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Corned Beef
Total Project Time: 8 days
Most of us are familiar with corned beef, thanks to Jewish delis and Saint Patrick's Day feasts. But few of us are familiar with how it's made.
It's pretty simple, really. Take a beef brisket and corn it, so to speak. Per the etymology of the verb "to corn", salt is first corned, or crushed into grains of salt. Then add the corned salt to water to create a brine, within which the brisket is submersed to cure and preserve it. Add herbs and spices to imbue it with flavors and aromas. Finally, submerse the brisket is the brine for 1 week, then braise it for 3 hours, and voilà! A damn delightful dinner is served.1. Intro
2. Procure Equipment
3. Buy Ingredients
4. Prepare the Brine
5. Submerse the Brisket
6. Prep Braising Ingredients
7. Rinse the Brisket
8. Braise that Brisket
9. Proud Paddy
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3. Buy Ingredients
Before Event
The day before the event, purchase the following ingredients:
• 2 (6 lbs. each) beef briskets
• 2 ½ cups Kosher Salt
• 2 tbsp. Instacure No. 1 curing salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 8 cloves garlic
• 10 cloves
• 10 allspice berries
• 1 tbsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 2-inch piece ginger
• 5 lbs. crushed ice -
4. Prepare the Brine
Day 1
Measure out the following ingredients:
• 1 gallon water
• 2 ½ cups Kosher Salt
• 2 tbsp. Instacure No. 1 curing salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 8 cloves garlic
• 10 cloves
• 10 allspice berries
• 1 tbsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled
Place all of the ingredients in a large Stockpot, and turn the heating element to high. Once the water is brought to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. -
5. Submerse the Brisket
Day 1
Add 5 lbs. ice cubes to the brine in order to quickly bring the liquid down to room temperature.
Rinse the brisket under cold water.
Check the temperature of the brine. Once it is at room temperature, we’re ready to go. Add more ice cubes to bring the temperature down as needed.
If your Stockpot will not fit in the refrigerator, find a suitable container and ladle the brine into that container.
Submerse the briskets in the brine. Refrigerate for 7 days. Label the brining container Corned Beef: braise on May 29, 2013.
Check the brine once per day to stir the brine and ensure the brisket is completely submerged in the liquid. -
6. Prep Braising Ingredients
Day 8
7 days after curing, purchase the following ingredients:
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 allspice berries
• 6 cloves
• 1 tbsp. black peppercorns
Peel and quarter the onions and carrots. Quarter the celery. Measure out the remaining spice ingredients.
These will add aromatics that will make anyone who walks into the kitchen feel like Pavlov's dog upon first sniff. -
7. Rinse the Brisket
Day 8
Remove the brisket from the brine. Rinse the brisket off under cold water.
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8. Braise that Brisket
Day 8
Place the rinsed brisket, vegetables and spices in a large Stockpot. Add water until the brisket and vegetables are completely submersed.
Bring the liquid to a boil. Once boiling, bring to a simmer, and keep at a simmer for 2 ½ to 3 hours, until the brisket is fork tender. -
9. Proud Paddy
Day 8
After 2 ½ to 3 hours, the corned beef should be fork-tender, which means it's ready.
Remove the corned beef from the liquid and place on a serving plate. Slice thinly across the grain, and serve with a ladle of jus (the braising liquid) over top.
Brussels sprouts, potatoes and cabbage will make excellent side dishes, and no corned beef plate is complete without a side of house-made mustard.
This will surely make Ol' Saint Patrick proud if you cook this up on his special day.
