Best 5 Homemade Corned Beef Dry Brine Recipes

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Corned beef is a traditional dish made from beef brisket that is cured in a brine solution before being cooked. This process gives the meat a distinctively salty and savory flavor. While corned beef is often associated with Irish cuisine, it is actually a dish that is enjoyed by people all over the world. There are many different ways to prepare corned beef, but the most popular method is to boil it in water until it is tender. Once cooked, the corned beef can be served with a variety of sides, such as mashed potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. It can also be used in sandwiches, soups, and stews.

This article provides three delicious recipes for homemade corned beef. The first recipe is for a classic corned beef brisket that can be brined for up to 5 days. The second recipe is for corned beef in the slow cooker, which is a great option for busy weeknights. The third recipe is for corned beef hash, which is a hearty and flavorful breakfast dish. No matter which recipe you choose, you're sure to enjoy this traditional dish!

Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!

CORNED BEEF



Corned Beef image

For flavorful, tender meat, make Alton Brown's Corned Beef recipe from Good Eats on Food Network by beginning the salt-curing process 10 days ahead of cooking.

Provided by Alton Brown

Categories     main-dish

Time P10DT3h20m

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

2 quarts water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons saltpeter
1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
8 whole allspice berries
12 whole juniper berries
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 pounds ice
1 (4 to 5 pound) beef brisket, trimmed
1 small onion, quartered
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

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.

HOMEMADE CORNED BEEF



Homemade Corned Beef image

Here's a recipe you've gotta plan for, but you don't need to do much work to get this deli-quality corned beef. -Nick Iverson, Denver, Colorado

Provided by Taste of Home

Categories     Dinner

Time 3h30m

Yield 12 servings.

Number Of Ingredients 11

1 gallon water
1-1/2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup mixed pickling spices, divided
4 teaspoons pink curing salt #1
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 oven roasting bags
1 fresh beef brisket (4 to 5 pounds)
2 large carrots, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped

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.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 277 calories, Fat 21g fat (7g saturated fat), Cholesterol 108mg cholesterol, Sodium 1252mg sodium, Carbohydrate 1g carbohydrate (0 sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 20g protein.

HOMEMADE CORNED BEEF - DRY BRINE



Homemade Corned Beef - Dry Brine image

Adapted from Julia Child. I've been reading that many cooks have abandoned the dry brine method for a wet brine method. I have been using this recipe for several years and it always comes out delicious. Just be aware that the meat will be brown, not that reddish purple color sold in stores. Their color is from sodium nitrate which is not used here.

Provided by threeovens

Categories     Meat

Time 10m

Yield 1 corned beef, 36 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 8

12 lbs beef brisket (or top or bottom round or eye round or boneless chuck)
1 1/3 cups coarse salt
1 teaspoon peppercorn, cracked
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon bay leaf, crumbled

Steps:

  • Rub seasonings all over meat. Place in a large plastic bag, pressing as much air out of the bag as you can; seal. You will see red juice exude inside the bag which lets you know the cure has begun.
  • Set bag in a pan or bowl. Weight with a second pan or bowl for the first 2 days. Once or twice a day, massage meat and turn.
  • The cure is done in about 2 weeks. It will keep in its present state for several months. It just needs to be turned every few days.
  • Before cooking, the meat needs to be de-salted. Twenty-four hours before cooking wash the cure off the beef and soak the meat in a large bowl of cold water in the refrigerator. Change the water 2 or 3 times in the 24 hour period.
  • Please note that once the meat has been de-salted it is just as perishable as fresh beef.

HOMEMADE CORNED BEEF



Homemade Corned Beef image

"The reason to corn your own beef is flavor," said Michael Ruhlman, a chef and passionate advocate of the process. He wrote about it with Brian Polcyn in their book, "Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing." "You can achieve tastes that aren't available in the mass produced versions," he said. Feel free to experiment with the "pickling spices" called for below - you can customize them, if you like, from a base of coriander seeds, black peppercorns and garlic - but please do not omit the curing salt, which gives the meat immense flavor in addition to a reddish hue. (It's perfectly safe, Mr. Ruhlman exhorts: "It's not a chemical additive. Most of the nitrates we eat come in vegetables!") Finally, if you want a traditional boiled dinner, slide quartered cabbage and some peeled carrots into the braise for the final hour or so of cooking. Or use the meat for Irish tacos.

Provided by Sam Sifton

Categories     project, main course

Time P5DT3h

Yield 8 to 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

2 cups coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 garlic cloves, smashed
5 tablespoons pickling spices
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pink curing salt (sodium nitrite)
1 4- to 5-pound beef brisket
2 bottles of good beer
2 bottles of good ginger beer

Steps:

  • Brine the brisket: In a medium pot set over high heat, combine about a gallon of water, the salt, the sugar, the garlic, 3 tablespoons pickling spices and the pink curing salt. Stir mixture as it heats until sugar and salt are dissolved, about 1 minute. Transfer liquid to a container large enough for the brine and the brisket, then refrigerate until liquid is cool.
  • Place brisket in the cooled liquid and weigh the meat down with a plate so it is submerged. Cover container and place in the refrigerator for 5 days, or up to 7 days, turning every day or so.
  • To cook brisket, remove it from the brine and rinse under cool water. Place in a pot just large enough to hold it and cover with one of the beers and one of the ginger beers. If you need more liquid to cover the meat, add enough of the other beer, and the other ginger beer, to do so. Add remaining 2 tablespoons pickling spices. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat to low so liquid is barely simmering. Cover and let cook until you can easily insert a fork into the meat, about 3 hours, adding water along the way if needed to cover the brisket.
  • Keep warm until serving, or let cool in the liquid and reheat when ready to eat, up to three or four days. Slice thinly and serve on sandwiches, in Irish tacos (see recipe) or with carrots and cabbage simmered until tender in the cooking liquid.

CORNED BEEF



Corned Beef image

Provided by Cathal Armstrong

Categories     Beef     St. Patrick's Day     Meat     Brisket     Boil     Advance Prep Required

Yield Serves 8 to 10

Number Of Ingredients 20

Brine
2 quarts water
3/4 cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon pink curing salt, such as sel rose or Insta Cure #1*
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons prepared pickling spice
2 quarts ice water
1 (5-pound) beef brisket, with the deckle intact
Rub
3 large fresh bay leaves, torn into small pieces
9 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons yellow mustard seed
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 cups warm Parsley Sauce
*Available at www.sausagemaker.com

Steps:

  • Brine the meat: In a saucepan over high heat, heat the water, kosher salt, curing salt, brown sugar, and pickling spice, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Add the ice water. Place the beef in a 2-gallon ziptop bag. Place the bag in a stockpot and pour the brine into it, over the meat. Seal the bag, squeezing as much air out of it as possible so the meat remains completely submerged. Refrigerate the beef in the bag for 10 days.
  • Rinse the beef: Remove the beef from the brine; discard the brine. Thoroughly rinse the beef under cold running water, removing all of the spices, and blot it dry on paper towels.
  • Season the beef with the rub: Combine all of the rub ingredients in a small bowl. Spread the rub over the beef with your hands, covering all surfaces, and place the beef in a 2-gallon zip-top bag; seal the bag, squeezing out as much of the air as possible. Place the bag on a baking dish and refrigerate for a week, turning the bag over once a day. This is known as dry brining-you will notice each day that more liquid leaches from the beef.
  • Cook the beef: On the day you wish to serve the beef, place it in a large pot with all of the accumulated juices in the bag. Add water as needed to cover the meat and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pot, and let the beef simmer for 3 hours, until fork tender but not falling apart.
  • Present the dish: Spoon the warm parsley sauce into a small bowl. Drain the beef and transfer it to a cutting board. Let it rest for 15 minutes and then slice it 1/2 inch thick, cutting lengthwise, against the grain. Arrange the meat on a serving platter or individual plates; serve with the sauce on the side, along with your chosen side dishes.

Tips:

  • Choose the right cut of beef: Brisket is the traditional cut of beef for corned beef, but you can also use chuck roast or rump roast.
  • Use a good quality brine: The brine is what flavors the corned beef, so it's important to use a good quality one. You can either make your own brine or buy a commercial brine.
  • Brine the beef for at least 5 days: The longer you brine the beef, the more flavorful it will be. However, you can brine it for as little as 3 days if you're short on time.
  • Rinse the beef thoroughly before cooking: This will remove any excess salt from the brine.
  • Cook the beef slowly: Corned beef is a tough cut of meat, so it needs to be cooked slowly to make it tender. You can cook it in a pot on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or in the oven.
  • Serve the corned beef with your favorite sides: Corned beef is traditionally served with boiled potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. However, you can also serve it with other sides such as mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or salad.

Conclusion:

Homemade corned beef is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for any occasion. By following these tips, you can make sure that your corned beef turns out perfectly every time.

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