So this might be a little heretical, but as a kid growing up on New York style corned beef and pastrami, I was totally underwhelmed by Montreal smoked beef. What subtleties am I missing?
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18% sounds like a lot right? But we are talking increases in relative risk. The general risk for colon cancer is 5%. So an 18% increase brings it up to a little less than 6%. Now, if you live a healthy lifestyle and are free from most risk factors, your personal risk may be as low as 2%. An 18% increase for someone like that brings them up to 2.4%.
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Oh, I know. This bacon - colon cancer statistic has become a ‘go to’ example for teaching how to assess relative risk.
But it’s a totally avoidable 0.4% with minimal impact on my life, so I do.
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I just ate an omelette stuffed with corned beef. My risk factor for whatever went up by 300%…my happiness factor went up by 3,000,000%!
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I’ve got this theory. If you grew up un Montreal smoked beef, you’d be underwhelmed by NY corned beef. (My childhood was filled with pastrami sandwiches)
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That might be down to the fact that it was canned corned beef.
That’s a barely related kind of “food”. Basically cat food.
Well, I’m fairly certain it was an allergic reaction to something in the meat, regardless. I don’t doubt it’s of lesser quality according to more knowledgable people. Is it created through a completely different process using completely different additives though?
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Tangentially related, Just saw this in a supermarket on the big island
(stock photo)
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You’re talking about a pressed and formed meat byproduct, that’s often not entirely beef. Vs a whole cured muscle. It’s the difference between a Slim Jim and a fresh sausage. Between a whole cured ham and Spam.
Fried spam is actually quite great. I’d make it all the time, but my wife refuses to touch it. She’s whigged out by the gelatin that covers it in the can. Have you tried all of those flavors? I’m wondering how “stinky french garlic” would be.
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Sorry. That picture alone serves as a appetite suppressant. I had it as a kid, it was delicious, but …
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Nothing wrong with some spam and shrimp pineapple fried rice once in a while.
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Slim Jims, sausages, hams, and Spam do not trigger apparent allergic reactions in me, while this particular “pressed and formed meat byproduct” did. I was curious how its manufacture related to more high-end product.
Spam can be kinda good. I dunno if you’ve ever had Jersey style pork roll, but it’s a very similar sort of thing. Only much higher quality; more meat, less fat less salt. Not in a can.
You’re making me cringe! That’s the trifecta of disaster for a type 1 diabetec trying to survive this Hawaii vacation.
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Hey. I didn’t say there was nothing wrong with it for YOU!! 
The more high end product is a brisket that spends some time in contact with salt, nitrates and spices. Before being rinsed, packaged and sold raw.
Canned corned beef is ground beef, and often mechanically sperated chicken and/or pork, mixed with fat, flavorings, food starch, salt and nitrates. Pressed into a can, cooked in that can. And sold as a shelf stable, ready to eat, low cost food.
What you reacted to is going to depend on what exactly was in the specific product you ate. But it’s unlikely to be nitrates (if it’s even possible to be allergic to them, all food allergies but one are caused by protiens). As all those foods you list as not reacting to also contain nitrates. As do most packaged meat products, and a lot of canned goods, since the purpose of the stuff is to prevent botulism bacteria from taking hold.
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I’ve never tried pork roll, but I will give it a shot. I have had scrapple (not a fan), and goetta (also not a fan), though I do like corned beef hash.
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Goetta/scrapple are totally different things. And I don’t really like either. Scrapple can be good but some versions of it around PA seem to contain some liver. If they’re even a bit old they get pretty raunchy and I’ve run into a lot of raunchy scrapple.
Scottish Lorne sausage, and Irish white pudding are both similar but much tastier.
Same goes for Spreadables.
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