eatbensmeat

I LOVE corned beef, so I took a crack at making it, just starting from a brisket. It’s way easier than you might think. All a corned beef IS is a brisket that’s been brined for at least a week in salt water and spices. That’s it. It’s called “corned beef” because they used to use big chunks of salt that looked like corn kernels (so says the internet, and I like that explanation, so I’m running with it).

Couple things to note:

1. This recipe calls for Prague Powder #2. It’s mostly salt, with a small amount of nitrate in it. It acts as a preservative to keep the meat from spoiling, and it gives corned beef it’s pink color. If you can’t find it, it’s not the end of the world, you can substitute an equal amount of kosher salt. I honestly don’t know how big of a difference it makes, because I’ve made this with it and without it, but it’s called for in some recipes, so I kept it in. Plus now I have this giant tub of it, so I might as well use it.
2. This recipe calls for you to brine the brisket for 7-14 days. The amount of time is really up to you, that’s just what I use as a benchmark. The longer you let it brine, the more flavorful it gets. That being said, a brisket is a big chunk of meat, and there’s not any acid in this brine, so you’re going to have to do more than just let it sit overnight to pick up the flavors. I just stick it in my vegetable drawer in the fridge and leave it alone for a few weeks.

Ingredients

For the brine:

3-4 bay leaves, crumbled (could probably leave it off if you want)

1 2-inch stick of cinnamon, broken into pieces

1 tablespoon mustard seed

1 tablespoon coriander

1 tablespoon onion powder

5-10 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon black peppercorn

1 tablespoon ground ginger

12 cloves

12 juniper berries

12 allspice berries

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons Prague Powder #2 (or more kosher salt)

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 cups water

For the rest:

1 brisket (usually 3-4 pounds)

2 gallon ziploc bag (most grocery stores have them somewhere)

1 large bowl (helps keep the brisket submerged during brining)

Directions:

Dump everything for the brine in a pot and heat, stirring continuously, until the salt and sugar dissolve, maybe 5 minutes at most. Then, immediately remove the pot from the heat. Let it cool down on it’s own, or you can add a few cups of ice if you’re in a hurry. The brine is done!

Okay, so this is the easiest way I’ve found to keep the brisket submerged throughout the brining. Open up the ziploc bag and put the brisket inside. Slowly, maybe with a helper holding the bag open the whole time, add in the brine. Squeeze as much air as you can out of the bag and then seal it up. Position the brisket so it’s submerged (personally I find keeping it in the bottom of a large bowl helps here) and put it in the fridge. Let it sit there for 7-14 days. Check it every day to make sure it’s still submerged (it seems to shift some) and to stir the brine every few days.

You now have a corned beef. You can boil it for St. Patricks Day, or smoke it any time of the year for something close to pastrami. In order to make it actually pastrami, you have to rub it with pastrami spice when you’re ready to cook it, and then smoke it. At least, that’s my understanding. Or you can just slow roast it in the oven. Enjoy!