If you’ve ever eaten store-bought corned beef, you may shrug a shoulder and think you can take it or leave it. But I bet if you had homemade corned beef, you might just change your mind and decide you’d take it … and put it right on your plate!
My mother- and father-in-law started the tradition of making corned beef, and then gave their recipe to me, so that I could carry it on. When I tell people this recipe takes 3 weeks till culmination, they immediately assume that it is difficult and labor intensive, and they put it from their mind. Not so! Lots of special things take time; this needs just a little labor for fantastic results. And it really is the perfect party food for St. Patrick’s Day.
This recipe takes 23 day till completion, so be sure to plot it out on the calendar so that it will be ready on the day you want to celebrate. If you want to eat your homemade corned beef on St Patrick’s Day (March 17th), then this leap year, you will need to begin on February 24th.
Firstly, you will need a beef brisket. We butcher our own beef, and so we set our brisket back for this special meal. But grocers commonly carry briskets in the meat case. You just need to decide the size for your needs. I usually have at least 12 around the table for our St. Patty meal, and last year used a 14 lb. brisket. Keep in mind that you will also need a big, non-reactive pot or bowl that will hold both the meat and the brine. This means no aluminum or cast iron. Stainless steel, glass, crockery, or enamelware are perfect choices. You will also need a spot in a refrigerator for said pot to rest for about 3 weeks. There … those are the two most difficult things about this recipe!
Once you have your meat, cut it so that it will fit into the vessel of your choice. Mine is a big enamelware steamer, and I cut my brisket into two large pieces. Then I make the brine. The brine includes something called Salt Peter, and it can be a little difficult to get a hold of. Turns out Salt Peter (a.k.a., potassium nitrate) is also an ingredient in gun powder, and they watch that sort of thing pretty closely ;). I’m told that you can order it from Etsy and some chemical supply houses, but if you can’t find it, never fear. The only reason it’s in the recipe is to keep the meat an appealing pinkish hue. Without it, the meat will go to a brownish grey, but it is still be equally tasty!
Brine (amount for a 14 lb. brisket; halve this for a 6-7 lb. one.)
- 1/2 tsp. Salt Peter
- 1 and 1/2 cup Kosher salt
- 4 Tbsp. sugar
- 4 quarts water
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
- 4 tsp. paprika
- 2 Tbsp. pickling spice
Dissolve the (optional) Salt Peter, Kosher salt, and sugar in the 4 quarts warm water. Then add the next 3 ingredients and mix well.
Pour this over the meat, making sure the meat is submerged. You may see in the photo below that I have a 10 pound weight packed inside two Ziplock bags. I use this to weigh down the meat so it stays under the liquid. You can use whatever you have to keep the meat pressed down. Just keep in mind that the brine will corrode metal – thus the plastic sack to protect it.
Refrigerate for three weeks, turning the meat twice a week to make sure all areas get fully immersed in the brine. This is easy to remember if you just put a red “x” on the calendar for the days that you will need to turn it.
At the end of the three week period (the 21st day), take out the meat and wash the brine off, being especially careful to remove the pickling spices. Using a very sharp knife, pierce the meat all over with the tip of the blade, about 3/4 of an inch deep, front and back. Make the marinade to brush on both sides.
Marinade (remember to halve this if making a 6-7 lb. brisket)
- 6 tsp. liquid smoke
- 6 tsp. garlic powder
- 2tsp. onion salt
- 2 tsp. celery salt
Brush this all over the meat, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, take out the meat, and wipe off the marinade very well. Brush the meat with 6 Tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce (3 Tbsp. for a smaller brisket), front and back. See below. Wrap tightly in two layers of foil. You want the packets to be completely sealed so that the meat steams within the foil. If air can circulate in and out of the package, the meat could dry out in the long cooking time.
Bake the brisket at 225° F for 7-8 hours. Remove and let cool down enough to place back in the refrigerator. You could actually serve the meat on this day, as it is fully cooked. However, my father-in-law always said that the meat is very hard to cut when warm. He suggested chilling it overnight again for best results in slicing it, and to let the flavors meld. So just pop that delicious brisket back in the cooler one last time…
The 23rd day is the day you have been waiting for! This is when you will eat your corned beef. Take the cold brisket from the fridge and slice it thinly against the grain. My hubby does this for me, and he uses one of his electric fish knives. That’s not necessary, but he says it makes it much easier. Once again, wrap the sliced brisket airtight in two layers of foil. Place in a 200° F oven for 1- 2 hours till heated through. You can check after an hour, and re-wrap if it is not ready. The amount of time will depend on the thickness of the brisket. When warmed through, it is ready to serve to your eager guests! Hopefully you made enough that there will be leftovers. This is absolutely delicious on Reuben sandwiches, in omelets, all kinds of ways!
We have ours with butter horn rolls, salad, and a favorite side dish – Colcannon. This is the national dish of Ireland. It is basically a mixture of mashed potatoes and fried cabbage, combined with lots of butter and cream. The Irish might growl to hear that I top ours with cheese … but it’s so yummy!
However you choose to eat it, it will be a treat to have real, homemade corned beef. And it just might become a family tradition for you, like it did for us!
Whether you try it or not, come March 17th I’ll be “wearing the green” and wishing you a very happy St Patrick’s Day!
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