Smoked Corned Beef Guisado

GINISANG SMOKED CORNED BEEF

Carne Norte or Corned Beef? We grew up calling it one or the other depending on our family.  What it is to a Filipino is one and the same, canned Corned Beef. Its origin in Filipino cuisine is a product of American occupation where Corned Beef was part of the American soldiers’ rations during the war. The name Carne Norte is in reference to the American soldiers — ‘norteamericano’ in Spanish, hence Carne Norte or ‘northern meat’. 

Post war, canned Corned Beef became a staple, like Spam. It is often cooked ‘guisado’ style, sautéed with traditional aromatics and eaten with garlic fried day-old rice (sinangag) and a fried egg (as a silog). Like Spam, it is something we enjoyed with family, behind closed doors because eating canned and processed meats was seen as eating cheaply growing up in the US in the 80s and beyond.

This recipe is very much a nostalgic trip for Brady Tuazon. The version he shares with us pulls heavily from the memory of his busy mom making this for him. Sometimes Carne Norte was a snack after school or road trip food, often ‘palaman’ (filling) in pandesal. His all time favorite though is when it’s over rice. Brady takes his mom’s Carne Norte Guisado, smokes components of it, confits garlic and roasts the potatoes, giving it different textures and dimension. It evokes nostalgia but has that something extra. 

Whether you grew up in the Philippines or in the US, whether you like this dish or not, it’s very much tied to our history as Filipino Americans. In fact, we had a good laugh recently when Jane received ‘pasalubong’ (gift from a journey) from her dad who now lives in the Philippines. It included her favorite Filipino sweets and also some Corned Beef! Oh the irony.

❤️Team Tikim