Cure your own corned beef with beef brisket, pickling spices, salt, and time.
Who knew it was so easy to make?
Corned beef is essentiallybeef cured in a salt brine, with some pickling spices for added flavor.
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
How Is Corned Beef Made?
After finally getting around to it, I’m happy to report that my friends were right!
It really is easy; it just takes about 5 days to cure.
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
You know how BBQ masters have their own favorite homemade dry rubs?
It’s sort of like that.
Pretty much every packaged corned beef brisket I’ve bought tastes about the same.
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
The one I home cured?
you’ve got the option to also see his instructions onLeite’s Culinaria.
What Makes Corned Beef Pink?
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Sodium nitrite is sold for the purposes of curing meat in a form called “pink salt.”
Note that curing pink salt is NOT Himalayan pink salt.
you’re free to use pink salt for this recipe or not.
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
I’ve corned beef with and without pink salt.
And it adds flavor too.
Without it the corned beef will be a dull grey color.
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Remove from heat and place in a small bowl.
Add to a small bowl and stir in the crumbled bay leaves and ground ginger.
Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Then refrigerate until well chilled.
Place the brisket in a large, flat container or pan, and cover with the brine.
The brine should cover the meat.
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
The meat may float in which case you may want to weigh it down with a plate.
Place in the refrigerator and chill from 5-7 days.
Every day flip the brisket over, so that all sides get brined equally.
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
If you want your brisket less salty, add another inch of water to the pot.
Add a tablespoon of the pickling spices to the pot.
(At this point you might store in the fridge for up to a week.)
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
Remove the meat to a cutting board.
Then make thin crosswise cuts, across the grain to cut the meat to serve.
