Mama's Corned Beef Brisket

Here's a recipe that may help you plan ahead for St. Patrick's day -- it will need to sit in the brine for five to seven days...yes, up to an entire WEEK before slow-cooking it. 

One of my favorite flavor profiles from childhood is what I would consider the "Reuben". Reuben sandwiches, Reuben casserole...so SO good. Corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and some tangy Thousand Island dressing. Mmmmmmm. Smack those together in some sort of way, and I would be a very happy camper. Unfortunately for me, about fifteen years ago I had a terrible medical issue that came up on a day that I made Reuben sandwiches as our family dinner. That's a story for another day. It took me more than a decade, but I can FINALLY enjoy this flavor again. 

I have started trying to avoid unnecessary additions to our food, so I started making my own corned beef to avoid the pink salt in commercial corned beef from the grocery store. The pink color of corned beef comes from the BRIGHT pink salt you can use in the brine. Can you guess why that salt is such a bright shade of pink? Because it is literally so toxic that terrible things would happen if you accidentally mix it up with your run of the mill table salt! Yikes...no, thank you. I'll take *my* corned beef without the pink color, thanks! 

Mama's Corned Beed Brisket

Pickling spices: 1 tablespoon whole allspice berries; 1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes; 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns; 2 teaspoons whole cloves; 9 whole cardamom pods; 6 large bay leaves, crumbled; 2 teaspoons ground ginger; half stick cinnamon

[or the easy way: buy pickling spices from the grocery store; I still use bay leaves and the half stick of cinnamon in addition]

Brine: 1 gallon water; 300 grams kosher salt (between 2 and just over 3 cups, depending on brand); 3 tablespoons pickling spices; 1/2 cup brown sugar

Brisket: 5 pound beef brisket;1 tablespoon pickling spices.

Step 1 - Toast and crush the spices. Combine spices, minus the bay leaves, ginger, and cinnamon stick. Toast in a dry frying pan just until fragrant. Remove from heat a crush. Stir in crumbled bay leaves and ginger if you make your own pickling spices. 

Step 2 - Make the brine. Add 3 tablespoons of the spice mix, plus the half stick of cinnamon, to a gallon of water in a large pot. Stir in the kosher salt and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled.

Step 3 - Brine the brisket. Place brisket in either a large, flat dish or a 2 gallon zip-top bag and cover with the brine. Squeeze all air out and place bag in a container to avoid any leaks in your fridge. (Blech.) Refrigerate for 5 to 7 days, flipping brisket over every day or so to ensure even brining.

Step 4 - Cook the corned beef. Remove brisket from brine and rinse with cold water. Place brisket in slow cooker and cover with 1 to 2 inches of water. Add a tablespoon of pickling spices. Cook on low all day, or until fork tender. You can also cook it on the stovetop for 3 to 4 hours; I prefer being hands-off. If you aren't eating this right away, you can refrigerate it at this point (after safely cooling).

Step 5 - Cut the meat. Remove meat to a cutting board and cut across the grain. Or you can just shred it. That's what I usually do, rather than slicing it. It's still incredibly delicious either way. 

Now that you have corned beef, you can make it the star of a meal. A boiled dinner, or corned beef and cabbage...Reuben sandwiches...a casserole...whatever you'd like. Enjoy!

Adapted from Simply Recipes "Homemade Corned Beef Recipe"