Quick Corned Beef
The Brine
•2 liters water
•200 grams kosher salt
•100 grams sugar
•6 grams pink salt (1 teaspoon, optional, sold as DQ Cure #1, Instacure #1, Prague Poweder #1)
•3 garlic cloves, minced
•2 tablespoons/20 grams Pickling Spice
•1 beef brisket or chuck roast, two-inches thick or thereabouts
•10 grams Pickling Spice (1 tablespoon)
1.Combine all the brine ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissovled. Remove the pot from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate the brine until it’s completely chilled.
2.Place the brisket in a 2-liter zip top bag along with brine for 24 hours (get all the air out of the bag, and flip the bag a couple times during the cure).
3.Remove the brisket from the brine and rinse it thoroughly under cool running water and refrigerate till you’re ready to cook it.
4.Place the brisket in a pot just large enough to hold it and add enough come halfway up the meat. You can also use a pressurer cooker for an hour. Add the remaining pickling spice and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently for about 3 hours, turning the brisket once and making sure that the water doesn’t cook off (add more water as necessary). Cut off a small piece and taste it. If it’s too salty for your taste, cover it with water, add another tablespoon of pickling spice, bring the pot to a simmer and continue to cook for another half our or so. If it’s not salty enough, guess you what you do. The brisket is done when it’s fork tender. It can be kept warm in the pot for an hour our so.
5.Remove the corned beef from the cooking liquid (which can be used to moisten the meat and vegetables, if that is what you are serving). Slice the beef and serve warm, or cool, then wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to serve or for up to one week.
Yield depends on size of beef, buy 6 ounces per person for plenty.
Pickling Spice
•2 tablespoons/20 grams black peppercorns
•2 tablespoons/20 grams mustard seeds
•2 tablespoons/20 grams coriander seeds
•2 tablespoons/12 grams hot red pepper flakes
•2 tablespoons/14 grams allspice berries
•1 tablespoon/8 grams ground mace
•2 small cinnamon sticks, crushed or broken into pieces
•4 bay leaves, crumbled
•2 tablespoons/6 grams whole cloves
•1 tablespoon/8 grams ground ginger
1.Lightly toast the peppercorns, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds in a small dry pan, then smash with the side of a knife just to crack.
2.Combine the cracked spices with the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Store in a tightly sealed plastic container or glass jar.