Photo: Corned Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 quarts water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons saltpeter
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 8 whole cloves
- 8 whole allspice berries
- 12 whole juniper berries
- 2 bay leaves, crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 pounds ice
- 1 (4 to 5 pound) beef brisket, trimmed
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
Directions
Place the water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, saltpeter, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice has melted. If necessary, place the brine into the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees F. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip top bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine.
After 10 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water. Place the brisket into a pot just large enough to hold the meat, add the onion, carrot and celery and cover with water by 1-inch. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender. Remove from the pot and thinly slice across the grain.
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By Chef Jack B
Van Nuys, CA
on May 17, 2013
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Excellent corned beef recipe! Makes a lot so it's good for a crowd. If there is leftovers you can make the best corned beef hash you will ever have, and of course it makes an awesome Ruben sandwich. Because I make my own sausage, all types (will never buy at store again I have Insata Cure #1 on hand which is much more reliable than Saltpeter, its what gives that classic pink color you find in corned beef, don't use red food coloring for goodness sake. You can get at The Sausage Maker online or see if you can get your local sausage maker or butcher to sell you some.
By hannamyluv_13028627
Bedford, 75
on March 27, 2013
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Great recipe. Did this as an exercise, to just be able to say that I had tried it from scratch. But to be honest, it came out so nice, I would be happy to do it at least once a year for a psuedo-Irish meal.
I was able to find sodium nitrate at my spice shop being sold as "curing salt". As a matter of fact, it was only by accident that I learned it was nitrates. I was making gravlax (cured salmon and asked if curing salt would help. The shop owner got all freaked and said it was only for bacon (which also sometimes uses nitrates. Just mentioning to give others another label to look for.
By KateyH
on March 23, 2013
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This is a great recipe for corning beef, so unlike the mass produced corned beef you find in supermarkets. It had an excellent flavor and texture. But Alton, darling, where in the world did you get the idea that a 5-pound brisket could feed 7 hungry men? I made two and there were no leftovers.
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