Focus on food: March 15, 2008

Lees Own Corned Beef

Here at Lees Market, we've made our very own Old Fashioned Corned Beef for the last fifty years. Our Corned Beef is made from a Flat Cut (Straight) or Round cut and is grayish-pink in color because it is simply made with salt. There are no preservatives or additional seasonings added in our corning process, like you would normally find in commercial brands. If you have any questions, please ask for Dave, Mike or Andy when you visit our Meat Department.

“Click here for the Westport Cooks Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe”

A brief history about Corned Beef...

Did you know that corning has nothing to do with corn? The name originates from years past, before the invention of refrigeration. In olden times, meat was dry-cured in coarse salt with some pieces that were the size of kernels of corn.

These pieces of salt were actually rubbed into the beef to keep it from spoiling and to preserve it. In the present day, the use of salt water has replaced the original dry salt cure, yet the name "corned beef" is still used instead of "brined" beef. These are spices that people add such as peppercorns and bay leaves, which give corned beef a more distinguished flavor.