MAKES FIVE-POUND BRISKET
Ingredients
Pickling Spices
• 1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
• 1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds (brown or yellow)
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 9 whole cardamom pods
• 6 large bay leaves, crumbled
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ stick cinnamon
• Brine
• 1 gallon water
• 2 cups sea salt
• 5 teaspoons pink curing sea salt**
• 4 tablespoons pickling spices, divided
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 five-pound beef brisket
Preparation
1. You may use either store-bought pickling spices or you can prepare your own using the recipe provided. To prepare the recipe, toast the allspice berries, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, cloves, peppercorns, and cardamom pods in a small frying pan on high heat until fragrant and you hear the mustard seeds start to pop.
2. Remove the frying pan from the heat and place the toasted spices in a mortar. Use a pestle to roughly crush the spices. Add the crushed spices to a small bowl and stir in the crumbled bay leaves and ground ginger.
3. Add three tablespoons of the spice mixture (reserve the rest for cooking the corned beef after it has cured), plus the ½ stick of cinnamon, to a gallon of water in a large pot, along with the sea salt, pink sea salt (if using), and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled.
4. Place the chilled brisket in a large, flat container or pan and cover with the brine. If the meat floats, weigh it down with a plate. Alternatively, you can use a two-gallon freezer bag (placed in a container so that if it leaks, it doesn’t leak all over your refrigerator). Place the brisket in the freezer bag with about two quarts of brine, squeezing the air out of the bag before sealing. Place the meat in the refrigerator and chill for five to seven days. Flip the brisket over each day so that all sides are brined equally.
5. At the end of five days, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse with cold water to remove the brine. Place the brisket in a large pot that just fits around the brisket and cover with at least one inch of water. If you want your brisket to taste less salty, add another inch of water to the pot. Add one tablespoon of the pickling spices to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, and simmer for three to four hours, until the corned beef is fork tender. Or pressure cook on high for 70 minutes and quick depressurization.
6. Remove the meat to a cutting board. Slice thinly against the grain and serve warm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to seven days. Use the refrigerated corned beef on your favorite sandwich. The Reuben Sandwich recipe is the perfect use for this home-cured corned beef.
Chef’s Note: You may reserve the liquid used to cook the corned beef for cooking vegetables to serve with the beef. Potatoes and cabbage are a traditional Irish dish that is often cooked in the corned beef liquid and served with a couple of slices of corned beef.
