ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The Ancient Order of Hibernians in Albany kindly invited News10’s Stephanie Rivas to learn about one of their traditions—making over one thousand corned beef sandwiches for their St. Patrick’s celebrations.

Cliff Nolan, a member of the order, volunteers with several others cooks to whip up those sandwiches that the organization sells on parade day and St. Patrick’s Day to keep the AOH up and running.

The AOH purchased over 500 pounds of brisket with the point and the flat intact. Then, they spend the three days cooking the meat on the stove in giant pots. Their secret ingredient? Just add Guinness for tenderizing the meat, but don’t add too much, or your meat can get bitter.

Cliff said once your meat is properly cooked, you have to make sure to cut against the grain when slicing your corn beef. Then just add the fixings for the perfect sandwich—cabbage, mustard, and a hearty roll.

According to the Smithsonian Institute, the tradition of corned beef sandwiches (the kind recognized currently as a corned beef sandwich) doesn’t come directly from Ireland but started with Irish Immigrants. When they settled in New York, they needed to look for cheaper cuts of meat and ended up buying brisket from their Jewish neighbors.