Homemade Corned Beef
User Reviews
4.5
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Prep Time
7 d
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Cook Time
4 hrs
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Total Time
7 d 4 hrs
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Servings
6 to 8
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Irish
Homemade Corned Beef
Description
Homemade Corned Beef starts with crafting a pickling spice blend that combines aromatic seeds and spices including mustard seeds, allspice berries, coriander, juniper berries, and more, which impart distinct flavor notes. The brisket is submerged in a brine of kosher salt, pink curing salt, brown sugar, and the spice blend, then refrigerated for 7 to 10 days to cure fully. Once cured, the beef is rinsed and cooked in water with the reserved spices, onion, and garlic, slowly simmered until tender.
The resulting corned beef is deeply seasoned with a balance of salty, sweet, and spicy flavors from the brine and pickling spices. It can be sliced for sandwiches, served alongside cabbage, or used in other traditional dishes.
If using store-bought corned beef, the brining step can be skipped; simply proceed to cooking. This homemade approach allows better control over seasoning and tenderness, making it suitable for meals that benefit from robust cured beef flavor.
Ingredients
Brine and Brisket
- 2 to 3 tablespoons pickling spice recipe follows
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons pink curing salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 garlic smashed, cloves
- 1 beef brisket 4 to 5 pounds; trimmed
- 1 onion quartered
- 1 garlic halved crosswise, head
Pickling Spice
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon allspice berries
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon juniper berries
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon clove whole
- 2 bay leaf crumbled
- 1 cinnamon stick smashed
Glaze (optional)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
Making the Pickling Spice:
- Combine all the spices in a bowl. Reserve.
Making the brine:
- In a large stockpot, combine 2 quarts of water with the pickling spice, salt, pink salt, brown sugar and 3 smashed garlic cloves. Bring to a boil and cook until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
- Remove the brine from the heat and let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.
Brining the brisket:
- Place brisket in a 2-gallon ziplock bag or brining container and add the brine, making sure the beef is submerged. Seal and refrigerate for 7 to 10 days, flipping the brisket once every day.
Cooking the Corned Beef:
- Remove brisket from brine and rinse well under cold water. Run the brine solution through a strainer and reserve the pickling spices.
- Add the quartered onion and halved garlic head to a large Dutch oven. Set the corned beef on top of that and cover with water by several inches. Add the reserved pickling spice. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 15 minutes and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and gently simmer for 3 to 4 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
- If doing the glaze, preheat broiler. While broiler is preheating, melt the butter in a sauce pan, over medium high heat, and add the brown sugar and water. Once sugar has dissolved, add the mustard and simmer for another couple of minutes. Reserve.
- When corned beef is done, remove from the liquid (you can use that liquid to cook cabbage, carrots and potatoes) transfer to a baking sheet and brush glaze all over it. Broil for 20 minutes, brushing more glaze as needed.
- Slice corned beef against the grain. Serve with veggies and mustard.
Notes
- If using store-bought corned beef, you can skip the brining stage and proceed directly to cooking.
- The brisket should be fully submerged in the brine during curing; flipping it once daily aids even curing.
- Brining time of 7 to 10 days allows sufficient flavor penetration and curing of the meat.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.5
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