Corned Beef
- Author
- Alton Brown
- Makes
- 6–8 servings
- Prep time
- 30 minutes
- Wait time
- 10 days
- Cook time
- 2½–3 hours
Ingredients
| 2 | quarts | water | |
| 1 | cup | kosher salt | |
| 1/2 | cup | light brown sugar | |
| 2 | Tbsp | saltpeter | (optional) |
| 1 | stick | cinnamon | broken into several pieces |
| 1 | tsp | mustard seeds | |
| 1 | tsp | black peppercorns | whole |
| 8 | cloves | whole | |
| 8 | allspice berries | whole | |
| 12 | juniper berries | whole | |
| 2 | bay leaves | crumbled | |
| 1/2 | tsp | ground ginger | |
| 2 | lbs | ice | |
| 1 | 4-5 pound beef brisket | trimmed | |
| 1 | small | onion | quartered |
| 1 | large | carrot | coarsley chopped |
| 1 | rib | celery | coarsley chopped |
Directions
-
Put the water in a 6- to 8-quart stockpot along with the salt, brown sugar, saltpeter, cinnamon, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper, bay leaves, and ginger. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the ice. Refrigerate the brine until it drops below 45 °F.
-
Put the brisket in a 2-gallon zip-top bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat inside a drip-proof container, cover, and refrigerate for 10 days, flipping the bag over every couple of days and checking that it isn’t leaking.
-
After 10 days, discard the brine and rinse the brisket well under cool water.
-
Move the brisket to a large pot and add the onion, carrot, celery, and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat.
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Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2½ to 3 hours, until the meat is fork-tender. Remove from the pot and cool for 10 minutes before thinly slicing across the grain.
Tags: entree