Brisket
Corned Beef Made-From-Scratch
Making corned beef from scratch is a rewarding project that requires patience but minimal hands-on effort. Over eight days, a beef brisket is cured in a flavorful brine of salt, brown sugar, pickling spices, ginger, and a touch of Irish whiskey, which infuses the meat with its signature tangy, savory flavor. After the curing process, the brisket is braised low and slow with aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots, and celery until it becomes tender and easy to slice. The result is a versatile dish that can be served hot with classic sides like potatoes and cabbage or chilled and thinly sliced for sandwiches. While it takes time, the process is straightforward, and the payoff is a homemade corned beef that’s far superior to store-bought versions.
Corned Beef Made-From-Scratch
Corned Beef Made-From-Scratch
Recipe Notes
- Advance Prep: 15 minutes, plus 8 days to cure the brisket
- Grill Time: 2-1/2 to 3 hours
- Yield: Serves 6 to 8
- Method: Braising
Ingredients
For corning (curing) the beef
- 2 cups hot water
- 1 cup coarse salt (kosher or sea)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark—your choice)
- 3 tablespoons Pickling Spice (see below, or use your favorite commercial brand)
- 1 inch ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon Prague Powder (pink curing salt)
- 2 cups ice water
- 1/4 cup Irish whiskey
- 1 4- to 5-pound beef brisket flat
For cooking the corned beef:
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 1 whole clove
- 3 carrots, peeled
- 3 stalks celery, washed
You’ll also need:
- 2 jumbo resealable heavy duty plastic bags
Recipe Steps
1: Prepare the brine: Combine the hot water, salt, brown sugar, whiskey, pickling spice, ginger, and curing salt in a nonreactive stockpot. Bring to a boil on the stovetop over high heat. Let cool to room temperature, then stir in the ice water and whiskey. Let cool to room temperature.
2: Meanwhile, trim the brisket, leaving a 1/4-inch layer of fat.
3: Place the brisket in one of the resealable plastic bags. Add the brine, seal the bag, and place it in another resealable plastic bag in a baking dish to catch any potential leaks.
4: Brine the corned beef in the refrigerator for 8 days, turning it daily.
5: Drain the brisket in a colander, discarding the brine. Soak the meat in fresh cold water for 30 minutes, then drain again.
6: Heat your pellet grill or oven to 250 degrees. If using a gas or charcoal grill, set up for indirect grilling and heat to 250 degrees,
7: Place the corned beef in a dutch oven with water to cover by 3 inches. Bring the meat to a boil over medium-high heat. Using a ladle, skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
8: Pin the bay leaf to one of the onion quarters with a clove. Add the onion to brisket pot with the carrots and celery. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
9: Tightly cover the dutch oven and place it in the grill or oven. Braise the corned beef until very tender (test it by inserting a chopstick—it should pierce the meat easily), 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
10: Once the corned beef is cooked, transfer it to a welled cutting board. You can slice it (1/4-inch thick slices across the grain) and serve it hot. Or let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it until cold (preferably overnight). At this point, put it on a meat slicer (if you have one) or slice paper-thin by hand.
11: Serve hot corned beef with boiled potatoes and cabbage. Serve cold corned beef thinly sliced on rye bread with mustard. Or use it to make the Double Down Reuben Sandwich or Corned Beef Hash Just replace Pastrami with Corned Beef.
Recipe Tips
What Else? Corned beef demands little in the way of kitchen skills (if you can stir and boil water, you can make it), but you do need to plan ahead. Namely, figure on 8 days for pickling (curing) the meat and 2-1/2 to 3 hours for cooking.
