Corned Beef Brisket - from Scratch

"Plan ahead about a week ... you won't be sorry. This from-scratch corned beef is better than any commercial corned beef you could ever eat, and you'll wonder why you never tried doing it yourself before. I do not add salt and peter to my corned beef, so this is not going to have that familiar pink color, but you won't care -- and it's healthier this way."
 
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photo by gailanng photo by gailanng
photo by gailanng
Ready In:
172hrs
Ingredients:
16
Serves:
6-8
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ingredients

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directions

  • Combine all of the brine ingredients and bring to a boil, then cool.
  • In a huge plastic roasting bag (do NOT use a garbage bag), place the beef brisket, the cooled brine, and the 4 garlic cloves.
  • Make sure that all of the meat is covered by the brine (cutting the brisket in pieces if you need to), tie off tightly, place in a pot large enough to hold it all, and refrigerate for 6 to 7 days, turning occasionally.
  • After the 6 to 7 days, remove brisket from the brine and discard the brine.
  • Rinse the meat thoroughly, then place in a Dutch oven or other large pot and add enough water to come up 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up the side of the meat.
  • Add the rest of the Simmering Liquid ingredients (peppercorns, mustard seeds, allspice, cloves and garlic), bring to a boil and skim off any foam.
  • Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook, covered, for at least 3 hours, but 4 hours doesn't hurt anything. Meat will be SO tender and delicious!

Questions & Replies

  1. We have been making corned beef for years but have lost the recipe as far as I can remember it was as follows, 6tbs pickling spice 3 tbs brown sugar, 1/2 cup kosher salt 1tsp saltpetre 4cloves garlic crushed &chopped Combine the above rub on the meat Place in a container in a cool place &turn every other day four quadrants
     
  2. If I thaw brisket from the freezer and then let it soak in the brine, isn’t 6-7 days too long? Won’t it go bad? I’ve never done it on my own but would like to use the frozen brisket I have.
     
  3. This is not a question but a short word to congratulate you for not using pink salt or slpeter which make cured meats a cancerous product (colon cancer).
     
  4. The recipe says to buy an 8 to 10 lb brisket, and that is not very meaningful to me. Here along the Texas coast, we get whole packer cut briskets. That includes the point and the flat and the fat layer(s). Can you please elaborate on what you suggest, or which part of the brisket you would use for corned beef? The whole packers are in the range of 14 to 17 pounds usually. THANK YOU Jim in Texas
     
  5. Can I substitute the mustard seeds for ground mustard or what that alter the taste to much?
     
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Reviews

  1. My DH made this for our annual St Paddy's day party and it was a hit! It was a little dry but that may be because we didn't use a big enough pot (it was a tight fit for the 8lb brisket). When the beef was done he removed it from the simmering liquid and threw in a quartered onion, 3 heads of cabbage (quartered), and potatoes (halved). These were some of the BEST potatoes I've ever had - I'd make the simmering liquid again just to cook veggies!!! Thanks for a great recipe!
     
  2. I have been looking for a simple how to recipe . This sounds perfect. I will be using venison . I can't believe it is this simple. I paid way too much $$$ for the butcher to make this for me.
     
  3. Totally AWESOME five stars for leaving out the saltpeter...... <br/><br/>20 stars for this simple recipe keeping them simple always make for better meals.... Thanks Angie Ed's a lucky Guy
     
  4. I tried this recipe a week ago and was amazed at how well it came out. I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of the meat. Brisket was well over $3.00 per pound so I substituted a bottom round roast that was reduced to $1.80 a pound. It came out tender and in my opinion was better than store bought corned beef.
     
  5. Superb recipe, my family loved it.
     
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