the USA?


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

MoonlightSonata said:


> Do you know if it tastes like corned beef as found in New Zealand or the USA?


Absolutely no idea. I suspect it's different from the US version. I suspect the canned version can be found in New Zealand.


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

Taggart said:


> Absolutely no idea. I suspect it's different from the US version. I suspect the canned version can be found in New Zealand.


The sort I usually have looks like the sort the USA has, but I'll see if I can find the canned version.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Almost all canned corned beef in the USA comes from Argentina. I suspect the same may be true in other countries as well. For instance, Wiki says that UK corned beef is "mainly imported from Argentina, Brazil, or Uruguay."


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I grew up in a very Jewish subur in Detroit. My family loved corned beef and would buy it weekly. When I was in High School I worked in Kosher Delis that served the stuff and making was one of my responsibilities. I had never encountered the thick chunky way of eating corned beef until I got maried-the jewish style is thinly sliced
Then when one becomes aware of how fatty the stuff is..I had cut it down to perhaps once a year. My wife is Irish, and she isn't a big fan of corned beef and cabbage on St. Partrick Day. So the last few years I have made her little mini rubens--half slices of rye,kosher style corned beef and coleslaw on top, a dab of thousand island dressing, and swiss cheese on the top, broiled for 3 minutes. It's delicious, but last st. Pats day I overate and myGI track isn't used to it anymore and man did I pay the price.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Some of you folks are in serious need of eating at a Kosher Jewish Deli. Fresh corned beef piled high on rye bread with deli mustard. Now THAT'S corned beef!

Even Wagner would have enjoyed it.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Almost all canned corned beef in the USA comes from Argentina. I suspect the same may be true in other countries as well. For instance, Wiki says that UK corned beef is "mainly imported from Argentina, Brazil, or Uruguay."


Why are the canned ones from South American countries? I'm curious.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

ArtMusic said:


> Why are the canned ones from South American countries? I'm curious.


I'd guess: They've got plenty of beef, raised cheaply, and can export this way without refrigeration (which would make it far more expensive). And no hurry, due to the shelf life, so it can be transported on ships rather than some faster and more costly way.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I'd love to sample the fresh variety as shown by our US members (it looks like pastrami to my admittedly untrained eye but I'm guessing the seasoning is somewhat different) but, believe me, the tinned stuff tastes better than it looks, especially when served cold from the fridge as it then has a firmer texture.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

This is what my mom's homemade corned beef looks like.

﻿


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

violadude said:


> This is what my mom's homemade corned beef looks like.
> 
> ﻿
> View attachment 67885


Oh, that looks sooooo good. I can almost smell it through the computer screen.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

elgars ghost said:


> I'd love to sample the fresh variety as shown by our US members (it looks like pastrami to my admittedly untrained eye but I'm guessing the seasoning is somewhat different)


It's pretty similar to pastrami, although I prefer pastrami. I don't think anyone eats pastrami outside of sandwiches, which is not the case with corned beef.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

Pastrami is basically smoked, seasoned corned beef.


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## padraic (Feb 26, 2015)

Love it!

Ah, the forum will not allow me to express my feelings so succinctly.


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## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

My dad used to have a few of these on the shelf of his butchershop. We ate it very rarely, but I remember that I liked it as a kid with some mustard and coleslaw.
There were also tins of Spam ("Smak") and that stuff was seriously being frowned upon. Luncheon meat is a very interesting product, it contains all sorts of stuff, and sometimes even meat.....
I only had it a few times when I stayed over at a schoolfriends house. (In a poor neighborhood, ofcourse :lol.Cut into thick slices and fried in butter. Yummie, lunch at the greasy spoon, I really liked the salty, greasy taste. Gonna buy me a tin this week.

Hang on; Spam also went into dubious macaronidishes at my studenthouse. Couldn't think of a cheaper way for a good all night indigestion......


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

It's tasty, but I'm mostly vegetarian now so I avoid it.

I dunno about that stuff in the first picture though.


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