This is Corned Beef: An Old Irish-American Tradition

Now this is a throwback dish! We’re taking you all the way back to when refrigeration didn’t exist and meat was cured for preservation. Corned beef is beef brisket that has been cured in a salt solution called a brine. The curing process takes five to eight days. We have a delicious corned beef recipe and locally sourced beef brisket available.

 

Why is it called corned beef?

Surprisingly, corn has really nothing to do with corned beef. Go figure. In the 17th century, all grains were called corn! It was the generic term for “seed.” So, when the beef was cured, it was covered with chunky pieces of salt that kind of looked like pieces of oats or barley. That is why it was called corned beef.

 

Corned beef and St. Patrick’s Day

Around St. Patrick's Day, corned beef is usually served with cabbage and potatoes. This is a tradition started by early Irish-Americans, when they celebrated St. Patrick’s Day as a way to honor their Irish heritage. Corned beef was a cheaper meat that was more accessible to new immigrants to the United States. Cabbage and potatoes were also relatively inexpensive vegetables to pair with corned beef.