Corned Beef At Home: Recipes, Tips, etc.

[Tropicalsenior]

2 hours ago, scubadoo97 said:

One year I corned my own using Rulman's recipe and bought a prepared corned beef which I leach salt from before smoking. Ok they were both made into pastrami but in the end there was not enough difference to make from scratch again

Oh, I agree with you. They make darned good corned beef in the States. if I were living there I probably wouldn't make it. I'd wait until after Saint Patrick's Day and fill the freezer. But they've never even heard of it down here. This is a hard place to live if you liked cured meat or a good steak. I make my own breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, Argentinian sausage, Mexican chorizo and ham. There are some things in life you just can't live without. You guys drive me crazy, posting all those gorgeous steaks and prime ribs.

[kayb]

8 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

@chromedomeI do use coarse salt in my brining, in fact it's the only thing I use. I was just worried about mixing it with a nitrite powder. When we first moved down here, I was delighted to find a coarse salt in a package in the grocery store. I came home and set up a batch of dill pickles, which we couldn't get down here either. Within 2 days I had the most vile mess that you've ever smelled. I read the label on the package that I had bought and it was called Sal Inglaterra (English salt). When I was finally smart enough to read the dictionary I found out that I had bought Epsom salts. Not recommended for dill pickles!

BYT, it is supposed to reach 85 degrees here this afternoon.

 

 

It was sleeting here earlier tonight. Wonder how quickly I can book a flight down your way....

Have to be out of town on business the next 3 days. Need to pull my brisket out of the freezer and get it thawed and brining when I get back, I guess. Best I recall, it's a nice sized piece, so I'll split it into corned beef and pastrami, now that I have the smoker.

 

(And the next place I'm contemplating going, on business, is Denver at the end of February. It snows and such in Denver, the end of February. A lot. I may have lost my mind.)

 

[Tropicalsenior]

Thank you for all of your replies. I've learned more in 2 days from all of you than I have learned in all of my internet searches. It's nice to receive advice from people who know what they are talking about and are generous in sharing their knowledge.

 I received several recipes from @Norm Matthewsthat are some of the easiest and best that I have received. He has kindly given me permission to share them with you. I hope that he will consider posting them on the recipe gullet. At this time of year this is such a popular topic and his recipes are definitely keepers.

CORNED BEEF
   FOR THE BRINE
   2 quarts water
   1 cup Canning and Pickling salt
   1 tablespoon Tenderquick
   1/2 cup sugar
   1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
   1 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed
   1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
   1 cinnamon stick, crushed
   4 dried bay leaves, crushed
   8 whole cloves

   1.    Make the brine: Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salts, sugar, and spices; remove from heat, and stir until salts and sugar dissolve. Let cool.
   2.    Make the corned beef: Place brisket in a nonreactive container just large enough to hold it. Pour cooled brine over meat. Place 2 small plates on top to keep meat submerged; cover, and refrigerate for 2 weeks.

Cooking Corned Beef
Serves 6-8

3 1/2 lb  or so Corned Beef Brisket from above
1/2 to 1 bottle beer
Water to cover, approx 2 cups
10 black peppercorns
1 whole allspice
1 bay leaves
12 sprigs fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 whole leeks, green trimmed to fit pot, slice white part to clean
1 medium onion, peeled, quartered

Simmer brisket about 3 hours
Add
7 or 8 whole carrots, cleaned
2 large rutabagas, trimmed and quartered

Simmer 1/2 additional hour

This is a long process but delicious. Please read all three recipes before proceeding.
   Here is a recipe for CORNED BEEF from scratch. My family really likes it:
   1. FOR CORNING
   4-5 lb. front cut brisket
   1 to 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
   1/2 cup packed brown sugar.
   In a saucepan, put enough water to cover brisket, add salt and sugar. Heat and stir to dissolve, cool. Place brisket in ceramic or glass bowl and pour water with dissolved sugar and salt over brisket. Cover with plastic and weight with non-metallic weight. Refrigerate 2 weeks.
   2. FOR SPICING
   8 bay leaves
   5 large cloves garlic, coarse chop
   1 tbsp. peppercorns, cracked
   1 tbsp. coarse salt
   3 dried hot peppers, 1 1/2 inches long, seeds removed
   Rub spices hard into meat, wrap tightly in foil, put in plastic bag and refrigerate 3-5 days. Unwrap meat, leave spices on,(OMIT THE FOLLOWING and skip down to the next recipe) place in Dutch oven, pour on 2 inches of boiling water and cook, covered, barely simmering 3-4 hours, turning occasionally and adding more boiling water as needed. Let cool, uncovered, in broth. Serve hot or cold. Can be kept in refrigerator one week.

   3.CORNED BEEF WITH CABBAGE
   This recipe is for use with the usual very salty store-bought corned beef. The washing, soaking in water and changing the cooking liquid are to reduce the saltiness. If you use the brisket prepared as above, you may omit those steps.
   I hope this helps.
   4 to 5 lbs corned brisket
   1 clove garlic, slivered
   1 onion stuck with 2 cloves
   8 carrots
   water
   6 onions
   6 turnips
   1 head of cabbage, quartered
   Wash the meat and let it set in cold water for an hour before you cook it. Then slash it in several places and insert the slivers of garlic. Place the beef in a large kettle, add 2 carrots and an onion stuck with 2 cloves and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 1 hour. Then pour off the water and cover with fresh boiling water. Continue cooking until the corned beef is tender but not mushy. This may take 4 to 5 hours, but watch it carefully and  test it often with a sharp fork. During the last hour, add 6 carrots, the onions and the turnips. Twenty minutes before you are ready to serve, add the quartered head of cabbage.
   Arrange the cooked corned beef on a hot platter and surround it with the vegetables. Serve with baked or boiled potatoes and a variety of good mustards and pickles.

 

Thank you, Norm. And thank you to everyone for your valuable advice.

Edited February 6, 2018 by Tropicalsenior
Grave error! (log)

[David Ross]

Well, if we start soon, we'll have a moist and delicious corned beef to serve on St. Patrick's Day.

[donk79]

The other evening I borrowed an Anova from a friend and cooked up a beef tongue prepared according to Thomas Kellers Corned Beef Tongue Pain Perdu from Under Pressure.  I skipped the whole pain perdu part, sliced it chilled, and warmed it in a non-stick skillet before placing on a baguette with some mayo and mustard.  Amazing!  The recipe called for 28 days of brining, so don't delay too long!

[gfweb]

16 minutes ago, donk79 said:

The other evening I borrowed an Anova from a friend and cooked up a beef tongue prepared according to Thomas Kellers Corned Beef Tongue Pain Perdu from Under Pressure.  I skipped the whole pain perdu part, sliced it chilled, and warmed it in a non-stick skillet before placing on a baguette with some mayo and mustard.  Amazing!  The recipe called for 28 days of brining, so don't delay too long!

28 days is a crazy long brine, esp for a little tongue. Given 1 cm brine penetration per day it should take much less.

[donk79]

I will not dispute you on theory.  All I know is the results!

 

Editing to say that I know the results of the 28 day brine.  I cannot testify that a briefer brine would not be just as good.

 

Edited February 15, 2018 by donk79 (log)

[Okanagancook]

Our local German butcher makes amazing corned beef around St Pats day.  I cannot make any better so I will go in early and reserve a hunk.

[AlaMoi]

here's  wild thing . . . . it's not unknown, lots of methods/recipes out there but . . .

 

consider the well baked corned beef.

 

I had a (commercial brand/vacuum pack)  frozen/thawed half and decided it was time to try it.

not rinsed/soaked (it was too salty - I'm gonna' rinse it next time....)

the usual corned beef spices on (fat cap) top (coriander and the crowd . . )

bake fat cap up - 345-375'F - watch the fat - it needs to bake at high enough temp to start a rendering on the fat.

cover it initially; remove cover to crisp toward the end.

served with sharp mustard as conventional.

 

I brought the internal up to 185'F, then let it cool.  took 2.25 hrs.

 

the texture is different than boiled - cross section had a marbled look like some of the top Wagyu grades.

does not fall apart ala the usual wet prep.

 

I thought it was great; DW gave it a downer and prefers the 'usual' prep.

[CantCookStillTry]

Now I have filled myself with doubt. I was all set to make corned beef for the first time this weekend, following TropS advice, recipe & guidance but whilst doing a bit of research on if I could adapt to using a slow cooker, I realised the Australian recipes I was finding for Corn Beef were all a little different - they all seem to involve vinegar. I have read this topic and the other one that popped up about Paddys day corned meat, and vinegar is never mentioned/ or i missed it. I wonder why?  Is  American Corned Beef different from Australian?

 I would just usually follow  the advice here, but this meal is one of my husbands favourites - and I never make it because he raves about his mothers. So perhaps I should make an 'American version" and just call it something else?! Have any of you ever used vinegar in the simmering liquid?  I asked his mother and she constantly tops up the vinegar whilst cooking. 

 

I have to admit (somewhat guiltily ) that my own expectation of Corned Beef is entirely British - it comes in a can, is highly processed, and, if you buy it pre-sliced, as my husband denounces, it looks and tastes like salty cardboard, is perfectly square and crumbles when you bite it. I love it.

 

Its not available in this country . 

[Tropicalsenior]

@CantCookStillTryAs we all know, too often, taste is in the preference of the diner. Is your husband Australian? If so, he has probably grown up with the taste of vinegar in his corned beef. Myself, I can't imagine it. However, I have seen vinegar in the brine even here in the US. Maybe you could put in just half of the amount that the recipe calls for in Australia. If his mother puts in vinegar that's probably the flavor that he is used to.

Don't feel alone, I grew up with the canned corn beef, too. I had no idea there was any other kind and I still love canned corned beef. Once in a great while, we will get it here but it comes from either Argentina or Chile and doesn't taste anything like the corned beef from the States. The only other canned meat that we can get is the ubiquitous Spam in about 10 flavors and I still like the original.

I've been researching corned beef in the slow cooker and some people swear by it. Go for it! I'd still cook the vegetables separately because you don't want any hint of mush in them.

Edited February 17, 2018 by Tropicalsenior
addition (log)

[kayb]

Canned corned beef, like Spam, makes good hash.

 

[Tropicalsenior]

 I can buy pretty good corned beef hash in a can, but I never thought of spam hash. it does sound good, especially with the leftover vegetables from the corned beef.

[kayb]

We'd have Spam hash every couple of weeks when I was a kid. Cheap, and Daddy liked it. Spam, potatoes and onions, and usually served with boiled cabbage and soup beans. Lent itself to many a fragrant evening in the den.

 

[Tropicalsenior]

2 minutes ago, kayb said:

We'd have Spam hash every couple of weeks when I was a kid. Cheap, and Daddy liked it. Spam, potatoes and onions, and usually served with boiled cabbage and soup beans. Lent itself to many a fragrant evening in the den.

 

Childhood food memories seem to last forever. However, to this day I detest tomato soup because of Campbell's. Seems like this would be a great idea for a new topic.

[Tri2Cook]

A quick question, just to be on the safe side before corned beef time gets here. I had to order more Prague #1 recently and got it from a different source than I usually do because they had some sausage making supplies I wanted. All the information on the label is identical to the one I usually order and I don't doubt the supplier but the powder is white instead of pink. I know the pink is added just for easy identification but is it particularly unusual for a manufacturer to leave it out?

[gfweb]

50 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:

A quick question, just to be on the safe side before corned beef time gets here. I had to order more Prague #1 recently and got it from a different source than I usually do because they had some sausage making supplies I wanted. All the information on the label is identical to the one I usually order and I don't doubt the supplier but the powder is white instead of pink. I know the pink is added just for easy identification but is it particularly unusual for a manufacturer to leave it out?

I've never seen Prague 1 that isn't pink, but it isn't a worry I don't think. 

 

Why not not test it on a scrap of beef over night and see if it gets red after cookng. or contact the seller...

[Anna N]

5 hours ago, Tri2Cook said:

A quick question, just to be on the safe side before corned beef time gets here. I had to order more Prague #1 recently and got it from a different source than I usually do because they had some sausage making supplies I wanted. All the information on the label is identical to the one I usually order and I don't doubt the supplier but the powder is white instead of pink. I know the pink is added just for easy identification but is it particularly unusual for a manufacturer to leave it out?

 I always thought it was compulsory to add the pink dye for safety. This  company however appears to sell it without the dye. 

[Tri2Cook]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

 I always thought it was compulsory to add the pink dye for safety. This  company however appears to sell it without the dye. 

That's not the place I got it from but it looks exactly the same as I what I have... and now I have another in-Canada sausage supply site to check out! 
 

7 hours ago, gfweb said:

I've never seen Prague 1 that isn't pink, but it isn't a worry I don't think. 

 

Why not not test it on a scrap of beef over night and see if it gets red after cookng. or contact the seller...

I did send an email to the seller but thought I'd ask here anyway. There's generally somebody here who knows the answer to my questions and I usually get a reply from them faster than I do from the average company responding to an email.

[Kerry Beal]

I've seen it at the Punjab Market without colour.

[Tri2Cook]

6 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

I've seen it at the Punjab Market without colour.

Between Anna's link and your market siting, I was already convinced all was well but I also got a response from the supplier assuring me it's the right stuff... so no more worries.

[Toliver]

And the next step is...Pastrami from the Corned Beef! (click) 

[Tropicalsenior]

10 minutes ago, Toliver said:

And the next step is...Pastrami from the Corned Beef! (click) 

 Thank you so much. You don't know how much I appreciate this.

[gfweb]

For the first time in ages , I bought a pre-cured CB at the market.  The last of the St. P's day batch at a great price.

 

It was pink, so I know it was cured, but it had no taste of spices etc.

 

Is this the standard?

[rotuts]

@gfweb

 

I can't really say.

 

the CB's I get on deep sale  have that little spice packed in the pack which I do not use.

 

I used to use it when the CB's were simmered long ago.

 

Id say the ones I get taste more of Beef than Spice

 

should you SV yours , try a cold smoke for a bit after cooking then re-bag and freeze

 

or eat right then

 

Id say mine taste like lightly smoked beef

 

no spice.

 

next year Im going to do 1/2 of my haul as Ive done this year

 

and the other 1/2  w pastrami like pepper and spices

 

the ' plain smoke ' CB I have is out of this world for sandwiches

 

and not anything I can buy

 

even at the new DD-Wagman's