Homemade Corned Beef

No ratings yet

Curing and making your own corned beef is not all that hard to do and is worth all the wait.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 30

Curing Time5

Total Time5 1 50

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Sandwich, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: corned beef recipe, homemade corned beef

Servings:

Calories: 300kcal

Author: Bebs

HOMEMADE PICKLING SPICE: Using a mortar and pestle, crush the pickling spice ingredients, except for the last 3. You can also use an electric spice grinder. Add the remaining 3 spices and mix well. Transfer to a small jar and this can be stored for a month.
Pour 1 cup of water in a small pot. Add all the ingredients for the brine solution and half of the pickling spice. Bring to a soft boil and stir until all salt and sugar are dissolved.
Pour the brine to a container big enough to fit the meat and the solution. Add the rest of the water and stir.
Once the brine solution has cooled down completely, add the brisket. The meat should be submerged or place a weight to push it down.
Cure the brisket in the brine solution for some days in the fridge. For 1.5-inch thick meat, it will take 3 days and 5 days for 2-inch thick. Turn the meat every 2 days.
Rinse brined beef brisket thoroughly. Place meat in a pot just large enough so fits snuggly. Fill it with water to cover about 2 inches from the surface of the meat.
Add a tablespoon of the pickling spice to the pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Once it starts to boil cover pot and lower heat to the lowest for a very gentle simmer. Cook for 3-4 hours or until meat is fork-tender.
To serve, cut the big chunk into 2, first along the grain or in the same direction of the lines of meat. Then cut across or against the grain into smaller serving size. Enjoy with 1 or 2 vegetable side dishes.

After boiling the corned beef, you may also store it in the fridge for a week. Just transfer it to a container with the liquids and seal.

You can also use this corned beef to make this easy Pastrami recipe.