I’m a corned beef convert. I’m in love with the cut. I love its flavour, its salty tang, its versatility, its retro vibes. But this wasn’t always the case.
As an apprentice in a boutique butcher’s shop on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, it was my job to pull the corned beef from a freezing pickle tub of icy brine. I also had to inject the meat with that brine – a cold task that would’ve been thankless if not for the pleasant aroma of spice. Back then, I thought corned beef was just for oldies. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
It took a few years for the scales to fall from my eyes – a revelation that came one day when I sank my teeth into a crunchy, luscious Reuben sandwich at a trendy inner-city sandwich bar. Made with toasted sourdough, tart sauerkraut, nutty Swiss cheese and layers upon layers of finely sliced corned beef, it was salty yet slightly sweet, lightly spiced, moist and super tender. The craftsperson behind the sandwich, with their piercings and tattoo sleeves, could see my delight. “Good, hey? It’s our number-one seller.”
From there, it was a quick progression to embracing traditional silverside – a cut with a fine layer of fat, brined in sugar and spices, then simmered with cloves and bay leaves until beautifully pink and tender. I still vividly remember the first time I had it like that, slathered in mustard sauce. Unforgettable.
Traditional corned beef with white sauce – served with mash and a bit of cabbage or veg – is also making a comeback. Gastropub chefs are pimping the recipe, adding spices like cardamom or star anise, even finishing it with a little ras el hanout. Just remember – the mash should be almost more butter than potato.
Corned beef is also blitzing it in the best cafés and bars, where quality matters just as much as cost. It’s a value ingredient – and with a bit of imagination, it can be transformed into something really elegant.
A lightly pickled option that’s juicy and tender is Naturalaz pre-cooked sous vide corned beef. I’ve noticed it’s a go-to for young chefs. They open the bag, slather the beef in pepper and spices and give it a gentle smoke. The result is as good as – if not better than – pastrami. At a fraction of the price.
Being pre-cooked, the sous vide corned beef doesn’t lose moisture. It slices cleanly with no waste, giving a great yield. It’s also a favourite in those iconic old bakeries – the ones with a chalkboard menu behind the counter and a cabinet full of sandwiches. Buttered white bread, thinly sliced corned beef, fresh tomato, a slather of mustard pickles – and another layer of corned beef to protect the bread from the tomato juice. The classic bakery sandwich. Worth a country road trip.
I think that’s the thing with corned beef – the nostalgia it evokes. The joy of remembering old food memories. You see it in the way corned beef sparks conversations in pubs, clubs and residential care homes. “This is as good as Mum’s,” someone will say – before adding, “but of course she did it differently.”
And that’s the beauty of corned beef. There’s no one way to cook it. It’s so versatile, so easy – and in the hands of someone with a bit of skill and imagination, it can be the cornerstone of a great, memorable meal. I highly recommend rethinking your own perception of the classic cut. I’m certainly glad I did. Or maybe I just got old.
Find the recipe here.
