Here’s the beef

Photo by Aimee Blume / Special to the Cou

Aimee Blume / Special to Scripps Newspapers
Put a little twist on your corned beef by serving it with Irish vegetables other than cabbage, such as golden rutabagas, leeks, and sweet parsnips. A side of colcannon with Irish cheddar completes the meal.

Photo by Aimee Blume / Special to the Cou

Chef Raul Sanchez of Ri Ra Irish Pub examines beef brisket “corning” in a brine of curing salt, brown sugarand spices. He has 350 pounds of brisket curing in anticipation of St. Patrick’s day.

Photo by Aimee Blume / Special to the Cou

RIGHT: McDonnell’s Curry Sauce mix from Ireland is a quick and easy way to prepare authentic Emerald Isle-style curry sauce for fries, chicken or prawns.

It is odd to realize that corned beef and cabbage is considered the Irish national dish everywhere in the world … except in Ireland. The Irish themselves rarely eat it and don’t think of it as a native food at all, but rather an American phenomenon.

A bit of history is in order — from “Irish Corned Beef: A Culinary History” by Mairtin Mac Con Iomaire of the Dublin Institute of Technology.

The Irish climate is ideal for raising pastured animals, but the Irish always kept cattle for milk and farm work, rarely eating the meat.

In the 18th century, British landowners in Ireland took advantage of the pasturage to raise beef for consumption in England, by the English Navy and for export to colonies from New England to the Caribbean to the South Pacific. The beef was both raised and preserved by salting, or “corned,” in Ireland, and this product became associated with Ireland the world over; ironically, however, the impoverished Irish themselves couldn’t afford it and continued to eat salted pork as they always had.

During the Great Potato Famine of the mid-19th century, over a million Irish emigrated to the United States. Many settled in New York. The Jewish population there did not eat pork, but preferred salted beef brisket, which was sold very cheaply. The Irish, who considered beef a luxury, adopted it with gusto, preparing it with cabbage and potatoes just as they would a corned pork shoulder (which they called bacon) at home.

So, when we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in America, corned beef is what we eat.

At Ri Ra Irish Pub in Evansvile, Ind., Chef Raul Sanchez corns about 60 pounds of fresh beef brisket every week according to his own recipe — but in preparation for St. Patrick’s day, he has 350 pounds soaking away in spicy brine. “We started brining our own fresh beef about two years ago,” he said. “We use it for the plates and sandwiches too — no more deli corned beef.”

Beef can be brined with only salt and water, but modern recipes add sugar and spices for a better flavor. In addition, curing salt, or sodium nitrite, is added to further inhibit bacterial growth and give the meat a characteristic pink color. Without it, all cured meat including bacon and ham would be gray.

Sanchez uses cure, brown sugar, salt, and lots of spices in a special blend. “The meat sits in the brine from seven to ten days,” he said. “Ten is better. Then we cook it at a simmer for six to seven hours.”

During March, Ri Ra is giving you the chance to compare the more American corned beef with the original “bacon,” or corned pork, as it is made in Ireland. “The pork is more traditional to Ireland,” said Sanchez. “There they have more pork and it is cheaper, but it’s basically the same recipe. It’s pork butt instead of brisket, and the spices change a little bit.”

He explained that traditionally mashed potatoes and cabbage are served with bacon, then the next day the leftovers are mashed together to make the famous Irish dish of Colcannon.

At Ri Ra, both corned beef and bacon are served with mashed potatoes, a side of braised sweet savoy cabbage (if you’ve never had savoy cabbage, make it a point to try it. The bright green-yellow, wrinkled leaves have an exceptionally tender chew and sweet flavor), and a cream sauce made with onion, garlic and parsley.nnnOne of the more modern Irish favorites also is dish that originates in a place far from Ireland — curry.

Because of Britain’s connection with India (remember England ruled India from 1858 — 1947), curry is an insanely popular food in all the British Isles. A very typical sweetish, creamy orange curry sauce is served as a dipping condiment, a sandwich topping, and a sauce for chicken, prawns (shrimp), or beef over rice.

A glance at Irish food websites shows that such “American” brands as Knorr and Uncle Ben’s sell packaged curry sauce in Ireland.

Ri Ra offers cans of Irish-made McDonnell’s Curry sauce mix, a favorite that comes in powder form and is boiled with water to serve.

At the restaurant they mix it with mayonnaise for a burger topping, make hot curry sauce for dipping chips, and have had a chicken curry with vegetables on the menu. It’s a good all-purpose seasoning and thickener for everything from soups to meatloaf.

Alton Brown’s Home-Brined Corned Beef

Brines 1 4-5 pound brisket

INGREDIENTS

2 quarts water

1 cup kosher salt

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons pink curing salt (also called Prague powder #1)(Order online at thesausagemaker.com or other locations.)

1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

8 whole cloves

8 whole allspice berries

12 whole juniper berries

2 bay leaves, crumbled

½ teaspoon ground ginger

2 pounds ice

1 (4 to 5 pound) beef brisket, trimmed

DIRECTIONS

1 Place the water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, curing salt, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved.

2 Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice has melted. If necessary, place the brine into the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip-top bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine.

3 After 10 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water. Cook as desired in simmering water.

Corned Beef with Everything but Cabbage

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 (4-pound) corned beef brisket

4 medium carrots, peeled

2 small onions, coarsely chopped

2 large leeks, white and light green parts, sliced and washed well

3 medium parsnips, peeled cut in chunks

2 medium rutabagas, peeled cut in chunks

DIRECTIONS

1 Place meat in Dutch oven, add juices and spices from corned beef package. Add water to cover meat.

2 Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 2 hours until meat is almost tender. Quarter carrots, add to pan with onions, leeks, parsnips and rutabagas. Cover; return to boiling.

3 Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until meat and vegetables are tender. Transfer meat and vegetables to platter. Season with salt and pepper.

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