Argh
So I am trying to make my own corned beef for St. Patrick's day this year. I found the recipe in Bon Appetit (god I love that magazine) and it seemed more an issue of having the right supplies than anything. One thing you need (ok, it's optional, but I want it) is this powder called Insta Cure No. 1 that keeps the meat pink. You know, corned beef is all nice and pink even after you cook it, right? That's because of this powder, which is kind of like natron, which the Egyptians used in embalming. Or so Bon Ap tells me. Well, they told me it was like natron, and I remembered what that is from the Field Museum's cool Ancient Egyptians exhibit.
BUT I DIGRESS. To cure the meat, you basically put it a tub with brine, pickling spices, beer, and some Insta Cure for four days. Then you stir it, and let it sit for another four days. The mag is very clear that you need to keep it in there for eight days. I ordered the Insta Cure two weeks ago. It was 3.50 for the box and 8.50 for "3-5 day shipping." So already I've shelled out real money for something primarily superficial. UPS tried to deliver it on Thursday, when I'm at Rutgers from 10:00-6:30. They left the slip on the door. On Friday Austin came to town for a visit, and so I signed the slip and taped it to the door so that the UPS guy would leave it on the doorstep in my absence. I mean, if it were something of value, I wouldn't have left the slip, but who's going to steal natron, right?
Anyway, Austin and I spent some time running around Union Square, and I met his lovely girlfriend Song-Yi, and then after our lunch together I went to the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle (right by Andrew's office) to get the brisket to transform into corned beef. I bought 8.5 pounds at $5.99/lb. Do the math. At this point, I have invested some serious cash in making this happen. I'm really getting psyched about it, because I LOVE CORNED BEEF. SERIOUSLY.
The other piece of pertinent information is that Colin is coming to visit on the 16th. We are going to the Daily Show on the 17th and then he's going straight back to Boston from the city afterwards. So we are having our big St. Patrick's Day dinner on the 16th, and we're having the corned beef. My brother also seriously loves corned beef. So all is going according to plan as long as I can put the beef in the brine by, you know, today so that it will have eight days to cure.
So what happens? I get home, expecting to find my box of Insta Cure on the doorstep, and instead I see a UPS slip pasted frickin' ON TOP of my other UPS slip! The one I left so that they could leave the package! And they won't deliver again until MONDAY!!! ARRRRGHHHH so I am so frustrated because now I have put a lot of money into this and I have two options left:
1)Wait for the Insta Cure on Monday evening, and then cook the 3/4 corned beef on Sunday evening and hope for the best
2)Start the beef today even though I don't have the optional Insta Cure, and then just be generally pissed that I wasted the money on the Insta Cure and that the beef is, you know, not beautiful and pink. I wouldn't care if I hadn't actually went to the trouble to shop for and buy the frickin' natron. DAMN IT.
So I know there are bigger problems in the world than my corned beef issue, I just wanted to vent. In the spirit of cheering myself up, here are some scans of cards I have received lately.
This is a birthday card from my dad. The inside says, "another year older and still looking sharp!" Cactal, right?
This one is from my aunt. If that's not me, I don't know what is.
And finally, one I got from Andrew for Valentine's Day.
It's Winnie! In little heart shorts! It's actually red and shiny, but you can't see that in the scan. And with that, I bid you adieu.
BUT I DIGRESS. To cure the meat, you basically put it a tub with brine, pickling spices, beer, and some Insta Cure for four days. Then you stir it, and let it sit for another four days. The mag is very clear that you need to keep it in there for eight days. I ordered the Insta Cure two weeks ago. It was 3.50 for the box and 8.50 for "3-5 day shipping." So already I've shelled out real money for something primarily superficial. UPS tried to deliver it on Thursday, when I'm at Rutgers from 10:00-6:30. They left the slip on the door. On Friday Austin came to town for a visit, and so I signed the slip and taped it to the door so that the UPS guy would leave it on the doorstep in my absence. I mean, if it were something of value, I wouldn't have left the slip, but who's going to steal natron, right?
Anyway, Austin and I spent some time running around Union Square, and I met his lovely girlfriend Song-Yi, and then after our lunch together I went to the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle (right by Andrew's office) to get the brisket to transform into corned beef. I bought 8.5 pounds at $5.99/lb. Do the math. At this point, I have invested some serious cash in making this happen. I'm really getting psyched about it, because I LOVE CORNED BEEF. SERIOUSLY.
The other piece of pertinent information is that Colin is coming to visit on the 16th. We are going to the Daily Show on the 17th and then he's going straight back to Boston from the city afterwards. So we are having our big St. Patrick's Day dinner on the 16th, and we're having the corned beef. My brother also seriously loves corned beef. So all is going according to plan as long as I can put the beef in the brine by, you know, today so that it will have eight days to cure.
So what happens? I get home, expecting to find my box of Insta Cure on the doorstep, and instead I see a UPS slip pasted frickin' ON TOP of my other UPS slip! The one I left so that they could leave the package! And they won't deliver again until MONDAY!!! ARRRRGHHHH so I am so frustrated because now I have put a lot of money into this and I have two options left:
1)Wait for the Insta Cure on Monday evening, and then cook the 3/4 corned beef on Sunday evening and hope for the best
2)Start the beef today even though I don't have the optional Insta Cure, and then just be generally pissed that I wasted the money on the Insta Cure and that the beef is, you know, not beautiful and pink. I wouldn't care if I hadn't actually went to the trouble to shop for and buy the frickin' natron. DAMN IT.
So I know there are bigger problems in the world than my corned beef issue, I just wanted to vent. In the spirit of cheering myself up, here are some scans of cards I have received lately.
This is a birthday card from my dad. The inside says, "another year older and still looking sharp!" Cactal, right?
This one is from my aunt. If that's not me, I don't know what is.
And finally, one I got from Andrew for Valentine's Day.
It's Winnie! In little heart shorts! It's actually red and shiny, but you can't see that in the scan. And with that, I bid you adieu.