The Experimental Alchemist: Make Your Own Corned Beef Part 1

I had a creative dilemma this week, so I reached out to my Facebook friends, and fellow foodies, to see if they had any great ideas. They all reminded me that St. Patty's Day is this Sunday and recommended I make something to celebrate! Irish food is one of my favorites, and I recently found a recipe for homemade corned beef, so thank you, Facebook buddies, it looks like St. Patty's Day food it is!

I have made corned beef before in school, and it is the easiest of all the handmade cured meats. All it takes is a simple brine of salt and spices, some time, and a couple hours of poaching. I needed a recipe for this one, though, since the proportions need to be correct to make a good brine. Plus, I haven't made this in over a year. I found a good recipe from SimplyRecipes: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/home_cured_corned_beef//. I changed it a little bit, but used the general outline.

This is "part 1" of corned beef because all I did today was make the brine and put my tip roast in it. Now, I have to wait several days while the meat cures in the fridge. I have to apologize since this recipe is coming a little late to the party. The meat in the recipe can be brined for 5-10 days, and the longer it is brined, the more flavor it will have. Starting mine today ensures that I can make it for St. Patty's Day, but if it is made in the next day or so, it will be ok, too. However, corned beef is yummy at any time of the year, not just in March. So, if you don't get to it this week, there are plenty more weeks to try it out! Who doesn't love corned beef and cabbage for dinner or corned beef hash for brunch? So many yummy possibilities!

NOTE: I did not use Saltpeter or pink curing salt/Prague Powder #1/DQ Curing Salt #1. We did use this in class, but it is toxic in large doses and needs to be used properly. Plus, there is a lot of talk about how nitrates in meats (which is the curing salt) are bad for you. I can't confirm this or not. But I can confirm that I'm not a fan...mainly because I don't like chemicals in my food...though it is, obviously, edible.
The main reason to use this curing salt is that it keeps the nice, pink color of meats (think ham). Without it, my corned beef will probably be a dull brown. It obviously helps to cure the meat too, but with the amount of salt that goes into the brine, and the fact that is is kept refrigerated means that there is little worry of food contamination. Use it if you want to, but please use a recipe with proper amounts and do a little research on how to use it properly.

Corned Beef
Adapted from SimplyRecipes

2.5 lbs tip roast (you should use brisket, but I couldn't find any. Hopefully this will work!)

Brine:

1 cup salt (preferably sea salt)
2 quarts/8 cups cold water
pickling spices
1/4 cup brown sugar

Pickling spices:

1 tsp allspice berries
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cardamom pods
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cinnamon stick

Allspice berries

mustard seeds

coriander seeds

fennel seeds

cloves

cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, ground ginger

1. In a small, dry skillet on medium high heat, add allspice, mustard seeds, coriander, whole cloves, peppercorns, and fennel. Saute until fragrant and you hear the mustard seeds start to pop. Make sure you shake or stir the spices continuously so they don't burn. Toasting spices should only take 1-2 minutes if your pan is hot. Once these are done, pour into a large soup pot.

2. In your large soup pot, add the rest of the spices, salt, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil, then take off heat.

twirly swirly gumdrops...

3. Create an ice bath to cool down the brine. Two stainless steel bowls (one large, one smaller) with ice water in between them work well for this. Add in hot brine and stir often in order to cool it quickly.

NOTE: Cooling down the brine quickly is important because it will reduce bacteria formation. Since the meat will be brined for several days, you want to make sure to have a very clean, safe brine. Also, never put the meat into hot brine because that will not only help bacteria along, but it will start cooking the meat, which is not what we want to happen.

I didn't have any ice cubes...but necessity is the mother of invention...

Having a food thermometer is great for this recipe. It isn't totally necessary because you can feel if the brine is hot/warm/cold, but it certainly helps!

4. Once the brine has cooled down sufficiently, put it in the container you want to use to brine the meat. Loosely cover the brine and set it in the fridge to cool to 40F.

5. Once the brine is completely chilled, it's time to add in the meat. Make sure your container is large enough to fit all the brine and meat without overflow. A plastic tupperware with an airtight lid is good for this. If the meat floats (which is probably will) put another small, plastic container on top (if you have one...a plastic measuring cup might work), then put on the airtight lid. You can also use a large plastic bag, but make sure to remove all the air in the bag and set it in a bowl to prevent spills. Refrigerate for 5-10 days.