MikeTMD

More practical application: I cooked Hanging Tenders at 64C, for 90 minutes. I used an immersion circulator and Cryovac sealed tenders: Meat was very tender, and retained a slight "gamey" taste: Finished in clarified butter, with salt and spices - temp/time settings would be applicable for any medium-rare single muscle application, in my opinion. This is what the final dish looked like:

OK, I just want to get done with this issue. Vacuum in SV is needed for the following reasons: 1. To remove oxygen, and as such to prevent change in color, tast, smell, texture and taste caused by oxygenation. 2. To preserve shape of a "substrate" inside a SV bag - pressure INSIDE the bag is approaching zero, pressure ON the bag is full atmospheric pressure. 3. To prevent evaporation/loss, and as such product shrinkage - important because boiling point of water is lower under vacuum/near vacuum conditions. There are some other secondary considerations as well. For anyone still in doubt I would recommend to check "Sous-Vide"by Roca and Bregues, or wait for "Under Pressure" to pop-up at Barnes&Nobles.

My dearest dougal, Full vacuum, just like absolute zero temps are impossible, although we try to approach them as much as we could - and I completely agree with you about that. When the pressure outside the bag and inside the bag are equal - the bag wouldn't collapse ( just like when gravity and lift are equal an object would be in flight), when the pressure inside the bag is approaching zero - the bag inevitable collapses (it's not cooking - it's physics, really). Would you agree with me on that? I'll get back to you on that tonight, OK?

e-monster, I completely agree with your approach to Ribeye SV: that is exactly how I would do it. My comment was in reference to longer SV times, which is what makes it fall apart. This is where I can't agree with you: vacuum sealed bags are BELOW atmospheric pressure, which is why they collapse when vacuum is applied. Vacuum/low-pressure decrease boiling point - just like you said, which is exactly what we are looking for in SV applications.

sygyzy, The results you got are not unusual, and in fact could be quite desirable, although the broken seal doesn't make for the best SV experience ( we all have seen it happened , though). First, you could always double-bag whatever it is you are SV'ing ( in fact Heston Blumenthal recommends it for pork bellies: https://www.nespresso.com/precom/nmag/4/pdf...046_0051_en.pdf ). Also, generally we are trying to DISSOLVE connective tissue WITHIN a muscle ( which is what makes it tender, vs. conventional cooking methods - where high cooking temps make collagen fibers SHRINK. Needless to say, all connective tissue elements, including the outer fibers that connect different muscles get the same treatment and dissolve equally. With addition of proteolytic substances ( the ones that break down proteins) , such as garlic, vinegar or alcohol, connective tissue breaks down quicker and easier - which is why we all love to marinate meat cuts before cooking. I agree with you on the choice of cuts for SV: single muscle cuts , like eye of ribeye, flat iron steak, tenderloin, strip, brisket, hanging tender are ideal, whereas T-bone Steak, Porterhouse and Ribeye would not have the same appeal, as they would on the grill - they would simply fall apart. Again and again, I would point out that temp control and full vacuum are essential: former to assure uniform cooking, the latter would allow low temp to do its job ( remember: a liquid in a vacuum environment has a lower boiling point than when the liquid is at atmospheric pressure, a liquid in a high pressure environment has a higher boiling point than when the liquid is at atmospheric pressure.) Hope this helps.

cookingkid, You may find this interesting( and save $70 on NAMP Meat Byers Guide - LOL): http://bovine.unl.edu/bovine3D/eng/ShowCro...74527&crossec=H I think you are talking about Delmonico Steak - but see for yourself, please. JIC, here is the picture: There are few other good references (with pictures): http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/l.../beeboe1e.shtml http://www.beeffoodservice.com/Cuts/info.aspx?Code=7 Hope this helps.

Smashz, Congrats on your first SV experience! Few observations: Most likely you overcooked the meat: I would say it was smoked a bit too long , before you SV it ( internal temp was either too high to begin with, and kept rising) Generally, onions/shallots don't need to be SV for 48 hours, unless you are trying to make a puree Also, you seem to "overcrowded" your SV vehicle - I don't know if there was any circulation in that rice cooker, but chances are different cuts were cooked at different temps - I would suggest to allow water to circulate, and to maintain temp within .25-.5C range. If you go beyond that - temp will get out of control, esp. in a limited space. You use a blowtorch to careamelize your meat - it's a lot of fun, and it looks/feels quite theatrical, but browning meat that way yields uneven results - that heavy cast iron pan and a touch of clarified butter would probably work much better. I looked at your pics - awesome!!! What internal temp were you trying to achieve for your cuts? Did you check the temps during cooking? I hope you enjoyed the results, and please don't take these suggestions as critique - the goal for most people here is to perfect the art of SV ( there are a few, however, who make statements and arguments just for the sake of being noticed - hope you don't pay attention to them)

Hello, everyone, Nice to be back. I am nursing an idea of making risotto with frog legs - does anybody have any experience/suggestions for frog leg SV? I am primarily interested in temp/time, but would like to hear seasoning ideas as well. Do we SV legs as we do chicken, because there is some similarity between the two, or do we treat them as fish/shellfish? Opinions, please!

OK, I was not quite done with my PF exercises. This dish is almost an identical copy of PF dessert served at Pierre Gagnaire's Hong Kong restaurant. Gingersnap Shortbread, Creme Anglaise, PF sorbet, Swedish Pearl Sugar Great combination of flavors - will certainly make again.

Robert, I use a simple $24 IC/sorbet maker from Target ( bought like 5 years ago) - the one that has cooling bowl that needs to be frozen for 24 hours b/4 you can use it. It's simple and cheap, but does OK for the price. Cusinart looks like a good piece of equipment - do you like it? Personally, I would like to give PacoJet a try! http://www.pacojet.com

OK, I was not quite done with my PF exercises. This dish is almost an identical copy of PF dessert served at Pierre Gagnaire's Hong Kong restaurant. Gingersnap Shortbread, Creme Anglaise, PF sorbet, Swedish Pearl Sugar Great combination of flavors - will certainly make again.

Well, if you get a whole box of PF ( 35-50 pcs. - I believe) - it'd be enough for about two quarts of sorbet, with seeds. Check: http://www.farmersmarketonline.com/WhiteDoveFarm.htm or http://www.melissas.com/catalog/index.cfm?...&Product_id=475

I spent this week experimenting with one of my favorites - passion fruit. Passion Fruit Sorbet made from fresh fruit (vs. juice, puree, frozen etc.) has an amazingly creamy texture - closer to that of ice cream, rather than slightly grainy sorbet. Let me say, though - grainy sorbet texture is often quite desirable, especially so if you are using citrus. Passion fruit is different, however. This week I finally got my hands on "The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern"- an out-of-print book by Claudia Fleming, published by Random House in 2001. Also, my pen pal UlteriorEpicure (http://www.ulteriorepicure.wordpress.com/)provided a great input on the original taste of passion fruit sorbet served at Gramercy Tavern, as well as truly amazing pictures of the said dessert. Finally, the right wide rim plates arrived from Korin (http://www.korin.com/) - I was all set to do what I wanted to do! Original recipe consists of Coconut Tapioca Soup, Passion Fruit Caramel, Cilantro Syrup, Passion Fruit-Pineapple Sorbet, Coconut Sorbet and Coconut Tulies. I made my dish before the original recipe was available to me, so it was nice to see the difference in how to approach components of this extraordinary dish. Original "Tapioca Soup" is made with small and large tapioca, cooked separately with canned coconut milk and whole milk. I used young coconut juice and pulp to make fresh coconut milk, and ended up adding half-and-half after cooking - primarily for nice, off-white, "milky" color ( coconut milk alone looked a bit too "grey" for my liking). Also, I used only small tapioca pearls (as T.Keller suggests for "Oysters and Pearls"), added fresh Mauritius Bourbon Vanilla beans pulp, and completely skipped adding extra sugar - the results were near perfect, nothing to take, nothing to give. Passion Fruit Caramel was a secondary taste to me. Original recipe is made with light corn syrup and butter - I used glucose and sugar, and made just enough to brush the tulies. Speaking about tulies - Claudia Fleming suggests coconut tulies in her book. I did not know that, so mine were made without coconut. Aforementioned caramel seem to be enough to create a different layer of taste, however. Cilantro syrup in the original recipe is simple light corn syrup blended with blanched herbs - it seems like doing that would improve the color of the garnish. I made syrup with rock sugar, cilantro, mint and yuzu - "mono-herbal" taste was a bit too plain for my taste, but omitted blanching the herbs - regretfully, might I add. Blanching supports bright colors - and is a must, in my opinion. The biggest difference turned out to be the major player - passion fruit sorbet. Chef Fleming uses PF juice and adds pineapple to soften the tartness of PF, as such her sorbet has uniform color and combines two tropical fruits. I am a big proponent of making PF sorbet from fresh fruit pulp, with tasteful and visually pleasing seeds - texture will still be quite homogenous, and the tartness is so clean and crisp - I see no need to soften it all. Noteworthy, fresh PF is expensive in my corners ( Midwestern US) - $2.99/pcs, so using juice or frozen PF may be a reasonable lower cost alternative. This is what final dish looked like: close-up and table view The taste of the final dish was outstanding, according to my audience - great play of flavor and textures, refreshing and not overly sweet. Well, I am pleased.

Thank you for your kind words, Gariotin, My guest absolutely loved this dish - it was a link between the savory dishes and the dessert. Langres was more "umami" than salty, and pleasantly pungent - got to love that washed rind! Baby Mache added a hint of bitterness, whereas yuzu vinaigrette created a great citrus aroma, as well as provided a bit of salty undertone ( yuzy juice is only sold slightly salted in my corners). Rhubarb was poached with Ceylon Cinnamon ( yet another dimension of slighty citrus-like flavor), Sechuan Peppercorns and Star Anise ( both belong to the same family, BTW) - I like both the taste and slightly palate-numbing effect of the latter two. Baked Pink Lady Apple Compote was perfect - I baked both Gala and Pink Lady, and opted for the more complex sour-sweet taste of the Pink Lady ( it's really sour-sweet, not sweet and sour). Cloudberry Gastrique tied the whole dish together - surprisingly, it became integral and the most important component of this dish. Gastrique was made very simply with Cloudberry Preserves, Cloudberry Vinegar and a touch of brown sugar. Original version of this dish called for triple-cream cheese, mache, celery, apple compote and apple cider gastrique. Let me know if you need sources for the ingredients used.

I got inspired by both Thomas Keller and ulterior epicure, so here is my cheese course: Langres Cheese, Baby Mache with Yuzu Dressing, Poached Rhubarb, Baked Pink Lady Apple Compote, Cloudberry Gastrique, Blood Orange Reduction Rarely I enjoy my own cooking - this one is rare exception.

I recently prepared a dish inspired by Fiamma: Tortellini with Cotechino Sausage and Porcini Mushrooms Has anyone had that dish @ Fiamma? How is it different from the one on the pic?

Gem of a Sandwich/ Philadelphia Terminal Market March, 2008 I was walking around Philly Terminal Market with no particular goal –I was still full on Geno’s Steak Sandwich, and all I was after was pictures of the market, it sights and it’s people (review is forthcoming). For a brief moment, I glanced at someone making an Italian Hoagie - the colors were bright and magnetic, so I slowed down a bit and watched. Soon I caught myself waiting for another sandwich to be made. It was exciting to see what the next work of hoagie art would be. The name of the place is “Carmen’s Famous Italian Hoagies” The guy behind the counter was friendly, and somehow we started chatting. He proudly showed me a picture of a sandwich one of the guys made a few days ago – it was spectacular! Good sign, I thought – not these guys make their own food look great and they enjoy eating it! In restaurant world it just doesn’t get any better than that. A second later, it occurred to me that my new acquaintance is Carmen himself. Look at the picture – he is browsing his cell phone pics to show me – a passerby, not even a paying customer at that moment, something they have made. Great to see that kind of pride! I couldn’t wait any longer – I had to try their hoagie. The choices were many. All that, and they had a special! Clearly, I needed some guidance. Carmen suggested a Special Italian - I pretty much interrupted him half-way through the meat ingredients alone. Speaking about meat - just looking at the choices was satisfying. Everything looked perfect. Ahhhh-hhhh… cured meats – life is good. I choose white bread, sweet roasted peppers, vinegar and oil, lettuce, tomato and onions, with a dash of oregano. Then I just took a step back and watched. First, they pile on the meat, then veggies and then a few finishing touches. Everything and everybody was in a perfect harmony. My sandwich was flawlessly made. I took my edible treasure to the market’s Beer Garden, and took a bite. It was incredible! Bread was fresh and crisp, Italian meats were complimenting each other, with flavors intertwined in a fantastic medley and yet every bite would put an accent on the individual cuts, oregano added a nice finish, vinegar and oil created an incredible background for each and every flavor involved, and veggies would clean my palate for another bite. I had a sensation like that once before – it was a popular everyday melody played by a symphonic orchestra – it was familiar, yet every sound was fuller and richer, musicians were taking turns playing brief solos, enjoying their every moment, audience was completely involved and mesmerized …. My hoagie was nothing short of a symphony of taste, with a crescendo of complete satisfaction. Thanks, Carmen! I’ll be back.

I did lobster @42C for 15 minutes - excellent results. 45C is too high, and shellfish/lobster meat does not have a lot of connective tissue, so you don't need to cook it for 12+hours. Also, lobster is very lean, so add a little butter in your vacuum bag - it'll improve texture.

I recently had a chance to visit Terminal Market in Philly. These are the examples of their corned beef and Rueben Sandwiches.

Morimoto Restaurant/ Philadelphia March, 2008 My soon to be eighteen year old sister is having a blast. Remember those years? Everything is new, and oh-hhhh … so exciting! Every day brings novelty, you make friends left and right, break-ups only mean new romance is behind the corner, and anticipation of trying the unknown, the wild, and sometimes the forbidden is sometimes more enjoyable than anything else. Grown-ups trade the novelty for experience, and that, may I say, is quite enjoyable as well, but the expectations are not the same, it’s more about anticipation, than excitement. Unless, of course, you are about to have dinner at Morimoto’s. I found myself on the plane to Philly, unexpectedly. Thick snowfall, yet again –not something I was expecting at the end of March, was holding me back from getting to my destination on time, and although quite comfortable in my seat, I just couldn’t sit still – all I wanted is to be done with my morning business, so my reservation at the sushi bar at Morimoto’s place in the City of Brotherly Love wouldn’t turn into an unintentional no-show. It’s a feeling similar to being eighteen and having a big, no not big – huge date and watching snow fall without a mercy, constantly checking your watch and your “rent’s” driveway: Is Dad gonna be back home on time, so I can take his car? Is Mom gonna give me a ride? Anything else would be the end of the Western civilization as we know it… I got out the cab in front of Morimoto’s door with a few minutes to spare. My heart stopped for a brief moment… Open, Sesame! The entrance into the restaurant does do justice for what you are about to see inside, it’s inviting, yet it makes you feel somewhat humble – just like entering a traditional Japanese house. There is no need to bow here, yet it felt similar. Also, I felt like this before entering a cave – if that’s not exciting, I don’t know what is… The restaurant itself indeed reminded me of a cave, with changing colors, high ceilings, wildly creative design and interesting sounds. Also, the constantly changing smile of a Japanese girl in the hallway made the place feel contemporary and traditionally Japanese, at the same time. Well, I’ve been waiting for a long time to be here. Let’s see what this night is going to be like… The restaurant was quite full, with no available tables in sight – somewhat surprising on a Good Friday, but not noisy. The patron crowd was very eclectic - families, yuppies on a date, couples, girls, guys, mix of the two, friends, and more. Morimoto’s food appeals to many, if not everyone. I was seated at the L-shaped sushi bar, with 4 or 5 sushi chefs behind it. I asked how often the Master himself works there, but nobody seem to be very clear on that subject, my feeling Morimoto-san shows up in Philly occasionally, although one of the chefs behind the bar was recently on Iron Chef America. Good sign – Morimoto teaches and delegates well, I thought. Service started on a swift note, as I was looking at the Morimoto Signature Sake menu. My server suggested a Fukumitsya sake flight, priced @ $30, to which I instantly agreed – choices were plenty, and I wanted to try as many things as possible, for the purposes of this review, as much as for my own enjoyment. All three sakes in the flight line: Fukumitsya Morimoto (let’s shorthand it: FM) Junmai, FM Junmai Ginjo and FM Junmai Daiginj were excellent, and progressively more sophisticated. I choose FM Junmai just because it tasted milder than it’s counterparts – that choice was based purely on taste, and was not in any way price related (FM Junmai was priced a bit lower than the other two). Noteworthy, FM sakes are available by glass, carafe and bottles, where the other sake choices are glass/bottle only. More on Morimoto sake as we go on. My primary interest was about Morimoto Sashimi and Sushi, more so than anything else on the menu. For those of you who get to try Morimoto/Philly for the first time I would very strongly suggest to try an Omakase (Chef’s Choice) Menu - $100.00 option seem to gives diners the most exposure to what Morimoto’s food is about. I started with $75.00 Exotic Sushi and Sashimi combination, recommended by both the server and youthful sushi chef Hiroki-san. In all fairness, it may have been a better option to order sushi “a la carte” – I am just not sure if you win anything with Chef’s Sushi Choice, whereas Omakase has a distinct advantage as far as value as concerned. That said, Morimoto/Philly is not the kind of place where you worry about budget – it’s very expensive, although prices reflect quality of ingredients, talent and investment put into the business. Well, my wild ride was about to begin. First, I was offered Sashimi. Starting in the lower left corner, clockwise: Maguro/Red Tuna, O-Toro/Fatty Tuna, in the center of the plate, left to right: Kanpachi, Octopus, Kinmedai/Golden Eye Snapper, Sayori/Needle Fish, Hamachi/Yellowtail and Uni. I want to describe that first bite of tuna, but sometimes there are no words… I don’t know what exactly made that slice of slightly pale, ruby-colored, pristine fish taste the way it did, but for a moment it just took me away from reality. Everything tasted exceptional, octopus was particularly noteworthy – raw, but exceptionally tender, sayori was quite delicate, yet flavorful. The biggest surprise on the plate was Sea Urchin – although highly prized by sashimi purists, it often times has a faint iodine undertone, but not at Morimoto’s – Uni tasted phenomenal, with no aftertaste at all. I wonder if has to do with quality of the urchin they get, or if it was somehow treated to eliminate secondary taste. Wasabi on the plate seem to’ve been of the paste kind - wish it was freshly grated, but that’s a rare treat in our part of the world. As we are exploring the Sashimi world, there is a Morimoto plate that grabbed my attention. Left to right: cucumber stuffed with crab meat, with salmon roe garnish, salmon with seaweed and chives, yellowtail with daikon radish, red tuna with wasabi, fatty tuna with caviar. The plate looked spectacular, although tuna seem to have quite a bit more of silver skin than the tuna on my sashimi plate. Still, will order this next time without hesitation. At this point, guys to my right were served Lamb with Ratatouie. For a second I contemplated asking to change my order to the Omakase menu, but decided to stay on the sushi trail, after all. Then, it came - 8 perfect pieces of nigiri: fatty tuna, red tuna, some thing Hiroki-san called “Big Muscle” (not sure what that fish was, but it tasted great), few kinds of whitefish, gizzard shad, a slice of Egg Castella – more egg sponge cake than an omelet, Tempura Soft Shell Crab Roll, and Salmon Roe with Miso–Honey dressing. The latter is just about the only thing I wouldn’t necessarily order again – the dressing did not add much taste to the roe, which was great by itself. Fellas to my right were enjoying Soba Noodles, Carbonara style – a small serving seem to’ve packed a lot of taste, as they’ve told me. Again, it shows how much more you get with the Morimoto Omakase. My new friends were finished with their noodles, and their meal moved towards the dessert, as I was still exploring Moriomoto Sushi Universe. Left to right: Snapper, Whitefish, Octopus, Scallop, Giant Clam, Fresh Water Eel, Sea Eel. Scallops at Morimoto are still attached to their shells, and sushi chefs remove the mollusks from their habitat with a great reverence – it’s quite a scene. At this point I have asked the server for advice on aged sake: it’s not easy to choose between the 5- and the 10- year vintage. She compared those to Tokaj wine and Cognac, respectively, and steered me towards the 5-year variety. Indeed, it reminded me of the aged wine, with a subtle sweetness and amazing aroma. Also, it had an interesting, almost mineral secondary tone, as if it was aged in a stone container of some kind. Still, there were two more things on my menu. First was the much acclaimed fatty Tuna Tartare. I have attempted to make this dish at home, so I knew the ingredients well – it plays the contrast of fresh and fried shallots, garlic, chives, and of course the main event – the fatty tuna. My particular dish had a slightly bigger piece of fried shallot than it needs, but the taste was breathtaking, nonetheless. The sauce made of Soy Sauce and Citrus Juice was not salty at all, that extra bit of saltiness came from the caviar, and pickled Umeboshi plum tied the salty and savory sweet together, as the final bite. The meal crescendo came in the form of Rock Shrimp Tempura. Shrimp was of the highest quality, tempura batter was very light, and chili sauce provided quite a bit of a spicy kick. My server insisted on matching tempura with the bitter endive on the plate – I did just that, but went back to tempura morsels “as is”. I finished with Morimoto Vanilla Mint Ice Cream – crisp and refreshing taste, and a perfect way to get back to reality. The dessert came with two small shortbread cookies. Delightful. Overall, the meal at Morimoto/Philly was a great, nearly perfect, phenomenal experience. It was everything I was expecting and then some – just like a hot date when you are eighteen. On the second thought, that kind of excitement is not related to age – it calls for passion, adventure and open mind. Ahhh-hhhh, what a pleasure! Morimoto Restaurant 723 Chestnut Str. Phialdelphia, PA 215-413-9070 http://morimotorestaurant.com/

There is certainly more than one type of equipment that can be used for successful SV application - my strong preference is still immersion circulators. I hate to anger anyone, esp. pounce and e_monster - but amateur SV equipment will yield corresponding results. Personally, I had to wait for two years to buy my set, and there is still a lot of ground to cover. Granted, everybody sets up their own benchmarks, but just like you need a NASCAR-type car to take part in a NASCAR race - one needs proper SV equipment to cook SV. It's just that simple. PID controllers and rice cookers create an illusion of SV cooking - an acceptable alternative for some, but make no mistake about it - it's not the real thing.

I recently prepared a replica/interpretation dinner of a few things we had at the Spring Moon in Hong Kong's Penninsula. Few observations: Daughter Red five-year Shaoxing wine - more expensive than your average every day brand, but what a difference in taste!!! I'll use it in every sauce I make till I run out. Use ClearGel (modified corn starch used by pastry chefs - check http://www.kingarthurflour.com/) as your sauce thickner. Amazing difference in both taste and sauce clarity.

There are a few sources for you: www.sausagemaker.com ( look in the "Meat Curing") www.sausagesource.com www.butcher-packer.com

Nathan, What temp do you recommend for "fall-off-the-bone" ribs? Any experience with veal shank/osso bucco/pork knuckles? Thx, MT

I make corned beef on regular basis - seems to be a consistent crowd-pleaser. First, pick up a good quality beef - I usually use American Kobe brisket, and have also tried AmKobe eye of round (brisket is preferable). My suggestion to you is to call a local meat-cutter - they'd be able to get that brisket for you from whatever supplier they use, and you'll buy it at a wholesale price ($3.80 - $4.00). Next trim your brisket of extra fat - try to follow natural seams, and don't cut across the grain. Next prepare the brine - "Charcuterie" book has a good recipe, if you can't look at that book let me know - I'll post it for you. Also, that same book has a basic pickling spice recipe, which is what going to give your beef that desired "corned" flavor - more on that in a moment. To make brine you will need kosher salt, dextrose/honey, sugar and some type of curing mix. There are many recipes, but I would recommend 70/30 salt/sugar ratio for corned beef, and 60/40 for pastrami. Check www.mortonsalt.com for tips and recipes, also I would strongly suggest Morton® Coarse Kosher Salt and Morton® Tender Quick® as your main brine ingredients. Dextrose is easily available (Asian markets are a good and inexpensive source), feel free to use honey (my preference is to use honey from local farmers, but store-bought products would do as well). Sugar could be of any type, I like light demerara or high-quality brown sugar, rock sugar will add yet another layer of taste - but you'd have to heat some water to dissolve it (rock sugar costs pennies @ Asian markets, BTW). Next step - pickling spice. You can buy decent spice mix @ Penzey's (www.penzeys.com), but you'll need to add a few things, so your final product stands out. Make your own PS, and the result would be better - I promise (I want to know what goes in any of my mixed products, of any kind!). Pick up any recipe, add a bit more coriander than it calls for, and then.... drum roll, please! - Let’s put some taste into it: Long Balinese pepper (my favorite spice, at the moment) Schechuan peppercorns Star Anise (very little) Allspice Juniper berries (literally 2-3, no more) Crushed cardamom (I prefer green for this application) Ginger root (fresh, smashed) Cinnamon (Vietnamese or Ceylon - it smells almost citrus-like) Yellow Mustard seed Red chilies (just a few) Green tea Cloves (again- very few) Nutmeg Mint or tarragon (or both) Lemongrass stalks Peanuts (optional) If you have an African store in your city -check'em out for Grains of Paradise, and the Long Balinese pepper (I couldn't believe the prices). Both would make a nice addition to your pickling spice. Generally ethnic stores have great prices, although product quality would be lower than that of a premium vendor, esp. as far as spices are concerned. I would urge to use Schechuan peppercorns - you'll taste the difference. Next step - brining. This is a must: all brining must be done @ 36-40F (i.e. in the cooler/fridge) - NO SHORTCUTS. Don't inject your meat with brine - it wouldn't taste uniform. Brine your meat in the fridge, completely submerged (very important!) for 4-5 days. After brining is complete - poach your briskets with plenty bay leaf and black peppercorns until fork tender. Your corned beef is ready!!! Finally, call a local butcher, and have them vacuum pack your corned beef for you - it will keep frozen a lot longer, and it wouldn't suffer from freezer burns. Got questions? Ask - I'll answer promptly.