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Mmm, corned beef and cabbage on St. Pat's. But what if you can't find any corned beef that doesn't contain dextrose or other corn products? You could
make your own, but that would involve a lot of patience and adding preservatives.
By simply brining and seasoning well with pickling spices, though, you can produce a melt-in-the-mouth tender brisket with all the right flavors. Feel free to adjust the pickling spice mixture according to your own tastes or what spices you have in your spice rack. Leaving out any couple of spices won't make much difference.
2-3 pound beef brisket
salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
One batch of pickling spice mixture (you will need 2 batches):
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. allspice berries
1/2 Tb. juniper berries
2 bay leaves
1/2 Tb. dill seed
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. celery seed
Veggies
1/2 cabbage
2 onions
a few carrots and celery stalks, washed and trimmed
Bring 2 cups of water and 6 Tb. of salt to a boil. Add one batch of pickling spice mixture to the brine and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Make sure all the salt dissolves. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator; stir in 4 more cups of water. You can skip the step about chilling the brine if enough of the added water is in the form of ice. The purpose is to keep the meat at a safely low temperature.
Put the brisket in the brine. You want it to be thoroughly covered. If it is not, stir in a bit more cold water and salt (1 Tb. salt per cup of water added). Refrigerate for 24 hours.
Take out the brisket and pat it dry. Discard the brine. Heat some oil to medium high in the bottom of a large pot and sear the brisket on all sides.Take out the brisket and discard the oil. Put the brisket back in and add enough water to cover. Add the remaining batch of pickling spices. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 3 hours, until tender.
Cut the cabbage into wedges such that each wedge includes a bit of the stem: this will hold it together. Similarly, cut each onion in half such that each half has a bit of the stem to hold it together. Add the veggies to the pot. Adjust the salt of the cooking liquid to taste. Bring it all back up to a boil and simmer until the veggies are done, probably 15 minutes or so.
Slice the brisket across the grain. Serve with mustard.
By simply brining and seasoning well with pickling spices, though, you can produce a melt-in-the-mouth tender brisket with all the right flavors. Feel free to adjust the pickling spice mixture according to your own tastes or what spices you have in your spice rack. Leaving out any couple of spices won't make much difference.
2-3 pound beef brisket
salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
One batch of pickling spice mixture (you will need 2 batches):
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. allspice berries
1/2 Tb. juniper berries
2 bay leaves
1/2 Tb. dill seed
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. celery seed
Veggies
1/2 cabbage
2 onions
a few carrots and celery stalks, washed and trimmed
Bring 2 cups of water and 6 Tb. of salt to a boil. Add one batch of pickling spice mixture to the brine and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Make sure all the salt dissolves. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator; stir in 4 more cups of water. You can skip the step about chilling the brine if enough of the added water is in the form of ice. The purpose is to keep the meat at a safely low temperature.
Put the brisket in the brine. You want it to be thoroughly covered. If it is not, stir in a bit more cold water and salt (1 Tb. salt per cup of water added). Refrigerate for 24 hours.
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| Sear the brisket until it is browned about this much. |
Cut the cabbage into wedges such that each wedge includes a bit of the stem: this will hold it together. Similarly, cut each onion in half such that each half has a bit of the stem to hold it together. Add the veggies to the pot. Adjust the salt of the cooking liquid to taste. Bring it all back up to a boil and simmer until the veggies are done, probably 15 minutes or so.
Slice the brisket across the grain. Serve with mustard.
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