Best Brine For Corned Beef Recipes

HOMEMADE CORNED BEEF BRINE

Steps:

• To save time you can use store-bought pickling spices or you can make your own based on the ingredients above.
• Add the allspice berries, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, red and black peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom pods to a small frying pan over medium-low heat and toast until fragrant. This will take a minute or two, stir and keep an eye on the spices as they can easily burn.
• Remove from heat and place in a small bowl. Use a mortar and pestle to crush them. Add the crushed bay leaves and ground ginger and stir to combine.
• Add a gallon of water to a large pot and add 4 tablespoons of the pickling spices (saving the remaining ones for later), add the cinnamon stick, Kosher salt, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate until well chilled.
• Once chilled, place the beef brisket in a large, flat container or pan, and cover with the brine. Make sure the brine covers the meat. If the meat floats, weigh it down with a plate.
• Refrigerate for 5-7 days and every day flip the brisket over so that all sides get brined equally.
• Remove the brisket from the brine and rinse it with cold water.
• Place the brisket in a large pot and cover with at least one inch of water.
• Add the remaining pickling spices and bring to a boil, reduce to a very low simmer, and cook for 3-4 hours, until the corned beef is fork-tender.
• Once done, place the meat on a cutting board. Cut across the grain to serve.
• Add some veggies into the spiced cooking liquid, like cabbage and carrots, and cook them to serve with the corned beef.

CORNED BEEF

Steps:

• Place the water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, saltpeter, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice has melted. If necessary, place the brine into the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees F. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip top bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine.
• After 10 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water. Place the brisket into a pot just large enough to hold the meat, add the onion, carrot and celery and cover with water by 1-inch. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender. Remove from the pot and thinly slice across the grain.

BRINE FOR CORNING BEEF

Steps:

• Bring first 9 ingredients up to the peppercorns to a boil and boil hard for 5 minutes. Leave the brine to cool. Clean a stoneware crock or plastic bucket and its lid with a solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda to 1 gallon boiling water. Rinse well and leave to drain dry. To test the saltiness of the brine put egg, in shell in the cooled brine. If it doesn't float, add enough salt until it does. To draw off any excess blood and to help the brine penetrate, pierce the beef all over with a trussing needle or skewer and place meat in cold water for about 45 minutes. Remove the meat from water and place in crock or bucket. Pour the cooled brine over the brisket. Add garlic to the brine. Place a plate on top of the brisket to submerge. Place a lid or plastic wrap over container. Store in a refrigerator or dry place, at a temperature below 60 degrees. Salting time depends on the thickness of the meat. Allow 3 to 10 days for salting time for brisket. When removing meat from brine, always use clean tongs: this way the brine will stay good longer and be reused with the same kind of meat. It is possible to strain off the brine and reboil it, adding a refresher of about half the above quantities. Naturally the crock or bucket will need a complete cleaning. This should be done before mold appears.

BRAISED CORNED BEEF

Steps:

• To make brine, place 2 quarts of water plus the next 12 ingredients in a large 6-8 quart stock pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar and salts have dissolved, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat; add ice and and stir until ice has melted. Place brine in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely. Place a 3-4 gallon resealable plastic bag inside a large baking dish or roasting pan; add brisket and pour brine over beef. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible, ensuring brisket is completely submerged. Transfer to refrigerator; allow to rest for 10 days, agitating bag occasionally to redistribute spices and liquid. , After 10 days, remove brisket from brine; rinse brisket thoroughly and discard brine. To braise brisket, preheat oven to 300°. Place carrots, celery and onion in large roasting pan; pour remaining 2 cups of water into pan until water level is 1/2-inch high. Place brisket over vegetables and cover with aluminum foil; transfer to oven. Cook, covered, until very tender about 5-6 hours. , Remove brisket from roasting pan, discarding vegetables and cooking juices; tent beef with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Or, to slice for Reuben sandwiches, wrap corned beef well with plastic wrap after cooling for 10 minutes; place in refrigerator and allow to cool completely overnight. Slice thinly against grain.

QUICK-BRINED CORNED BEEF AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add kosher salt, pink curing salt, sugar, and spices; remove from heat and stir until both salts and sugar have dissolved. Let cool completely. Place brisket in a nonreactive container just large enough to hold it; pour cooled brine over meat. Place 2 small plates on top to keep meat submerged; cover and refrigerate 5 days.
• Remove brisket; discard brine. Rinse brisket and place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add halved onion, celery, and halved carrot; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, set a steamer in a large saucepan. Add enough water to reach the bottom of steamer and bring to a boil. Add turnips, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and steam until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with small carrots and parsnips (together), steaming until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to bowl.
• Transfer beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil to keep warm. Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve. Return all but 4 cups broth to pot; bring to a boil. Add cabbage, quartered onions, and parsley sprigs; simmer until very tender, about 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in another pot, combine reserved 4 cups broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Strain (reserving broth), then toss potatoes with butter and chopped parsley; cover to keep warm. Add turnips, carrots, and parsnips to pot with cabbage mixture; cook until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
• Remove and discard parsley sprigs; transfer vegetables to a platter with potatoes, reserving broth. Trim excess fat from beef. Slice thinly against grain, and transfer to platter. Serve with reserved broth and horseradish sauces.

HOMEMADE CORNED BEEF

Steps:

• Brine the brisket: In a medium pot set over high heat, combine about a gallon of water, the salt, the sugar, the garlic, 3 tablespoons pickling spices and the pink curing salt. Stir mixture as it heats until sugar and salt are dissolved, about 1 minute. Transfer liquid to a container large enough for the brine and the brisket, then refrigerate until liquid is cool.
• Place brisket in the cooled liquid and weigh the meat down with a plate so it is submerged. Cover container and place in the refrigerator for 5 days, or up to 7 days, turning every day or so.
• To cook brisket, remove it from the brine and rinse under cool water. Place in a pot just large enough to hold it and cover with one of the beers and one of the ginger beers. If you need more liquid to cover the meat, add enough of the other beer, and the other ginger beer, to do so. Add remaining 2 tablespoons pickling spices. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat to low so liquid is barely simmering. Cover and let cook until you can easily insert a fork into the meat, about 3 hours, adding water along the way if needed to cover the brisket.
• Keep warm until serving, or let cool in the liquid and reheat when ready to eat, up to three or four days. Slice thinly and serve on sandwiches, in Irish tacos (see recipe) or with carrots and cabbage simmered until tender in the cooking liquid.

HOMEMADE CORNED BEEF WITH VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Make the brine: Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salts, sugar, and spices; remove from heat, and stir until salts and sugar dissolve. Let cool.
• Make the corned beef: Place brisket in a nonreactive container just large enough to hold it. Pour cooled brine over meat. Place 2 small plates on top to keep meat submerged; cover, and refrigerate for 2 weeks.
• Rinse brisket; discard brine. Place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add onion, celery, and halved carrot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
• Set a steamer in a large saucepan. Add enough water to reach the bottom, and bring to a boil. Add turnips. Reduce heat, cover, and steam until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with baby carrots, steaming 10 to 12 minutes. Add to turnips.
• Transfer corned beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Discard remaining solids from broth, then bring to a boil. Add cabbage and potatoes, and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Add turnips and carrots, and cook until warmed through. Transfer vegetables to a platter; reserve broth.
• Trim excess fat from beef. Slice thinly against grain, and transfer to platter. Serve with broth and mustard.