Homemade Corned Beef

corned beef

Don’t let the list of ingredients phase you. This homemade corned beef is worth the effort.

Homemade Corned Beef
 
Yields: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1 cup pickling salt
  • 1⁄2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons pink curing salt #1
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 8 whole allspice berries
  • 8 whole juniper berries
  • 2 bay leaves, crumbled
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 (6- to 8-pound) trimmed beef brisket flat
  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle stout beer
  • 2 small onions, sliced and divided
  • 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
  • 1⁄2 cup fig preserves
  • 3 tablespoons coarse-ground mustard
Instructions
  1. In a 6- to 8-quart stockpot, place 2 quarts water, pickling salt, brown sugar, pink curing salt, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves, and ginger. Cook over high heat until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat, and add ice to cover. Stir until ice is melted. If necessary, refrigerate brine until it reaches 45°.
  2. Place brisket in a 2-gallon resealable plastic bag, and add brine. Seal, and lay flat inside a 13x9 dish. Cover and refrigerate for 5 days. Stir occasionally; keep beef submerged.
  3. Remove beef from brine, and rinse well under cool water. Place brisket in a large enamel-coated Dutch oven. Add beer, half of onion, carrot, celery, and water to cover by 1 inch; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and gently simmer until meat is fork tender, 3 to 31⁄2 hours.
  4. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large cast-iron skillet, place remaining onions. Add brisket, fat side up. In a small bowl, combine fig preserves and mustard. Spread mixture over beef.
  5. Bake until browned, about 30 minutes.

 

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