Corned beef is beef, typically brisket, cured in a salt brine along with curing salts and spices such as bay leaf, peppercorns, and cloves, for several days to weeks. The curing gives it a firm texture, pink color, and salty, savory flavor, and was originally a way to preserve beef before refrigeration.
It is central to Irish-American dishes like corned beef and cabbage and the Reuben sandwich. It is distinct from pastrami, which is corned beef that has been additionally smoked and coated in a peppery spice crust, and from British salt beef, a similar brine-cured beef eaten in the UK. Corned beef is usually boiled or braised, then sliced or shredded for serving.