Makes
4 pounds raw corned beef (3 pounds cooked)Ingredients
Method
- Prep. Find a proper non-reactive container large enough to handle 1 gallon (3.9 L) of brine and the meat as described in our article Science Of Curing Meats Safely. Clean it as described.
- Mix the cure ingredients and the distilled water. Stir until they dissolve.
- Trim. If the meat you buy has two layers of meat separated by a layer of fat, you have both flat and point muscles. Separate them and remove the fat. Also remove as much fat as possible from the exterior unless you plan to use some of it for pastrami. In that case, leave a 1/8″ (3.2 mm) layer on one side. Because corned beef is cooked in simmering water, the fat just gets gummy and unappetizing. But if you plan to make pastrami from it, you will be smoking the meat and in that case the fat gets succulent and lubricates the sandwich. I like to buy a full packer brisket and separate the point from the flat, and cut the flat in half. That gives me 3 manageable hunks of 2 to 4 pounds each. If you leave the point attached to the flat beneath, it will be very thick and take longer to cure, and there’s an ugly hunk of fat between them.
- Cure. Add the meat to the curing solution. If you have more than one slab do not let them lie on top of each other. If you do, they will act like one thick slab and curing will take much longer. The meat might float, so put a plastic bowl filled with brine on top of the meat until it submerges. The meat will drink up brine so make sure there is enough to cover it by at least 1″ (25 mm) or else you’ll find the meat high and dry after a few days. Refrigerate. Let it swim for as long as the calculator tells you. Move the meat every day or so just to stir up the cure. The liquid will get cloudy from juices that come out of the meat, but it should never smell bad. When you are done, the exterior of the meat will be pale tan or gray and if you cut into it, it should not look too different than normal raw meat, just a little pinker.
- Cook. Now decide how you want to cook it. You can make traditional corned beef and cabbage boiled dinner, you can make corned beef hash, you can make Rockin Reuben Sandwiches, or turn it into Close to Katz’s Pastrami like in this video from our friends at ThermoWorks.
Notes
About the Prague Powder #1. This recipe calls for Prague Powder #1. No other curing agent can be substituted. No Prague Powder #2, TenderQuick, or saltpeter. Chemically they are all different.
About the beef. Many delis use the fattier navel cut. You can also use boneless short rib meat, flank steak, tongue, or round, but round can be very thick, so cut in into 1.5″ planks. For that matter you can use any cut you want, but brisket is my fave. The flat is leaner and make perfect slices. The point muscle is fattier and juicier but doesn't slice as perfectly.
About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.
What? No pickling spices? They really aren't necessary. They don't penetrate deep. But if you must, you can buy them premixed or click here for a recipe for pickling spices that you can make yourself. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons, a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, and 4 cloves of garlic, crushed.