There is only one listed substitute for saltpeter for the use in corned beef. The product is called Tender Quick and can be found at most grocery stores.
To slice corned beef effectively, use a sharp knife and cut against the grain for tender slices.
You can use beef chuck or brisket as a substitute for beef shank in this recipe.
I have had good results with beef-fry, pastrami, and fatty corned beef.
You can use beef boullion cubes, or beef broth.
You can use vegetable bouillon granules as a substitute for beef bouillon granules.
Alton Brown says use salt peter, which can be obtained by a pharmacist. Watch his video on making corned beef, online on the Food Network.
To cut corned beef for serving, use a sharp knife to slice the meat against the grain into thin slices. This will help make the meat more tender and easier to chew.
To properly slice corned beef for serving, use a sharp knife to cut thin slices against the grain of the meat. This will help ensure tenderness and make it easier to chew.
Corned beef is pink in color because of the curing process it undergoes. The pink color comes from the use of sodium nitrite, a curing agent that helps preserve the meat and gives it its characteristic pink hue.
Boil it and serve it with corned beef & cabbage!
The earliest written evidence of 'corned beef' dates back to England of 1661, in a book, Anatomy Of Melancholy', by Richard Burton: "Beef, a strong and hearty meat...for labouring men if ordered aright, corned, young, of an ox (for all gelded meats in every species are held best)... "The term "Corned" is derived from the art of placing meat into a crock and covering it with large rock-salt kernels termed "corns of salt", thus preserving the meat.Corned beef is called corned beef as it is cured in large grains of salt. The Old English word corned referred the large grains of salt.
Corned beef comes from the brisket and silverside (just under the topside) of the cow. Both of these are tough cuts requiring either long, slow cooking, or pickling in brine, or both - hence their use in corned beef. I had no idea but got curious, googled, n found the answer on the following website: http://www.dianeduane.com