Baba Yaga Music home » Starving Artist Cafe » Roulades, Roast and Corned Beef

Making Roulades, Roast and Corned Beef

• Corned Beef
• Peking Roast
• Roulades
• Crockpot Meatloaf

CORNED BEEF

I no longer boil or pressure cook corned beef. I bake it in an oven or an electric skillet, which yields a firmer texture and seems to cause less shrinkage. Then I cut it into cubes and mix it with potatoes that have been lightly steamed, cut into cubes and panfried with chopped onions, because otherwise there is NEVER enough corned beef to go around, no matter how few the family at table.

In all situations, Rinse the Meat Well.

Fat side up or down? Up is usually recommended... perhaps to keep the meat moist.

Let the meet stand 20 minutes after cooking for best slicing results.

Corned beef is sliced at an angle to the grain of the meat (the lines of the meat when you look at it from the top). Some cut it straight across, at a 90 degree angle, some at a 45 degree angle. This makes the meat more easier to eat and tastier too... if you cut parallel to the grain you will end up with meat in long strings, more like jerky than corned beef.

Corned beef may still be pink after cooking. This does not mean it is not done. Nitrite is used in the curing process. This fixes pigment in the meat and affects the color.

Corned Beef In the Oven: 3 - 10 lb corned beef brisket, cooked in a large roasting pan with a tight fitting lid in the oven.

The reason corned beef is so often boiled is because it is a less tender cut that requires long moist cooking. So, if you are not going to boil it, you must cook it in a pan that will keep the meat moisture from escaping.

• Preheat the oven to 325 - 350 degrees.
• Oil a roasting pan that has a tight lid.
• Place a rack in the pan.
• If desired, line roasting pan with potatoes and carrots.
• Place brisket with the fat side up.
• Cover the roasting pan, and bake it for 3-4 hours. For accuracy, use a meat thermometer, and consider the meat done when the center has reached 160 degrees. (The USDA says to cook all raw corned beef to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source.)
• Many people make the mistake of adding a lot of water. Do not do this. The corned beef has plenty of fat, and it will create its own sauce. Adding a lot of water will only dilute the flavor. I book corned beef in a very large, heavy cast iron pot that requires no water. If your lid is not so tight, add a cup of water.
• You can cook potatoes and carrots along with the corned beef by placing them below or around or on top of the meat. These will also produce moisture while cooking.

Corned Beef In an Electric Skillet with a glass lid: Not as good as the oven method but still satisfactory.

• Lightly grease the pan.
• Place a cooking rack in the bottom of the skillet and cover the skillet.
• Preheat to 325 F.
• Place the meat on a plate or board and insert meat thermometer in thickest part of meat, avoiding fat and bone. You will probably have to push this in sideways to make it fit under the skillet cover.
• Position the meat on the rack so that the thermometer clears the lid.
• Pour 1 c warm water into the pan, carefully.
• Now turn the heat down to 225 F.
• Cover and cook approximately 30 minutes per lb, or until the meat thermometer reads 160 or higher.
• Turn off heat, let set a few minutes before removing.

Corned Beef in a Slow Cooker:

I have not tried this method because the oven method is so much faster. The USDA recommends putting root vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots, in the bottom of the slow cooker with the brisket on top of vegetables. Add about 1-1/2 cups of water, cover and cook on high setting for the first hour of cooking. Then cook for 10 to 12 hours on the low setting or 5 to 6 hours on high. Cabbage wedges may be added on top of the brisket during the last 3 hours of cooking.

PEKING ROAST

A famous recipe from Ask Heloise.

A 24-hour marinade and an unusual ingredient makes any cut tender and yields delicious gravy.

• Cut slits in a 3-to-5 lb beef roast and insert slivers of garlic.
• Put meat in a bowl and slowly pour 1 cup cider or white vinegar over it.
• Add enough water to bowl to cover meat.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 hours, basting occasionally.
• Pour off vinegar solution and pat meat dry.
• Brown meat in heavy iron pot with oil until very dark on all sides.
• Pour two cups strong black coffee over meat; add 2 cups water.
• Cover and cook over low heat for about six hours on top of the stove. Add a small amount of water as needed.
• Do NOT add salt or pepper until 20 minutes before serving.

CROCKPOT MEATLOAF

• In the crockpot bottom: washed potatoes and carrots.
• On top of the vegies: raw meatloaf:
  • Ground beef
  • Egg(s)
  • Quick Oatmeal or turkey stuffing (3/4 c stuffing per lb meat)
  • Mustard
  • Sauteed onions
  • Spices: pepper, oregano, garlic. No salt.
• One hour on high, two hours on low. These will be steamed, so some sauce or gravy will provide color.

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