Beef that has been preserved by salt-curing is referred to as “corned beef,” and it is particularly well-liked in Jewish and Irish cuisine. Jewish corned beef is typically made by slow-simmering a beef cut, traditionally the brisket, in a brine solution with various seasonings until the meat is tender and flavorful.
The beef round primal cut can also be used to make corned beef. The best way to cook the relatively tough meat cuts round and brisket is with slow, moist heat. The texture and flavor of good corned beef are quite tender and salty. The brine used to make pickles is similar to the brine used to make corned beef. It is safe to say that pickled beef is essentially what corned beef is.
How to Make Homemade Corned Beef
Over the years, many of my friends have encouraged me to cure my own corned beef, insisting that it wasnt hard to do, and well worth the effort. After finally getting around to it, Im happy to report that my friends were right! It really is easy; it just takes about 5 days to cure.
Heres what to do:
- Use pickling spices such as mustard seeds, allspice berries, coriander seeds, and peppercorns to make a salty curing brine.
- Brine a beef brisket and marinate it for five to seven days.
- For several hours, tenderize the brined and drained brisket in water with additional pickling spices.
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How to Season Your Corned Beef
Making your own uniquely flavored corned beef is possible because you have the freedom to choose the pickling spices you want to use. It’s kind of like how master barbecuers have their own personal go-to homemade dry rubs.
I’ve purchased packaged corned beef brisket that generally has a similar flavor. The one I home cured? Wonderful and different.
While I researched several online sources for curing your own corned beef, as well as interrogating my colleague Hank, the source I referred to the most was Michael Ruhlmans brilliant Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing (high recommend). You can also see his instructions on Leites Culinaria.
I made a few minor adjustments to the spice mixture and avoided adding garlic to the brine, but otherwise I pretty closely adhered to Michael’s instructions.
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What Makes Corned Beef Pink?
The use of sodium nitrite, a chemical substance that also adds flavor and aids in bacterial growth, gives corned beef its vivid pink color. For the purpose of curing meat, sodium nitrite is marketed as “pink salt.” Since sodium nitrite is toxic in high concentrations, it is pink-colored to prevent us from mistaking it for table salt. Note that curing pink salt is NOT Himalayan pink salt.
You can use pink salt for this recipe or not. Ive corned beef with and without pink salt. Both work. If you don’t cook the beef right away after curing, the curing salt will help preserve it more effectively and add a little more flavor.
There is some controversy over the use of sodium nitrite in curing meats, as the frequent consumption of cured meats (bacon, ham, pancetta, corned beef) is linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer. I eat cured meat maybe once a month, so Im not worried for myself, but it helps to know about the risks and the current research.
When it comes time to cook the roast, some people add a beet or two to the boiling water in order to achieve a pink color without the use of curing salt. Although I haven’t tried it yet, if you do, please let us know how it goes.
Use Your Corned Beef in These Recipes
The spice mix with the gallon of brine makes easily enough curing brine for a 5 pound brisket, cured in a somewhat large-ish container. If you were to use a 2-gallon freezer bag or marinating bag, you would likely need just half (or less) of the amount of brine and brine spices.
Pink curing salt, or sodium nitrite, goes by many names, such as Prague Powder #1 or DQ Curing Salt #1, and is available online and may be available at your local specialty market or butcher shop. If you dont have it, you can still make corned beef, but it is necessary for that vibrant pink color we associate with corned beef. And it adds flavor too. Without it the corned beef will be a dull grey color.
Note that pink curing salt is NOT Himalayan pink salt. Pink curing salt is toxic and can be deadly if ingested directly, which is why it is colored pink, so consumers do not mistake it for table salt.
For the pickling spices
- 1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
- 1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds (brown or yellow)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons whole cloves
- 9 whole cardamom pods
- 6 large bay leaves, crumbled
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 stick cinnamon
- 1 gallon (3.8 liters) water
- 300g of kosher salt (either 2 cups of the Diamond Crystal brand or 1 cup and 3 1/2 tablespoons of the Mortons brand)
- 5 teaspoons pink curing salt, optional, see Recipe Note
- 3 tablespoons pickling spices
- 1/2 cup (90g) brown sugar
- 1 (5-pound) beef brisket
- 1 tablespoon pickling spices
- You can either buy pre-made pickling spices or make your own by toasting and grinding your own. To make your own, heat a small frying pan over medium heat and toast the allspice berries, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom pods until fragrant. Keep in mind that it is fairly simple to burn spices; you want to cook them just enough to release their flavors, not too much to risk burning them. Remove from heat and place in a small bowl. To slightly crush the spices, use a mortar and pestle (or the flat side of a knife or the back of a spoon). Stir the ground ginger and crumbled bay leaves into the mixture in a small bowl. Elise Bauer Elise Bauer .
- To make the curing brine, combine a gallon of water with the kosher salt, pink salt (if using), brown sugar, and about 3 tablespoons of the spice mixture (reserve the rest for cooking the corned beef after it has cured). Boil, then turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate until well chilled.
- Place the brisket in a sizable, flat container or pan and cover with the brine to brine for 5 to 7 days. The brine should cover the meat. It’s possible that the meat will float, in which case you should weigh it down with a plate. As an alternative, you can place the brisket in a 2-gallon freezer bag with about 2 quarts of brine, squeeze out the air, and then seal the bag (placed in a container so that if it leaks, it won’t leak all over your refrigerator). Place in the refrigerator and chill from 5-7 days. Every day, turn the brisket over so that all sides receive the same amount of brine. Elise Bauer Elise Bauer Elise Bauer .
- Cook the corned beef: After the cure, take the brisket out of the brine and run the brine under cold water to remove any remaining salt. Put the brisket in a sizable pot that barely fits it and add at least one inch of water. More water should be added to the pot if you prefer your brisket to be less salty. Add a tablespoon of the pickling spices to the pot. Cook for 3–4 hours, stirring occasionally, at a very low simmer (barely bubbling), or until the corned beef is tender to the fork. (At this time, the food can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. ) Elise Bauer .
- Cut the meat against the grain and transfer it to a cutting board. (You can cook vegetables for boiled dinner or corned beef and cabbage using the spiced cooking liquid. (Observe the lines on the meat; these represent the direction of the muscle fibers or the meat’s “grain.” Cut the meat in half first, going with the grain of the meat, to make it easier to cut. After that, slice the meat thinly across the grain for serving. Elise Bauer .
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 531 | Calories |
| 32g | Fat |
| 9g | Carbs |
| 50g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6 to 8 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 531 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 32g | 42% |
| Saturated Fat 13g | 63% |
| Cholesterol 180mg | 60% |
| Sodium 2530mg | 110% |
| Total Carbohydrate 9g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 3g | 9% |
| Total Sugars 4g | |
| Protein 50g | |
| Vitamin C 2mg | 11% |
| Calcium 115mg | 9% |
| Iron 6mg | 35% |
| Potassium 509mg | 11% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
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How To Corn Your Own Beef
FAQ
What is the corning process for corned beef?
It has nothing to do with corn; it is a type of curing. The name comes from Anglo-Saxon times before refrigeration. Back then, the meat was dry-cured in coarse salt corns. The beef was rubbed with salt pellets, some the size of corn kernels, to prevent spoilage and preserve it.
What is actually in corned beef?
Although it might have some health advantages, corned beef is a processed red meat. Meats that have undergone processing have been salted, cured, fermented, or smoked to preserve or flavor them (7).