1. There’s a good chance that corned beef sandwich you’re eating this St. Paddy’s Day came from St. Louis. One of the last locally owned wholesalers of quality meats, Kern Meat Company on Cherokee Street processes an average of 60,000 pound of corned beef per year. Beginning in early February, the company’s phone starts to ring more frequently. “That’s when we start getting orders from restaurants, pizza places, and little bars that only order from us once a year,” says general manager Matt Sherman. Kern’s regular customers also include fine dining establishments and local grocers. Despite the high volume, the third-generation company makes corned beef by hand using the same methods that Henry Andrews Kern used when he founded the company in 1948. The company also uses only certified Hereford beef that’s naturally lean, tender, and juicy.
2. Corned beef wasn’t originally an Irish tradition. “The Irish learned to eat corned meat from their Jewish neighbors,” says Sherman, who has a doctorate in American history from Saint Louis University, explaining that the tradition dates back to life in 19th-cenutry New England. Indeed, as an article in Smithsonian Magazine recounted, “What we think of today as Irish corned beef is actually Jewish corned beef thrown into a pot with cabbage and potatoes. The Jewish population in New York City at the time were relatively new immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe. The corned beef they made was from brisket, a kosher cut of meat from the front of the cow. Since brisket is a tougher cut, the salting and cooking process transformed the meat into the extremely tender, flavorful corned beef we know today.”
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3. Corned beef isn’t strictly limited to brisket. “We can corn anything. One of our most flavorful offerings is a corned bone-in ribeye,” says Kern corporate chef Matt Bessler. The company also corns eye of round, top round, and bottom round. The biggest corned beef sales, however, are the traditional offerings: whole brisket, flat or point cut.
4. Restaurant-quality corned beef is available at select stores. Although Kern Meat Company doesn’t sell directly to individuals, the company’s corned beef is sold at several area markets:
- LeGrand’s Market and Catering: Look for the eye of round and bottom cut, as well as cooked or uncooked corned beef. The last day to order the former is this Thursday, March 7. “Once the eye of round is gone, it’s gone,” says owner James LeGrand. “I think they’re going to fly out of here—it’s so tender and flavorful.”
- Westwood Catering & Deli: The quaint Glendale institution offers Kern corned beef.
- Smokehouse Market: The Chesterfield favorite next to Annie Gunn’s stocks eye of round and flat-cut brisket in 3.5–4-pound packages. The Smokehouse Market’s Paul Sissel has been selling Kern’s corned beef for more than 30 years. “The quality of their beef, plus the brine process they use and the blend of spices, works well.” He suggests cooking the corned beef “low and slow until it’s tender, but not to the point that the meat shreds.” The Market also carries a wide selection of mustards, including robust pub styles, continental Dijons, and smooth champagne mustards. (Sissel suggests a good rye or pumpernickel for sandwiches.)
- Ladue Market: Another St. Louis staple, the beloved market carries the corned beef.
Don’t want to cook? Join Sherman and Bessler next Saturday, March 16, at Samuel United Church of Christ in Clayton. A $10 lunch includes lamb stew from 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m., and the $15 dinner from 4:30–7:30 p.m. includes corned beef and cabbage. (Children’s plates for both meals are $6.) There will be a homemade dessert table, too. For tickets, call 314-727-9540. Proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity.
5. You too can make corned beef like Grandma used to make it. More specifically, like Nana Kern, Sherman’s wife’s Scotch-Irish great-grandmother, whose beloved recipe dates back to 1929.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Kern Meat Company’s corned beef brisket
- 1 large yellow onion, cut in quarters
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- Water
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1. The day before you plan to serve the brisket, preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
2. Cut a large yellow onion into quarters lengthwise, from stem to root. Peel outer layers and trim both ends closely.
3. To crush the garlic, place unpeeled cloves on a cutting board. Using a heavy, wide-bladed knife, press the blade flat on the clove with the sharp side facing away from you and press down hard with the heel of your hand to crush the clove. Peel away any remainders of the garlic’s papery skin.
4. Place the brisket (meat side up) and any juices from the packaging in a heavy-bottomed pan with deep sides that’s large enough to hold the brisket.
5. Cover the brisket with water to half the depth of the brisket. Place in the oven, and cook for 90 minutes.
6. After 90 minutes, remove from the oven, and carefully turn the brisket so the fat side is exposed. Add hot water if necessary. Return to the oven for another 90 minutes.
7. Remove the meat from the water to a platter. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water. When the brisket cools, cover the meat and the cooking liquid, and place in the refrigerator overnight.
8. Mix Dijon mustard with brown sugar in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
9. The following day, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Remove meat, cooking liquid, and glaze from the refrigerator. Return the meat to the cooking pan, and add the reserved water to a depth of ¼-inch to 1-inch in the pan. Brush the meat lightly with the glaze, and return to the oven for 30–45 minutes to finish. The outside of the brisket should crisp up, and the glaze should caramelize.
10. Remove finished brisket to a cutting board, and let rest 10 minutes. Slice the meat against the grain, and serve.
