Best Corned Beef Recipe 2022

While most of us prefer roasted turkey on Thanksgiving, the corned beef recipe is taking over the country as anything. People in USA and UK have gone crazy about how this beef cured in salt with different flavors to explore has taken a piece of our heart with it. Corned beef acts like the perfect piece of hard substance which can act as an appetizer and fun food to cook.

Most US families try to BarBQ the corned beef as it is always memorable to see corned beef recipe in the making. While everyone has different corned beef recipes to share, Sleck looks forward to bringing in some of the most creative and delicious items on the table for all corned beef lovers out there.

How to Make Corned Beef?

Well, as simple as it sounds, getting the perfect crisp for your corned beef is tough. Most of us end up loving our cooked meals; however, it asks for nothing but perfection whenever it comes to corned beef. Therefore, we would want nothing less than perfection for your meal. Let’s dig into the corned beef recipe and get the best out of it.

• To begin with, we must make the salty curing brine. To rejuvenate the taste, one can add up different spices like allspice berries, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and mustard seeds.
• The beef brisket must be marinated well in the brine for at least 5 to 7 days.
• After seven days, simmer the brine while draining the brisket in water. Add more pickling spices at regular intervals before the brisket is tender.

Well, following the steps mentioned above can provide you with delicacies like never before. However, getting the perfect pink color for your corned beef recipe is still a task many can’t perfect.

How to make Corned Beef Pink?

While most of us think it is the timing that perfects the pink color of corned beef, it is just another ingredient that brings in the color. Sodium nitrite (a chemical compound) helps the bacterial growth in the beef, adds up to the flavor, and nourishes the perfect color out of the meat. The concentration of sodium nitrite can be harmful, and therefore, it is called pink salt while making sure that we don’t use any access amount of the same. Also, one must not confuse curing pink salt with Himalayan pink salt.

However, curing pink salt is quite controversial, and therefore, many restrict its use. To add to the pink color, many prefers to add beet in the boiling water when we move to cook the roast. On the other hand, there have been controversies about the frequent consumption of sodium nitrite. Many claim that the same leads to certain types of cancer, which are challenging to deal with.

Well, I wish the corned beef recipe was so easy, to begin with. Making the dish is a complete task with several different things to achieve. One of the other things that we need to keep in mind is to season our corned beef properly. The best part is this article will help with all of it.

How to get Perfect Seasoning for Corned Beef Recipe?

Seasoning your corned beef is a piece of art. All the BBQ masters available in the market have the same taste in hand, so one can’t explore the spices properly. Therefore, it is essential to understand your core taste and work upon the same property. Well, you can consistently achieve the perfect seasoning for your corned beef recipe at home. It won’t just be fantastic, but a distinctive taste will be available with the same as well.

While finding my flavors, I came across some of the fantastic seasonings that everyone must have a taste of. Even though it might be challenging to bring in all the flavors, you can always search for the ingredients in the grocery store. One of the best seasonings is by Michael Ruhlman. His excellent work on smoking, salting, and curing has touched many hearts and have played a significant role in the industry.

Everyone is free to play around with different spices; I like adding garlic to the seasoning to game up the spice. However, one can always follow Michael’s method and enjoy the recipe at peace.

Since you know all the different things required for a perfect corned beef recipe, let’s dig into the exact details.

Beef Corned Recipe – 5 Amazing Steps

The amount of beef you cook depends on the number of people you plan to serve. This article will focus on serving 6 to 8 people and, similarly, mention all the ingredients.

If you haven’t found the pink curing salt yet, then searching it by the same Prague Powder or DQ Curing Salt will help you find the same in the online market. However, if you still don’t find the same, you can proceed. It is essential to associate the beef with the vibrant pink color to get the perfect pink color. You might end up having dull grey color if the flavors are not added correctly.

Let’s know more about the ingredients.

Ingredients

Brine –

• About 3.8 litres of water
• 90gs of brown sugar
• Pickling spices (3 tablespoons)
• Pink Curing Salt (5 teaspoons)
• Kosher Salt (300g)

Brisket –

• Pickling Spices (1 tablespoon)
• Beef Brisket (1-5 pounds)

Pickling Spices –

• Coriander seeds (1 tablespoon)
• Whole Mustard Seeds (1 tablespoon)
• Allspice berries (1 tablespoon)
• Red Pepper Flakes (1 tablespoon)
• Black Peppercorns (1 tablespoon)
• Cloves (2 tablespoons)
• Large Bay leaves crumbled (6)
• Ground Ginger (2 teaspoons)
• Stick Cinnamon (Half stick)

As we are aware of all the ingredients and different seasoning tactics, we can discuss the core process of cooking the best-corned beef recipe.

Method

Step 1 – Toast and Mix Spices Properly

As a chef, you always have the option to use in-house spices compared to that available in the stores. To make the best pickling spices on your own, toast some mustard seeds, peppercorns cloves, red pepper flakes, coriander seeds, and allspice berries in a frying pan. Keep the heat on medium as you don’t want to burn the spices. All you want is the gentle aroma of the same to come out and make the dish one out of millions.

Now, remove the pan from heat and transfer all the seeds to a pestle to crush it properly. Using a mortar, crush the spices properly and add ground ginger and bay leaves.

Step 2 – Prepare Curing Brine

There is no way to prepare corned beef without preparing the perfect curing brine. It is a game of spices and salt to bring out the best flavor in the brisket. Use approximately three tablespoons of spice mix, brown sugar, pink salt, Kosher salt, cinnamon (half a stick), and pour it all into a large pot with a gallon of water in the same. Boil this mixture and let the room temperature cool it down. Once the same is done, refrigerate it and let it be chilled.

Step 3 – Brine the Brisket

Once the curing brine is prepared, all that is needed is to brine the brisket to get the aroma, color, and flavor we deserve. To begin with, place the brisket in a large container and pour brine on the same to cover it adequately. Sometimes, the meat floats in the brine; to avoid the situation, use a plate to cover the same.

However, if you are running out of containers, use a freezer bag and ensure it doesn’t leak. Use 2 quarts of brine and pour it into the freezer bag along with the brisket. Also, squeeze out the air before sealing the bag.

This process takes time as it is challenging to get the brine to every layer of the brisket. Therefore, it is advised to refrigerate the bag for 5-7 days.

Step 4 – Prepare Corned Beef

Well, this might seem like the ultimatum, but it isn’t. Get the brisket out of the container and wash it off with cold water. Now, pour it into a frying pan and add a glass of water. Well, one might add another glass of water to remove the saltiness. While boiling the mixture, add one tablespoon of the pickling spice you made in step 1.

Now, let the meat get fork-tender, easy to be consumed by everyone. This step can take anywhere near 3-4 hours; therefore, be well prepared for the same.

Step 5 – Cut it through the grain.

Once you have boiled the beef with spices in it, it is time to get it on a cutting board and look out for the visible lines on the meat. These lines are often referred to as grain and showcase the muscle fibers of the meat.

It is wise to cut the meat along the grain and prepare sizeable bites.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Why do we need to soak corned beef before cooking?

After soaking the brisket in the brine for 5-7 days, the saltiness in the brisket is high. It is essential to soak the corned beef in water to deal with it. A person can add double the amount of water to reduce the salt content in the meat. Before soaking it in boiled water, clean it off with cold water. This helps in bringing the original aroma of corned beef.

Q2. Should we bake or boil corned beef?

This question is tough to answer as both methods yield the same output. However, one is free to choose what is better than the other. While boiled corned beef will use the least amount of oil, baking can require a few drops of olive oil in the same.

Q3. Can one eat raw corned beef?

While it is safe to consume the same, we don’t recommend it to anyone. The excessive saltiness in the same can lead to rancidity which can become a long-term issue. The texture will be very different as it won’t be fork tender; rather, it will be hard to eat.

Takeaway

Well, this article covers the best-corned beef recipe that one can imagine. With the recipe and knowledge of several chefs, it is a pleasure for anyone to cook corned beef at their place. One can even try the different corned beef recipes out there. Let us know if you want us to cover the same as well.