Recipe: How to Corn Beef

I am reposting this information since something happened when I posted yesterday. I must have deleted part of the post accidently so I'm sure my message regarding corned beef was about as clear as mud:-( The following information is from The Joy of Cooking.

About Corned Beef

"This salted beef actually has nothing to do with corn, but got it's name in Anglo-Saxon times when a granular salt the size of English grain - their so called corn - was used to process it."

To corn, rub with salt:

A 4 pound piece of beef: brisket, flank, or plate (We can usually buy corned beef brisket or corned beef round).

Put it in an enameled pot or stone jar (crock), covered with a supersatuarted solution of:
4 quarts (8 liquid cups) hot water
in which:
1 1/2 pounds salt
(1/2 pound sugar) (optional)
have been dissolved. Let it cool. Cover and weight it so that the meat is submerged in the fluid. It will be corned in 48 hours. Now the corned beef can be boiled or baked or cooked by your prefered method.

The corned beef that we buy here also usually has mustard seed, black peppercorns and bay leaves ( and probably some other things) in it so they are used as well when it is in the brine.

The reasons that corned beef isn't especially good for us is because the cut that is used is one that must be braised or slowly cooked in order for it to be tender. These cuts usually have a lot of fat in them. Additionally, corned beef has tons of salt in it and sodium nitrite and/or sodium nitrate are used in the commercial curing process (also used to cure bacon, hotdogs, bologna, and smoked sausages among other things).

Anyway, Karen, I hope that this has shed some light on what corned beef is in this country. I apologize for the messed up post yesterday. I hope that this one works ok.