Homemade Corned Beef Brine
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
1 hr
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Additional Time
5 d
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Total Time
5 d 1 hr
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Servings
8 servings
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Calories
511 kcal
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Course
Main Course
Homemade Corned Beef Brine
Description
Homemade Corned Beef Brine offers a detailed approach to preparing a curing solution for beef brisket, highlighting the use of both common and whole pickling spices toasted to release their essential oils and flavors. The brine combines salts, brown sugar, and a cinnamon stick with these spices in water, which is boiled then cooled for safety and effectiveness. The brisket is placed fully submerged into the chilled brine to absorb the seasoning and cure properly. This process preserves the meat and develops the characteristic tang and aroma associated with corned beef.
The pickling spice blend features allspice berries, mustard seeds, coriander, red and black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom pods, bay leaves, ginger, and cassia cinnamon, giving a complex, warm, and slightly spicy character. Toasting the spices before crushing enhances their flavor contribution to the brine.
This brining method makes it possible to prepare corned beef from fresh brisket by controlling the curing ingredients, resulting in meat that can be cooked to varying tenderness and served in traditional dishes like boiled dinner or sandwiches.
Ingredients
Pickling Spices:
- 1 tablespoon allspice berries whole
- 1 tablespoon mustard seed whole
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns whole
- 1 tablespoon red peppercorns whole
- 1 teaspoon clove whole
- 8 cardamom pods whole
- 6 large bay leaves crumbled
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 cassia cinnamon stick form
Brine:
- 1 gallon water
- 4 oz pink curing salt
- 8 oz kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons pickling spices save the rest
- 1/2 cup brown sugar light or dark both work
Brisket:
- 5 lbs beef brisket
Instructions
Pickling Spices:
- To save time, you can use store-bought pickling spices or 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. Crush them with a mortar and pestle. Add the crushed bay leaves and ground ginger and stir to combine.
Brine:
- Add a gallon of water to a large pot and four tablespoons of the pickling spices (saving the remaining ones for later); add the cinnamon stick, Pink curing salt, Kosher salt, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, 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 it 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, flipping the brisket every day so that all sides are brined equally.
Cook the corned beef:
- Remove the brisket from the brine and rinse it well under 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, such as cabbage and carrots, to the spiced cooking liquid and cook them to serve with the corned beef.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 511 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 511kcal | 26% |
| Carbohydrates | 18g | 6% |
| Protein | 59g | 118% |
| Fat | 21g | 32% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Cholesterol | 176mg | 59% |
| Sodium | 14798mg | 617% |
| Potassium | 1035mg | 22% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 13g | 26% |
| Vitamin A | 171IU | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 2mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 90mg | 9% |
| Iron | 6mg | 33% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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Flavor is excellent. Units for the ingredients are confusing. The bulk of the units are volume. However, salt and pickling salt are listed by weight. Do you really plan to use 1/2 lb Kosher salt and 1/4 lb pickling salt? Or, did you mean 8 fl oz (1 C) of Kosher salt and 4 fl oz (1/2 C) of pickling salt?