RECIPE: Homemade Corned Beef

Corned Beef Brisket is an annual tradition in our house. When we tried this home-brined recipe a few years ago, the results were game-changing. It was as if we’d FINALLY eaten a REAL corned beef brisket, the one all the other store bought corned beef briskets were trying to imitate. Experience aromatic flavors with spices you can distinguish. This is corned beef in high definition.   

Ingredients:

4-5 lb grassfed beef brisket , chuck roast or tri-tip roast

For your brine:

• 2 qt water
• 1 C sea salt
• 1 TBSP mustard seeds
• 2 TBSP black peppercorns
• 10 whole cloves
• ½ tsp thyme
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced (or ½ tsp ginger powder)
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed (or ½ tsp garlic powder)
• 2-3 bay leaves, crushed
• 1 cinnamon stick (or ¼ tsp cinnamon powder)
• ½ C cane sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 tsp allspice berries (optional)
• 1 TBSP coriander seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp juniper berries (optional)
• ¼ cup beet juice for coloring (optional)

For your meal:

• 4-5 whole carrots, peeled
• 2 head cabbage, quartered
• 3-4 whole potatoes

Tools:

• Large glass container for soaking meat in brine solution in fridge
• Large oven-safe and stove-top pot with lid for cooking (e.g., a Dutch oven)

Instructions:

To brine-

1. Add the water, salt, spices, and sugar to a pot. (Do not add beet juice until later in process.)
2. Heat and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve.
3. Allow brine to cool before adding the meat.
4. To brine the meat, place the brisket in a large glass container and cover with brine mixture. Note: do not use a metal container for this step, and make sure meat is completely submerged in fluid. Add the optional beet juice.
5. Place container in fridge and allow meat to soak between 3 and 5 days. Check meat daily and rotate meat in the brine solution.
6. After 3-5 days, remove the meat from the brine. Rinse with cool water to remove some of the saltiness. 
7. If you are someone who prefers your food with less salt, limit brine time to 3 days. Additionally, after rinsing, allow the meat to soak in fresh cold water for 15-20 minutes.

To cook-

1. Preheat oven to 250°F
2. Add meat to a large pot with lid, and cover with fresh water. Cook in oven for 4 hrs.
3. Remove pot from oven and finish cooking on stove top.
4. Add carrots (either whole or cut in half, and simmer for 20 min.
5. Add cabbage laying it on top of ingredients. It should not be submerged. Continue to simmer for 20 min or until cabbage is fork tender. 
6. To serve, slice the brisket across the grain, and enjoy the amazing flavors.

The spices used in this home-cured beef brisket recipe stand out when compared to store bought pre-made corned beef. Get ready for high definition flavor!