Corned Beef From Scratch

4.64 from 11 votes

Corned Beef From Scratch

Skip the packages of corned beef and make your own from scratch. You just need some space in your fridge and a little patience. Corned Beef From Scratch will ruin you for the store bought stuff.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Irish

Keyword brisket, corned beef, st. patrick's day

Dietary Restrictions Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes

Servings

Calories 151kcal

Ingredients

For The Brine:

2 cups Morton's kosher salt
1 gallon water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons pickling spice
4 teaspoons pink curing salt (prague powder)
3 cloves garlic minced

For The Corned Beef:

1 5 pound beef brisket
2 tablespoons pickling spice
1 6-inch square piece of cheesecloth
6-inch piece of kitchen string

For Corned Beef and Cabbage:

1/2 pound small red potatoes
1 head cabbage cut into eighths, vertically through the core
1 large onion peeled and sliced vertically, root to tip in 1/2" strips

Instructions

MAKE THE CORNED BEEF BRINE:

In a large pot, combine all the ingredients for the brine and simmer until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate several hours until cold.

BRINE THE BEEF

Place the brisket in a pot or receptacle large enough to hold both the brine and the meat. (I purchased an industrial restaurant container with a 12 quart capacity -- and it filled it about half way up). Pour the chilled brine over the meat and refrigerate for 5 days. If the meat isn't completely submerged in the brine, place a plate on top of it to push it into the liquid. Flip the meat every day or so.

SIMMER THE BEEF:

Remove the brisket from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Discard the brining solution.
Place the brisket in a large, heavy pot or dutch oven and cover with cool water.
Place the pickling spice in the center of the cheesecloth, bring the ends together in a bundle and secure it tightly with the kitchen string. Add the pickling spice to the pot. Bring the pot just to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover with the lid slightly askew. Cook for 3 hours or until beef is very tender.
Remove the pickling spice bundle from the pot and discard. Transfer the corned beef to a cutting board and slice thinly to serve.

FOR TRADITIONAL CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE:

To make the corned beef with cabbage and vegetables -- proceed with cooking the corned beef as described above, but only simmer the meat for 2 hours and 15 minutes -- then add the vegetables to the pot and continue the simmer with the lid tightly secured for an additional 45 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.
Remove the pickling spice bundle. Transfer the corned beef to a cutting board and slice thinly. Arrange a few slices of meat in a shallow bowl adding potatoes, carrots and a wedge of cabbage. Spoon the liquid over the beef and vegetables to serve.

Video

Nutrition