Homemade Corned Beef Recipe
At the most basic level, corned beef is a brisket of beef that is salt-cured.
Ingredients
PICKLING SPICE
- 5 large bay leaves, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon wholle peppercorn
- 1 tablespoon whole all spice berries
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- ½ cinnamon stick
BRINE
- 4 liters water
- ¾ cup salt
- 5 teaspoons pink curing salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 5 cloves garlic
- pickling spice blend optional: wrapped in a cloth
BEEF BRISKET
- 2 kgs beef brisket
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 large bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorn
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
PICKLING SPICE
- In a small pan, combine all pickling spices ingredients except bay leaves and toast on medium heat until fragrant. Please make sure to keep an eye on the spices as it tends to get easily burned.
- Remove from heat and crush using mortar and pestle. Add the crumbled bay leaves.
CURING BRINE
- Add the pickling spice mix to 4 liters of water along with the curing salt, salt, brown sugar and garlic. Bring to a boil then let it cool to room temperature
- IN a large container or large sealable plastic bag, place the beef brisket then pour the cooled brining liquid over.
- Brine the beef for about 7-10 days.
COOKING
- Remove the brisket from the brine and rinse off the brine thoroughly with cold water. Do not skip this step as the corned beef will be salty.
- Place the beef in a a large pot, add the beef broth, bay leaves, peppercorn and salt & pepper to taste.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer. Cook for 3-4 hours until the beef is fork tender.
- Corned beef is finished and can be stored for in an airtight container for up to a week.
SERVING SUGGESTION
- Shred the meat.
- Saute onion and garlic in a pan. Add shredded corned beef and some broth.
- Serve immediately with bread or rice. Enjoy!