How to Make the Best Corned Beef

corned beef brisket

🥗Healthier: lean turkey breast

💰Cheaper: pork shoulder

Turkey is lower in fat, while pork is often more affordable.

cabbage

🥗Healthier: kale

💰Cheaper: green cabbage

Kale is nutrient-dense, while green cabbage is widely available.

Create the brine by adding plenty of kosher salt to a pot.

Add brown sugar to the pot.

Add pink curing salt to the pot for color.

Crush garlic cloves and add them to the brine.

Prepare in-house pickling spice with mustard seed, allspice berries, coriander, cloves, ground ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Add crushed cinnamon stick and broken bay leaves to the brine.

Mix the brine ingredients together.

Bring the brine to a boil to dissolve salts and sugars and infuse flavors.

Once boiling, turn off the heat and let the brine cool to room temperature.

Chill the brine thoroughly in the fridge.

Place the beef in a deep roasting pan lined with double oven roasting bags.

Slowly transfer the brine into the bags with the beef.

Seal the bags while squeezing out as much air as possible and secure with twist ties.

Transfer the bags to the refrigerator and move them around daily to ensure the beef is submerged and spices are distributed.

Let the beef brine for 10 days.

After 10 days, drain and discard the brine and rinse the beef under cold running water.

Transfer the beef to a large stock pot.

Add two onions, two carrots, and two stalks of celery to the pot with the beef.

Add the remaining two tablespoons of pickling spice to the pot.

Cover the beef and vegetables with water.

Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to simmer for about three hours until tender.

Remove the corned beef from the pot and slice against the grain.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary