HOME-CURED CORNED BEEF
About 16 servings
We prefer the flat muscle of the brisket for corned beef. If making Pastrami, the marbled point muscle is a decadent favorite. If you wish to scale this recipe up or down, please read Curing Safety and Scaling, above, and note that the total weight of water and meat called for here is 6,060g. Please read About Curing Meat.
Bring to a simmer in a large pot:
- 8 cups water (1,895g)
- 2 cups Diamond kosher salt or ¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons pickling salt or fine sea salt (260g)
- 1 cup (230g) brown sugar
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 ½ teaspoons InstaCure #1 or Prague Powder #1 (14g)
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 8 allspice berries
- 6 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves, crumbled
- One 3-inch cinnamon stick
Stir until the salts and sugar dissolve and add:
- 8 cups ice water (1,895g)
Place the brine in the refrigerator and let cool completely.
Meanwhile, trim all but ¼ inch of the fat from:
- One 5-pound piece beef brisket (2,270g)
Submerge the brisket in the cold brine. Refrigerate for 5 days, turning the meat every day so that it is equally exposed to the brine.
When the brisket has finished curing, discard the brine and rinse the brisket under cold water. Cook as for Home-Cured Corned Beef, or season and smoke as for Pastrami.