Culinary Disasters

Ok let us set the record set and that there is no corn in this dish at all.  Before refrigeration in order to preserve meat you would rub the meat with salt and some of the kernels of salt could be as big as corn kernels hence corned.

The origins of the dish are something that I don’t know if there is a definate answer.  I have read Irish immigrants adapted a common peasant dish containing boiled bacon and cabbage (god bless them) when they came to the US since beef was plentiful.  I have also heard that this is an Irish dish that was served to kings in order to conjure up the demon of gluttony.  Who knows but if someone has an idea please let me know.

This dish requires the use of salt treated with a 6.25% solution of sodium nitrite also known as pink salt (not the Himalayan Pink Salt).  The reason it is tinted pink is so it can be distinguished from regular table salt.  I purchase mine from http://www.sausagemaker.com and it is called Instacure #1.  It is not required but will give the meat a beautiful dark color so it is worth the little legwork to find it.  I should mention that you could Google sodium nitrite and find thousands of websites saying they are bad and that they will cause cancer or kill you.  Let us be realistic we are using a small amount and well what doesn’t cause cancer these days?

Finally, be prepared that you are going to want to have the brisket sit in the brine for a good 10-14 days so plan accordingly.  Yes I know you can head to the store and buy already corned beef in a shrink wrapped container but seriously do you have any respect for yourself? 

I am going to break this recipe into two steps.  The first step is going to be creating the brine for the brisket and you will need:

• 1 brisket (mine was 4 lbs)
• 1 cinnamon stick broken into a couple of pieces
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice
• 1 teaspoon whole juniper berries
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1.5 tablespoon pink salt
• 3 cloves of garlic crushed
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 cup of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 4 quarts of water

Add everything but the brisket into a large stockpot and bring it to a boil.  Lower to a simmer till all the sugar and salt has been dissolved.

After the salt and sugar have been dissolved let it cool for an hour and then move to the fridge overnight covered. 

If you can go without your big stockpot for a couple of weeks go ahead and place the brisket in there and rig it up so it stays submerged.  I knew that would be impossible so  I purchased some 2 gallon Ziplock bags.  Double bagging it (hehehehe) place the meat in there and then pour the brine over top of it.

Seal up both bags making sure to get all air out of them.  Place a can to keep the meat submerged in the meat and place in the fridge.

Every couple of days flip the meat making sure it stays submerged.  Past that you are doing nothing by waiting and drooling.

If you thought the first step was easy boy you are going to love the second step.  For this step you are going to need:

• Brisket from previous step
• 1 teaspoon of whole allspice
• 2 teaspoons of whole black peppercorns
• 1 TB of kosher salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• Water
• 1/2 head of cabbage bite size pieces
• 3 stalks of celery bite size pieces
• 1 onion in bite size pieces
• 3 carrots in bite size pieces
• 1.5 lbs of potato in bite size pieces (I like to use a Russet

Remove the meat from the fridge after giving it adequate time in the brine (in case you forgot 10-14 days).  First thing first stick your nose in the bag and give a good sniff.  Does it smell rotten?  If so you failed and quit reading here. 

Good you are still reading which means you checked on the meat and managed to keep it submerged the whole time.  Rinse the brisket off under running water and dump the brine.  I also like to let it sit for a good 20 minutes on a cooling rack just to help dry it out a little bit more.

In a large stockpot place the brisket along with the salt, thyme, bay leaves, allspice, and pepper.  Cover with enough water to cover the brisket by 2 inches (I needed 3 quarts).

Bring this to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer.  For the first 30 minutes I like to skim the top to remove any impurities.

Let it simmer for about two and a half hours or until the brisket is just about fork tender.

After two and a half hours add in the carrot, celery, potato, and onion to the pot.  Cover and let it simmer for another 15 minutes.

Add in the cabbage and let this cook till the cabbage is soft along with the potato (about 15 minutes).

Remove the meat from the pot and set aside to rest.  I also like to trim off some of the excess surface fat at this point.

Strain the vegetables reserving a good amount of the cooking liquid.

Slice the brisket and if you decided to make the effort to find pink salt you will be rewarded with a beautiful red interior.  If you were lazy well don’t be jealous.

Plate the dish with the vegetables, some of the cooking liquid, and the brisket.  Enjoy this one because you waited long enough for it.

Tags: Charcuterie, beef, All //