Saint Patrick's Day

I always thought corned beef was a mysterious meat created in back rooms with special ingredients. Or maybe it came from some unknown beast. I also wondered why it didn't taste more like corn. You'd think a farm girl like myself would have had a better understanding of what corned beef was, but I didn't. A couple years ago I found out how to make it and was astonished at the simplicity of it. And how utterly delicious homemade corned beef is! How come more people don't make it if its that easy and good I asked myself? Beats me. Here is the recipe I use to make corned beef, I adapted it from one by David Liebovitz. 


Corned Beef

2 1/2 to 3 pounds of beef brisket (I have the butcher cut one in half, remember I am cooking for 2)
1 quart of water
5/8 cup of kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
6 whole cloves
3/4 t peppercorns (I like the mixture of light, red and black)
1/2 t whole allspice berries
1 t mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
1 small cinnamon stick
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/4 t ground ginger
2 cups cold water

Bring the water to a boil after adding in the salt and sugar. Heat a small frying pan and cook the cloves, pepper, allspice and mustard until fragrant. Takes about 2 minutes. Crush the spices slightly with a mortar and pestle. Add the spices to the brine plus the bay leaves (break them up a bit), cinnamon, red pepper and ginger. Once the salt and sugar are completely dissolved, take the brine off the heat and cool it. I usually shove it in the refrigerator. Once cooled add 2 cups of cold water. 

Prepare the brisket by cutting off extra fat. I use a large bowl and line it with a 2 gallon zip lock bag. I place the brisket in it and pour the cooled brine over it. Zip it up and put it in the refrigerator for 7 days. Turn it every few days to be sure it is evenly brined. 

At the end of 7 days you will have corned beef! Cook it like you would corned beef from the store, be sure and give it a really good rinse with cold water before cooking. It won't be pink because I don't use the curing salt. If you want to use curing salt, Amazon has some. I also read in another blog about using beets to give the beef a pink color; I plan to try that next year. Not being pink did not bother us, as meat is usually brown anyway once cooked.