HOW TO KNOW WHEN CORNED BEEF IS NOT FULLY CURED. (Copyrighted; Reprint Forbidden.)
Reading edition
If a piece of Corned Beef is cut, before or after it is cooked, and the inside is not a nice red color, it is because the meat is not cured through. It is often sold in this condition, but it should not be, as it does not have the proper flavor unless it has been cured all the way through, which requires two or three weeks in a mild brine, depending upon the size of the piece of meat. Corned Beef pickled for four or five days in a strong brine, with an excessive amount of saltpetre in it, as some butchers cure it, is not good Corned Beef and does not have the proper flavor, although it may be red through to the center, the color being due to the large amount of saltpetre used in the brine.
The Freeze-Em-Pickle Process of curing gives the meat a different and better flavor.