Fresh Corned Beef recipe

Here’s the basic recipe to make corned beef from scratch at home. Follow the recipe half-way for uncooked corned beef, or use the whole thing to fully cook the corned beef.

Ingredients:

For Brining:
4 cups water
2 cups dark beer
1 cup kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick, broken
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
6 whole cloves
6 whole juniper berries
3 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4- to 5-pound) beef brisket
For Cooking:
2 cups dark beer
Water, as needed
Small head green cabbage, quartered
3 turnips, coarsely chopped
3 potatoes, peeled, coarsely chopped
2 onions, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 parsnips, coarsely chopped
Mustard and horseradish, for serving

Directions:

1) Prepare the brined beef: Combine water, beer, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve. Remove from heat; stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Add remaining spices; cover and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours, until chilled. Combine brine and brisket in a large bowl or pot to submerge beef completely. Cover with a weighted plate; cover and refrigerate 4 days. Remove brisket from brine; stir well to mix brining liquid. Replace brisket back to brining liquid to submerge completely. Cover with a weighted plate; cover and refrigerate 4 days. Use as is for recipes calling for uncooked corned beef.

2) To cook the beef: Rinse the brined beef with cold water 2 minutes. Place in a large pot with beer and water to cover by at least 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a low simmer and cook, covered, 2 hours, until tender. Remove from pot and transfer to a roasting pan to keep warm. Add vegetables to pot; simmer until softened, about 30 minutes. Return beef to pot and cook 5 minutes, until warm.

3) To serve, remove beef from pot. Cut against the grain into ¼-inch thick slices. Arrange on serving platter with boiled vegetables. Serve with mustard and horseradish.

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