Not made from corn? And not really Irish? Just what is corned beef, anyway, and why does it come in a rectangular tinned can? We've got the answers.
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00:00Not made from corn and not really Irish?
00:03Just what is corned beef anyway, and why does it come in a rectangular tinned can?
00:09We've got the answers.
00:11If you've been to a diner before, chances are you've probably seen something on the
00:15menu called a corned beef sandwich.
00:18Maybe one of your older relatives has a love for the stuff, or maybe you've heard of people
00:21eating lots of corned beef on St. Patrick's Day.
00:24Just what exactly is the deal with this beef?
00:28Before we go any further into divining the mysteries of corned beef, let's get one thing
00:32clear.
00:33There is absolutely no corn in corned beef.
00:37The term corned beef was coined by the English back in the 17th century, who were referring
00:42to the large kernels of salt used to preserve the beef.
00:47And the supposedly Irish dish also isn't actually Irish in nature at all.
00:51Corned beef only gained its reputation in Ireland thanks to the prohibition of exporting
00:56live cattle to England in the 1600s.
00:59And considering Ireland had plenty of cattle it mainly used for farming, the English began
01:04to rely on Irish cows for corned beef.
01:07When Irish immigrants came to America, they could only afford cheap meat such as corned
01:11beef, thus leading to the connection between Ireland and the corned beef we have today.
01:17Are you looking forward to a delicious corned beef sandwich around St. Patrick's Day?
01:23Corned beef always seems to come in these little square-looking cans.
01:27When you open one, a perfectly solid block of meat falls out onto your plate in all of
01:31its pink, quivering glory.
01:34But why is corned beef packaged like this to begin with?
01:38There are actually many legitimate reasons for this canned meat's unique design, ranging
01:41from ensuring the proper shape of the meat to wartime transport.
01:45Corned beef cans have their odd shape because they were originally designed to be military
01:49rations.
01:50The compact shape of the cans allowed for many containers of beef to be stored at once.
01:55Another helpful design component was that the cans have their own key that unlocks the
02:00top, allowing soldiers to quickly open and eat their meal without the need for any extra
02:04tools like can openers.
02:06As corned beef became more popular, grocery stores adopted the cans for the same reason
02:11the military did — storage purposes.
02:14Since the cans were rectangular and compact, that meant they could be stored on shelves
02:18much more easily and in greater numbers.
02:20You know, there's nothing like a corned beef sandwich on a rye.
02:23That's not all.
02:24The Guardian explains that, thanks to the cans' shape, the block of corned beef inside
02:28can easily be taken out without it breaking apart.
02:32With the corned beef brick still in one piece, you can easily cut it and serve it instead
02:36of scooping out clumps of meat.
02:38Corned beef may come in a can, but that doesn't mean that it's going to be good forever.
02:43Like other canned goods, corned beef can go bad over time, and it's advised to look out
02:47for these warning signs to keep yourself from getting sick from it.
02:51While canned corned beef can last a few years under the right conditions, the signs that
02:55canned corned beef has gone bad include an off color or smell, with mold appearing in
03:00extreme cases.
03:02If the can of corned beef isn't open but is dented or seems to be damaged in any way,
03:06it's suggested that you immediately throw it out as the beef may be contaminated with
03:10botulism, a disease found within canned goods.
03:14If you notice that your corned beef has a sort of white film on top, don't worry.
03:18This is a natural part of the corned beef and doesn't mean your meat is spoiled.
03:23With all this in mind, how can you keep your corned beef as fresh as possible for as long
03:27as possible?
03:28The USDA explains that should you have corned beef that is removed from the can, it's suggested
03:33to drain and wrap the corned beef block and freeze it for up to one month.
03:37Hey, it's not St. Patrick's Day without the corned beef.
03:40If the corned beef is already cooked, then it's recommended that it be refrigerated for
03:44three to four days or frozen for one to two months before it goes bad.