phaeton wrote:
> So I have a 3.5 pound corned beef brisket in the fridge. I love
> corned beef but due to things like hypertension I should watch the
> sodium ions. Many of us here enjoy the same story, I bet. Anyways,
> last year some folks talked about presoaking in the fridge and
> changing the water a few times. Could I also do this?:
>
> 0) Rinse brisket, leave whole
> 1) Simmer it in my stock pot for 2 hours, with about 4" of water above
> the brisket
> 2) Drain/rinse
> 3) Refill stock pot with fresh cold water, about 4" above the brisket
> 4) Add the spice packet
> 5) Simmer for 1 hour
> 6) Add cabbage/carrot/potato adjunct
> 7) Simmer for 1 hour
> 8) Remove contents from pot and drain
> 9) Slice corned beef
> 10) Put in face
>
> I presume that it'll lose some salt, and a little bit of flavor, but
> for the most part the meat and vegetables will still be lower sodium
> and still be delicious. What y'all think?
>
> -J

I have soaked corned beef in water in the fridge, changing the water
once or twice. It does relieve it of some of the salt. The problem, as I
see it, with doing it your way is that some of the flavor of the meat
will be lost if you get rid of the cooking water.

Here's how I do it:

Place the corned beef in a large, covered container filled with fresh,
cold water in the fridge in the morning. Change the water at least three
times during the day.

Before bed time, put the corned beef, fresh water, a piece of onion, a
couple of cloves of bruised garlic, the package of pickling spices and a
couple of extra bay leaves in a slow cooker.

Cook on low over night (8 -10 hours)

In the morning, remove the corned beef from the cooker. Place it in
heavy-duty aluminum foil and refrigerate.

Take the water that is in the cooker and pour it into a container.

One hour before serving, test the saved water for saltiness. If it's too
salty, mix it with fresh water to what you desire. Place it in a large
pot. Add carrots, potatoes, cabbage and what ever other veggies you
want. Cook the vegetables in the water until done.

Meanwhile, slice the cold corned beef. Shortly before the vegetables are
cooked, place the sliced corned beef over the vegetables to heat it.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

Janet Wilder wrote:

> I have soaked corned beef in water in the fridge, changing the water
> once or twice. It does relieve it of some of the salt.

I've done that as well, and had reasonable success. I like to smoke the
corned beef, so soaking helps there. I also think that modern corned
beef isn't as salty as it used to be, but I don't know for sure.



Brian

--
Day 410 of the "no grouchy usenet posts" project

On 20 Mar 2010 19:06:08 GMT, "Default User" >
wrote:

> I also think that modern corned
> beef isn't as salty as it used to be, but I don't know for sure.

I think you're right and by modern... meaning 10-15 years.

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On 20 Mar 2010 19:06:08 GMT, "Default User" >
wrote:

>Janet Wilder wrote:
>
>> I have soaked corned beef in water in the fridge, changing the water
>> once or twice. It does relieve it of some of the salt.

But very little, only the surface salt... you'd do just as well to
simply rinse in cold water.

>I've done that as well, and had reasonable success. I like to smoke the
>corned beef.

Smoking corned beef without first cooking it makes it garbage. Smoking
cooked corned beef makes it pastrami... if the excess salt is not
removed first by cooking in changes of water also produces garbage.

>corned beef isn't as salty as it used to be.

You're probably confusing corned beef with salt beef.