MANILA, Philippines?When I see a good brisket I think of corning my own beef. Corned beef is one of my favorite dishes and one reason I don?t turn vegetarian.

Why corn your own beef? First, you can choose your own brisket or batok, the latter of which is my cooking cousin?s choice for this dish.

Brisket is marbled with a thick layer of fat which you can ask the butcher to trim off for you.

Second, you can control the kind and amount of curing mix you are going to use.

Years ago when people were not so conscious of healthy eating as we are today, salt peter (salitre) was the curing agent. But it is used for gunpowder and in 1975 its use as a preserving agent was banned. A ?kinder, gentler? nitrate which gives the beef its pink color is used. This is sodium nitrate or pink curing salt otherwise known as Prague salt.

Years ago, I came across an item which recommended Mortin?s Tender Quick for curing but my cousin could not find it in American supermarket shelves. Anyway, the recipe I?ve been using all these years works fine with me.

A friend called my attention to a recipe for ham which I included in my first cookbook, ?Kusina ni EC,? which called for one tablespoon of salitre for every kilo of pork meat. An inordinate amount of preserving agent. But it didn?t do my generation any harm (not that I know of) and those who have tried Azon?s ham swear by it. Anyway, now we know better and use only a small amount of curing agent and one kinder.

You can choose between that dry curing method and the wet (just like my ARMD). I prefer using the former on cutup beef than on a whole slab of it.

Lastly, you can control the time you spend curing the beef while you never know how long store-bought corned beef has been curing.

It?s so easy to prepare. I have the butcher cut the brisket into cubes (they have very sharp knives), wash the cutup beef, drain it well in a colander, make the curing mix (for every kilo of brisket 1 tbsp fine table salt, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 1/8 tsp Prague powder), rub it well into cutup beef, cover and refrigerate for three to four days, tenderize in water to cover, shred. I like it sautéed in garlic, onions and tomatoes. You may add small diced potatoes or shredded cabbage to it. I usually don?t have to add salt anymore.

If you?re watching your fat intake you can always remove the fat that accumulates on top after chilling in the refrigerator.

Happy eating.