Lee Ettinger, St. Johns, Michigan, sends a recipe from Michigan Outdoor News, a biweekly newspaper devoted to hunting and fishing. Lee writes, “I have made corned ‘beef’ from venison several times using this recipe, and it is indistinguishable from actual corned beef. The author says you can use any kind of meat, and I have a beef brisket in the freezer waiting its turn.”Â
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Recipe Box: A Sandwich Recipe in the Making
Corned Beef
5 pounds any meat
4 quarts water
1 cup Morton Tender Quick meat cure
1 cup canning salt
1?2 cup brown sugar
5 tablespoons pickling spice
1 1?2 tablespoons cracked coriander seed
24 whole peppercorns
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1?2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakesÂ
Trim excess fat or sinew from meat. Because cure (brine) will only penetrate so deep, slice meat to 1 inch thick. Place all ingredients, except meat, in nonreactive stainless-steel or enamel pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool.
Place meat in cooled cure. Refrigerate for 5 days, agitating every 12 hours. Remove meat from cure and rinse. Discard cure.
In large pot, cover meat with water and simmer, covered, for 3 to 4 hours.
NOTE: Lee says, “I divide the meat into meal-sized portions and freeze it. I have frozen it both before and after the cooking step. Just be sure to label it cooked or uncooked.”
