Heaping amounts of hot corned beef and cabbage will adorn many Nevada County dinner plates for St. Patrick's Day, including homemade versions from more tender cuts of meat that require a week's worth of TLC.

But when you learn about the process, you find the Irish feast has nothing to do with corn.

Corning is a curing process that started during Anglo-Saxon times to preserve food prior to refrigeration, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Back in the days of Beowulf and the 7th century, Europeans used large nuggets or "corns" of salt that were rubbed into the meat as a preservative, hence the term corning.

These days, a salt water brine is used to corn beef, which is usually a brisket or other less-tender cuts like round or rump roast.

At P.J.'s of Nevada City, butcher Dameon St. Clair uses a bottom round or eye of the round for the 140 pounds of corned beef he is producing for the Irish season.

He said it makes a leaner product that is not as stringy as a corned beef brisket.

"Round is a better product for family occasions, and it's easier to serve over cabbage," said St. Clair, who makes a mean corned beef but doesn't claim any leprechauns in his heritage.

"It's basically water, salt and spices, and then you pump the brine into it" with a special hand pump, he said. Then you let it sit for six to nine days.

"You rotate it every couple of days and make sure there's no dark spots," St. Clair said. "You want to make sure it's nice and pink."

The next step is to rinse off the brine and package it in a vacuum sealed wrapper. "It makes sure the product stays nice and fresh and keeps the air off so it doesn't dry out," he said.

"Some people like it and some people don't," St. Clair admitted, whether their name starts with an O' or not. "I have a guy from New York who is a corned beef fan, and he said it's some of the best he's ever had."

"I'm not Irish at all, but you don't have to be," he said. "Corned beef has become an American tradition."

Though P.J.'s sells uncooked corned beef roasts, area grocery stores also offer fully cooked corned beef roasts.

Uncooked corned beef sealed in a pouch with pickling juices can be stored safely unopened for five to seven days in the refrigerator, according to the USDA. Products with a "use by" date should be consumed until that day.

Corned beef can be frozen for more than a month, according to Beside Berry of the USDA's toll-free Meat and Poultry Hotline, which is 1-800-535-4555.

"For best results, buy your corned beef as close to St. Patrick's Day as possible," Berry said.

For more information, log on to the USDA's Web site at http://www.usda.gov/fsis.

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To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

(Serves eight)



5-pound corned beef roast

1Ú2 cup pickling spice

8 medium potatoes

1 medium cabbage, cut in wedges

Chopped parsley

1 clove garlic

10 whole black peppercorns

8 medium carrots, pared

8 medium onions, peeled

Several bay leaves

2 tablespoons butter

Wipe corned beef dry. Place in kettle and cover with water. Add garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Skim off the surface, the cover the kettle and simmer for 3 to 4 hours until corned beef is fork-tender. Add carrots, onions and potatoes during last 25 minutes. Add cabbage wedges for last 15 minutes.

Cut the corned beef in slices across the grain and serve the slices with the cabbage and vegetables.

- The Kitchen Project