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Spiced Beef?

mlem123

We've always had it in my house at Christmas as my dad (a dub) insists it's an integral part of the dinner..

My mum (from Sligo) said she never had it until she married my dad and insists it's a Dublin thing! But in work another dub said it's a southsider thing! :pac:

Do you have it at Christmas?? Where are you from?

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Toots

Dublin Southside and never had it in my life until last year. I'd read about it on Boards and my husband picked one up when he was collecting the turkey from the butcher. It was epic! I'll be getting one this year for sure!

Mezzotint

It's definitely a Cork City thing in a huge way. I had never encountered it before until I moved to Cork and it's an absolutely huge part of the Christmas tradition down here with specialist butchers in the English Market selling it and so on, but it's also carried in most supermarkets.

It seems it goes back to the days when Cork City was a major centre for provisioning shipping, including the British Navy. Spiced beef was a method for preserving beef for use on ships and became a dish that was also part of the city's staple cuisine too. The beef would have been spiced and stored in barrels on the ships.

The specific recipes used seem to be unique to Cork and to have been preserved by butchers in the city over the years (centuries).

I had never encountered it Dublin, more likely to find corned beef.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

It's definitely a thing in Cork. The English Market and plenty of the supermarkets do it on the run up to Christmas.

The name could do with a little rebrand though. Everyone associates spice with heat. And it's simply not hot.
For example rapeseed oil should just stick to canola oil.
I'm not bothered personally, but purely from a marketing/branding point of view it seems like an easier sell.

Like the diet supplement ayds that went out of business in the 1980's because the disease aids became so notorious.

TRS30

Northside Dub and always been in my house. Mainly because my Dad loves it.

Mezzotint

It would be a fairly odd understanding of spices to think they're exclusively hot. In fact that's more associated with chilli and certain peppers.

The term spiced is entirely accurate. It's preserved with pimento, cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger and black pepper.

The traditional scents of Christmas are also very heavily associated with a range of spices that were very popular in Victorian times.

Most of the spices that came in on the Spice Trail from Asia aren't hot. They're simply root, bark, flowers, sometimes fruit or seeds of plants used to flavour, preserve or colour food.

The use of the term spice to mean hot is just not accurate.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

Mezzotint wrote: »

It would be a fairly odd understanding of spices to think they're exclusively hot. In fact that's more associated with chilli and certain peppers.

The term spiced is entirely accurate. It's preserved with pimento, cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger and black pepper.

The traditional scents of Christmas are also very heavily associated with a range of spices that were very popular in Victorian times.

Most of the spices that came in on the Spice Trail from Asia aren't hot. They're simply root, bark, flowers, sometimes fruit or seeds of plants used to flavour, preserve or colour food.

The use of the term spice to mean hot is just not accurate.

I'd prefer to call it Christmas scented beef.

anacc

I always thought it was only a Cork thing. Seeing people here say it's a Dublin thing is quite odd!

Anyway, we eat buckets of it for the month of December. In fact, I think I'm now going to buy some after work so I can make spiced beef sandwiches for lunch tomorrow.

Posy

I thought it was a Cork thing, like the HollyBough!
I've never heard of any Dublin person I know having spiced beef.

taytobreath

there's a cooking show on rte Tuesday at 7pm and its doing spiced beef.

this spiced beef sounds tasty.

Nevin's Waterford Christmas Rte 1 Tues 7pm

lawred2

mlem123 wrote: »

We've always had it in my house at Christmas as my dad (a dub) insists it's an integral part of the dinner..

My mum (from Sligo) said she never had it until she married my dad and insists it's a Dublin thing! But in work another dub said it's a southsider thing! :pac:

Do you have it at Christmas?? Where are you from?

Cork City thing as well

And you know what I'm going to do it this year because of this

Couldn't be arsed with Turkey this year

So pulled pork for Christmas eve, Ham for Christmas Day (maybe with a wee chicken for the white meat) and spiced beef on St Stephen's Day.

Scarinae

I'm from Bray and we have spiced beef every year, it's delicious! I'd heard it was a Cork thing alright, I'm not sure where we picked up the tradition from though as nobody in my family is from Cork. They sell them in SuperValu.

When I lived in London I used to bring one back with me in the new year to put in the freezer, and then I'd eat it later in the year when I felt like a taste of Christmas.

CheerLouth

Here's a stupid question - do you cook it or is it like corned beef and you just slice it up and whack it in sandwiches?

alchemist33

mlem123 wrote: »

We've always had it in my house at Christmas as my dad (a dub) insists it's an integral part of the dinner..

My mum (from Sligo) said she never had it until she married my dad and insists it's a Dublin thing! But in work another dub said it's a southsider thing! :pac:

Do you have it at Christmas?? Where are you from?

I'm from Sligo too and never heard of it

kowloon

CheerLouth wrote: »

Here's a stupid question - do you cook it or is it like corned beef and you just slice it up and whack it in sandwiches?

Always boiled it.

Mezzotint

CheerLouth wrote: »

Here's a stupid question - do you cook it or is it like corned beef and you just slice it up and whack it in sandwiches?

It's cooked by simmering and then can be served hot or cold. If it's being served hot, you typically reduce the 'juices' and beef stock and butter to thicken.

It's best served cold in my opinion anyway. Goes really well with chutneys and sharp tasting relishes.

Basically treat it a bit like you might use pastrami - goes well (in my opinion anyway) with things like small amounts of pickled gherkin or horseradish sauces and stuff like that in a sandwich. It needs a bit of a contrast of something sharp.

It's actually a really nice deli item and would hold its own against any traditional cured meats - really nice product.

Give it a try on really good quality crusty bread, bit of relish, chutney or a horse radish sauce, lettuce, maybe tomato, gherkins .. don't overload it.. lashing of butter. Absolutely great!

Spiced ox tongue was also an old-time Cork city centre dish and is still a thing.

DvB

Posy wrote: »

I've never heard of any Dublin person I know having spiced beef.

Had it once, despite the protestations from the cork folk I know it was like corned beef. I don't like corned beef anyway so it wasn't something I'd care to bother with again. I'll stick to the turkey & ham thanks.

Day Lewin

According to several cookery books in my collection, it is primarily a Christmas thing, found mainly south of the Dub-Galway line.

Certainly butchers in Dublin used to spice their own (it IS made from corned beef to begin with) and display as a Christmas line with a sprig of holly, etc.
Whereas in Cork, you can find it all year round, so they say.

I've made my own (native Dub!) from a round of fresh beef, and golly it was delicious.

Sliced thinly, for sandwiches or with a cold meat dinner - yummy!

[Deleted User]

I was under the impression it was a Waterford thing.

SEPT 23 1989

It’s one of the best smells cooking in a kitchen

Zaph

anacc wrote: »

I always thought it was only a Cork thing. Seeing people here say it's a Dublin thing is quite odd!

Anyway, we eat buckets of it for the month of December. In fact, I think I'm now going to buy some after work so I can make spiced beef sandwiches for lunch tomorrow.

Until relatively recently I was completely unaware of it being a Cork thing, I always thought it was just a Dublin tradition. My folks are from either side of the Liffey, not quite inner city but fairly close. It was definitely a thing in both their families when they were kids, and they're 77 and 80 now. When I was growing up my parents would get it in butchers either around Moore Street or Wexford Street, but we only ever had it a few times because it turned out that my father was the only one in the house who actually liked it.

Working class heroes

It’s a Church of Ireland thing.

Bastardized spiced livestock.

Danzy

mlem123 wrote: »

We've always had it in my house at Christmas as my dad (a dub) insists it's an integral part of the dinner..

My mum (from Sligo) said she never had it until she married my dad and insists it's a Dublin thing! But in work another dub said it's a southsider thing! :pac:

Do you have it at Christmas?? Where are you from?

Thought it was a real cork city thing..

Beechwoodspark

Amazing on fresh white bread with good mustard and home made mayo

Danzy

Working class heroes wrote: »

It’s a Church of Ireland thing.

Bastardized spiced livestock.

I've cattle going to the factory on Wednesday, one was fed pimms and Irish RM reruns in the shed.

I now know where it will go.

Beechwoodspark

You Havnt lived until you taste proper spiced beef.

Boot-iful

Working class heroes

Danzy wrote: »

I've cattle going to the factory on Wednesday, one was fed pimms and Irish RM reruns in the shed.

I now know where it will go.

Love it!!

Beechwoodspark

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Amazing on fresh white bread with good mustard and home made mayo

Fresh salad as well. Unreal.

Loughc

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I was under the impression it was a Waterford thing.

I’ve never had sliced beef but I was always under the impression it’s a cork thing.

grudgehugger

Working class heroes wrote: »

It’s a Church of Ireland thing.

Bastardized spiced livestock.

No sign of it in 80s/90s Athlone.

Then got involved with a Wexford Prod and her mum introduced me to it. Never looked back.

Even brought some to Athlone.

Beechwoodspark

It’s well known in Wicklow