Day: December 12, 2011

This is something I did earlier in the year, but forgot to blog about. Based on a recipe found here: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/home_cured_corned_beef/

Home Cured Corned Beef

The spice mix with the gallon of brine makes easily enough curing brine for a 5 pound brisket, cured in a somewhat large-ish container. If you were to use a 2-gallon freezer bag or marinating bag, you would likely need just half (or less) of the amount of brine and brine spices.

Ingredients

Pickling spices:

* 1 Tbsp whole mustard seeds (brown or yellow)
* 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
* 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
* 1 Tbsp whole cloves
* 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
* 6 large bay leaves, crumbled
* 2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 1/2 stick cinnamon

Brine:

* 1 gallon water
* 2 cups Kosher salt
* 5 teaspoons pink curing salt*
* 3 Tbsp pickling spices
* 1/2 cup brown sugar

*Pink curing salt, or sodium nitrite, goes by many names, such as Prague Powder #1 or DQ Curing Salt #1, and is available online and may be available at your local specialty market or butcher shop. If you don’t have it, you can still make corned beef, but it is necessary for that vibrant pink color we associate with corned beef. And it adds flavor too. Without it the corned beef will be a dull grey color. [Rc note: see, I couldn’t get this at all, but I used the curing salt mix from Weschenfelder and it worked out fine]

Brisket:

* 1 4-5 pound beef brisket
* 1 Tbsp pickling spices

Method

1. You can either used store-bought pickling spices or you can make your own. To make your own, toast the mustard seeds, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, cloves and peppercorns in a small frying pan on high heat until fragrant and you hear the mustard seeds start to pop. Remove from heat and place in a small bowl. Use a mortar and pestle to crush the spices a little (or the back of a spoon or the side of a knife on a flat surface). Add to a small bowl and stir in the crumbled bay leaves and ground ginger.
2. Add about 3 Tbsp of the spice mix (reserve the rest for cooking the corned beef after it has cured), plus the half stick of cinnamon, to a gallon of water in a large pot, along with the Kosher salt, pink salt (if using), and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate until well chilled.
3. Place the brisket in a large, flat container or pan, and cover with the brine. The brine should cover the meat. The meat may float in which case you may want to weigh it down with a plate. Alternatively you can use a 2-gallon freezer bag (placed in a container so if it leaks it doesn’t leak all over your refrigerator), place the brisket in the freezer bag and about 2 quarts of brine, squeezing out the air from the bag before sealing. Place in the refrigerator and chill from 5-7 days. Every day flip the brisket over, so that all sides get brined equally.
4. At the end of the cure, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse off the brine with cold water. Place the brisket in a large pot that just fits around the brisket and cover with at least one inch of water. If you want your brisket less salty, add another inch of water to the pot. Add a tablespoon of the pickling spices to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a very low simmer (barely bubbling), and cook 3-4 hours, until the corned beef is fork tender. (At this point you can store in the fridge for up to a week.) Remove the meat to a cutting board. Slice thinly against the grain to serve.