Homemade Corned Beef

by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn
from Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing
(W.W. Norton, 2005)
Makes 4 1/2 pounds, about 8 to 10 servings

Making your own corned beef is especially satisfying because it’s so easy — and so inexpensive compared to commercial corned beef. It’s also a pleasure to have a hand in what is an extraordinary transformation of a cheap cut of meat. We love simple braised brisket, like the Belgian stew carbonnade, cooked slowly in beer and onions, but to cause the metamorphosis from brisket to delicious corned beef is a different pleasure altogether. It becomes firmer. It takes on the delicious cured flavor. And, while it’s excellent for sandwiches, it can make an elegant main course for a full meal, served with, say, sauteed blanched cabbage or Brussels sprouts with a mustard vinaigrette and boiled potatoes. When making a meal of it, include an onion and carrot and other aromatics in your poaching liquid and then spoon it, strained, like a jus or a broth over the corned beef.—Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn

convert Ingredients
For the pickling spice
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons hot red-pepper flakes
2 tablespoons allspice berries
1 tablespoon ground mace
2 small cinnamon sticks, crushed or broken into pieces
2-4 bay leaves, crumbled
2 tablespoons whole cloves
1 tablespoon ground ginger

For the brine
1 gallon water
2 cups Morton’s kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 ounce (5 teaspoons) pink salt (see Note)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons pickling spice (above or store-bought)

One 5-pound well-marbled (first-cut) beef brisket
2 tablespoons pickling spice (above or store-bought)

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Method
Make the pickling spice
1. Lightly toast the peppercorns, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds in a small dry skillet, then smash them with the side of a knife just to crack them.

2. Combine the cracked spices with the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Store in a tightly sealed plastic container or glass jar.

Make the brine
1. Combine the water, salt, sugar, pink salt, garlic, and pickling spices in a pot large enough to hold the brisket comfortably. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate the brine until it’s completely chilled.

2. Place the brisket in the brine and weight it down with a plate to keep it submerged. Refrigerate for 5 days.

3. Remove the brisket from the brine and rinse it thoroughly under cool running water. (Resting is not required here because the distribution of the brine will continue in the long, slow cooking process.)

Cook the beef
1. Place the brisket in a pot just large enough to hold it and add enough water to cover the meat. Add the remaining pickling spice and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently for about 3 hours, or until the brisket is fork-tender There should always be enough water to cover the brisket; replenish the water if it gets too low.

2. Remove the corned beef from the cooking liquid, which can be used to moisten the meat and vegetables, if that is what you’re serving. Slice the beef and serve warm, or cool, then wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve, or for up to a week.

Note: Pink salt, a curing salt with nitrite, is called by different names and sold under various brand names, such as tinted cure mix or T.C.M., DQ Curing Salt, and Insta Cure #1. The nitrite in curing salts does a few special things to meat: It changes the flavor, preserves the meat’s red color, prevents fats from developing rancid flavors, and prevents many bacteria from growing.

Recipe © 2005 by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.