Corned beef

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

They were known for the tinned corned beef. Maybe they bo longer make it? Anyway, I got some Princes as shown above.

I had a look and it doesn't appear to be listed as a Fray Bentos product on their site.
However B&M seem to have it £2.69 a tin. Didn't know they sold food, I thought they sold household tat that will last ooo five maybe ten minutes

 

[Morning Glory]

I had a look and it doesn't appear to be listed as a Fray Bentos product on their site.
However B&M seem to have it £2.69 a tin. Didn't know they sold food, I thought they sold household tat that will last ooo five maybe ten minutes

I saw that too. Maybe old stock or something or cheap stock from abroad. I think Fray Bentos invented tinned corned beef. They were based in South America and also invented Oxo cubes I believe. Tinned corned beef was a WW2 staple for soldiers.

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

I saw that too. Maybe old stock or something or cheap stock from abroad. I think Fray Bentos invented tinned corned beef. They were based in South America and also invented Oxo cubes I believe. Tinned corned beef was a WW2 staple for soldiers.

That doesn't sound quite right. I'm pretty sure corned beef is a British invention and so is oxo.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I'm pretty sure corned beef is a British invention and so is oxo.

"Corning" beef involves brining tough brisket for 2-3 weeks. the "corns" are actually large pieces of salt. Although corning beef was very popular in the UK long ago, there's not evidence to say it wasn't also practiced in Germany, Switzerland, Austria or any other Northern European countries. As for the assertation that it's Irish - that's contentious, because cows were sacred to the Gaelic Gods and beef was expensive.
Didn't stop the Irish who went to America, mind you, where they found an abundance of moos and began corning like mad.
The OXO cube was invented by Justus von Liebig - or at least, he invented the base for it in 1840 - meat extract. He founded a company in England, called LEMCO, which produced the meat extract, until in 1910, LEMCO developed the OXO cube. By that time, poor old Justus was 12 feet under, drowned in a vat of Bovril.
Interesting Fact: Fray Bentos is a small city in Uruguay. Uruguayans are serial meat eaters; per capita consumption is around 45 Kgs a year. Justus von Liebig partnered with a Belgian engineer, George Christian Giebert and they set up a meat extraction business in Uruguay. They made beef extract and corned beef and, eventually, OXO cubes. Since the company was British owned, the products were sold under the brand name Fray Bentos.

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

"Corning" beef involves brining tough brisket for 2-3 weeks. the "corns" are actually large pieces of salt. Although corning beef was very popular in the UK long ago, there's not evidence to say it wasn't also practiced in Germany, Switzerland, Austria or any other Northern European countries. As for the assertation that it's Irish - that's contentious, because cows were sacred to the Gaelic Gods and beef was expensive.
Didn't stop the Irish who went to America, mind you, where they found an abundance of moos and began corning like mad.
The OXO cube was invented by Justus von Liebig - or at least, he invented the base for it in 1840 - meat extract. He founded a company in England, called LEMCO, which produced the meat extract, until in 1910, LEMCO developed the OXO cube. By that time, poor old Justus was 12 feet under, drowned in a vat of Bovril.
Interesting Fact: Fray Bentos is a small city in Uruguay. Uruguayans are serial meat eaters; per capita consumption is around 45 Kgs a year. Justus von Liebig partnered with a Belgian engineer, George Christian Giebert and they set up a meat extraction business in Uruguay. They made beef extract and corned beef and, eventually, OXO cubes. Since the company was British owned, the products were sold under the brand name Fray Bentos.

Fascinating stuff. Appreciate the detail.
I think there's a world of difference between corned beef or salt beef and the mash up that's sold in a tin.

I was under the impression the mashed tinned version by the like of Princes was a British thing.

The original and still enduring version made at home, well who knows, people have been brining tough meats since the beginning of time

Either way I don't enjoy tinned corned beef or tinned meat in general, weird taste and usually a lot of lardy fat that IMO doesn't have a great mouthfeel.

I ate tinned chicken a few months ago though in a sarnie, I liked that but probably because it was quite salty!

 

[CookieMonster]

there's a big thing in USA regarding 'the Irish and corned beef and St Patty's Day'

somewhere on the internet I read, and of course we all know everything on the internet is true . . .
beef was not a common dish in Ireland - pork was much more common....

the Irish came to America, many/most landed/stayed in NYC.
there was no 'corned' anything - but Jewish deli's filled the market hole with 'corned' meat....
since 'corned pork' was outside of their realm . . . . so the Jewish delis did 'corned beef' to keep the Irish immigrants happy.

nice story, makes sense. no clue if there is any truth to it . . .

 

[JAS_OH1]

there's a big thing in USA regarding 'the Irish and corned beef and St Patty's Day'

somewhere on the internet I read, and of course we all know everything on the internet is true . . .
beef was not a common dish in Ireland - pork was much more common....

the Irish came to America, many/most landed/stayed in NYC.
there was no 'corned' anything - but Jewish deli's filled the market hole with 'corned' meat....
since 'corned pork' was outside of their realm . . . . so the Jewish delis did 'corned beef' to keep the Irish immigrants happy.

nice story, makes sense. no clue if there is any truth to it . . .

I read the same.

 

[medtran49]

Yeah, the corned beef part is a myth. Cabbage and potatoes on the other hand...

 

[medtran49]

It's amazing that ye olde folkes were able to come up with so many preservation techniques to keep food edible.

The sauerbraten (German) recipe we uses calls for the beef to be in the liquid for at least 3 days up to a week. I have a feeling it was originally made with beef that was either about to go off or had gone a little off but was still edible, though you probably wouldn't want to eat it once you smelled it. The brine, spices, vinegar and wine take care of that issue.

You could leave the beef in longer, but it's going to get more and more sour. We've left it in for about a week and the beef had really picked up the flavors.

Not my favorite preparation, but Craig loves it.

 

[karadekoolaid]

beef was not a common dish in Ireland - pork was much more common....

Yes, I read a few articles about ancient Ireland, and they mentioned that, in Gaelic religion, the cow was considered sacred. Equally, it was a sign of wealth to possess a cow. The poor people who could obtain one used it to produce milk, cheese and curds, and only when it was really old did they slaughter and eat it.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Yes, I read a few articles about ancient Ireland, and they mentioned that, in Gaelic religion, the cow was considered sacred. Equally, it was a sign of wealth to possess a cow. The poor people who could obtain one used it to produce milk, cheese and curds, and only when it was really old did they slaughter and eat it.

If I had a cow I'd do the same but I'd never eat it when it got old because I'd get attached...and I'm not poor and starving.

 

[CookieMonster]

here's a question . . . assuming the Irish immigrants 'craved' a 'corned something' - and the local trade substituted beef . . .
what 'corned pork' dishes are there?

anyone heard of 'corned pork' stuff?
seems 'salt pork' is the more common label - 'corned pork' comes up in old recipes ala Swedish corned pork roast.

as for the history of salt preservation - dates back to the Egyptians, probably earlier . . .
in 'the age of sail' with voyages lasting months/years - salt beef and salt pork were staples for many navies.

 

[Morning Glory]

The OXO cube was invented by Justus von Liebig - or at least, he invented the base for it in 1840 - meat extract. He founded a company in England, called LEMCO, which produced the meat extract, until in 1910, LEMCO developed the OXO cube. By that time, poor old Justus was 12 feet under, drowned in a vat of Bovril.

Wikipedia (which may be wrong of course), says it was the factory founded by Liebig in Uraguay which manufactured OXO and presumably named it (?).

In 1865, Liebig's Extract of Meat Company was founded in Britain by German chemist Justus von Liebig. The company established a factory in Uruguay to manufacture a beef extract product that would later be sold under the name Oxo.[9] In 1873, the factory began manufacturing tinned corned beef, which was sold in Britain under the name Fray Bentos, the town in Uruguay where the factory was located.[9]

 

[blades]

Corned beef is brined brisket. I'm sure most cuisines have a brined brisket regardless of what they call it. Someone above called it salt beef. It is a dish served often on St Patrick's day in the U.S. but I'm not sure it has anything to do with Ireland. I say that because I once had an Irish chef as a guest instructor. I asked him if corned beef was popular in Ireland. He said he had never heard of it. I told him it was brined brisket. He smiled and said that it is popular in Ireland.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Wikipedia (which may be wrong of course), says it was the factory founded by Liebig in Uraguay which manufactured OXO and presumably named it (?).

I hear you re.Wiki... I trust it about as much as I trust politicians.
Still; I looked at about half a dozen sites before writing anything . You're right, in the sense that Liebig started the factory in Uruguay, with a Belgian engineer, and it was an offshoot of the company he registered in England, called LEMCO. Liebig invented beef extract, and that is what they produced in Uruguay, much to the delight of the inhabitants of Fray Bentos, a small city.
Liebig died in 1873, but his company flourished and it was someone in LEMCO who invented the OXO cube in 1910.
Food history fascinates me!