Ann Heckenlively, Hanston, Kansas, wrote in, in hopes someone can help her with a corned beef recipe.
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Angela Barnes, White Cloud, Michigan, offers this Corned Beef Brisket recipe, writing, “(The recipe is) from Charcuterie by Brian Polcyn, a local chef here in Michigan. I always use brisket, but I think a flat chuck roast would work. … The pink salt (a curing salt containing nitrite) is a necessary preservative, and it can be obtained from a local meatpacker. I get mine online from Butcher & Packer out of Detroit; their shipping is reasonable and their service is great (www.Butcher-Packer.com).”Â
Make sure and use the homemade Pickling Spice recipe for the Corned Beef Brisket. It really helps set it apart.
Corned Beef Brisket
Brine:
1 gallon water
2 cups kosher salt
5 teaspoons pink curing salt (1 ounce)
1?2 cup sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Pickling Spice, recipe follows
5 pounds well-marbled (first-cut) beef brisket
2 tablespoons Pickling SpiceÂ
Combine all brine ingredients in large pot. Bring to a simmer, stirring until salts and sugar are dissolved. Remove pot from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until completely chilled.
Place brisket in brine and weigh down with plate to keep meat submerged. Refrigerate for 5 days.
Remove brisket from brine and rinse thoroughly under cool running water. (Resting is not required here because the distribution of the brine will continue in the long slow-cooking process.)
Place brisket in pot just large enough to hold it and add enough water to cover meat. Add remaining Pickling Spice and bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer gently for about 3 hours, or until brisket is fork-tender. There should always be enough water to cover the brisket, so replenish the water if it gets too low.
Remove corned beef from cooking liquid (which can be used to moisten the meat and vegetables, if that’s what you’re serving). Slice corned beef and serve warm, or cool, wrap tightly and refrigerate (up to a week) until ready to serve. Yields about 8 to 10 servings.
NOTE: Angela writes, “We serve ours with fried cabbage and creamed spinach, yum!”