Incredible Corned Beef Recipes

Steps:

• Place the water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, saltpeter, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice has melted. If necessary, place the brine into the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees F. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip top bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine.
• After 10 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water. Place the brisket into a pot just large enough to hold the meat, add the onion, carrot and celery and cover with water by 1-inch. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender. Remove from the pot and thinly slice across the grain.

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, combine water, kosher salt, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons pickling spices, pink curing salt and garlic. Bring to a simmer, stirring until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled., Place 1 large oven roasting bag inside another. Place brisket inside inner bag; pour in cooled brine. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible; turn to coat meat. Refrigerate 10 days, turning occasionally to keep meat coated. Remove brisket from brine; rinse thoroughly. Place in a Dutch oven with water to cover. Add carrots, onions, celery and remaining pickling spices. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, adding water if necessary to keep brisket covered, until meat is tender, about 3 hours., Serve warm or cool. Slice brisket thinly and serve in a sandwich or with additional vegetables simmered until tender in cooking liquid. , To make ahead: Refrigerate meat in cooking liquid for several days; reheat in liquid.

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients EXCEPT brisket in a bowl.
• Place brisket in a vacuum bag. Apply rub to all sides of brisket.
• Vacuum and seal bag. (If you don't have a food vacuum system, use a ziplock and squeeze out the air you can manage.).
• Refrigerate for 2 days (for vacuumed) to 4 days (for ziplock only), massaging through bag and turning over every 12 hours.
• Two hours before cooking, remove bag from refrigerator.
• Place a rack or metal steamer in the bottom of a large pot to create a space so the bag can't rest on the bottom during cooking. Place sealed bag containing the brisket in the steamer and add water until the bag is completely covered. Remove bag from pot.
• Bring water to a boil. Place bag gently in boiling water. (It's important to maintain the seal on the bag because a leaky bag will cut way back on the flavor.) When the water reaches a low simmer, reduce the heat to maintain the water at barely bubbling.
• Simmer the brisket in the bag for 5 hours, adding water to keep the bag submerged as needed, turning the bag over every 30 minutes.
• When 5 hours is up, remove the bag from the water, open and rinse the brisket in hot running water to remove the remaining rub.
• If serving as corned beef as in a New England boiled dinner, slice about 1/8" to 1/4" thick and serve with boiled potatoes and cabbage.
• If serving on a sandwich, chill the corned beef back down to below 40 degrees F, and slice 1/16" thick using a deli slicer or very sharp knife.