After a little research and finding some pink salt online I decided to try my own corned beef brine and adjusting the process to suit my own tastes.

Brisket is a cut of meat from the lower chest. Typically beef or veal however moose and deer also have usable briskets if butchered properly. Briskets need to be lean with a little fat left for taste.

Usually not a standard meat cut available at most chain stores, finding a butcher shop or smaller meet department that has a butcher is a great way to get a good brisket. Simply request the briskets, how many and what size and when they will have them. This gets you better cuts, fresher cuts and allows one on one with the butcher.

The Brine

Step 1: Add the following ingredients to a large stock pot and place on stove.

• 1 Gallon
• 1 Tablespoon Pink Salt
• 7/8 cup pickling salt
• 1 cup pickling spices
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4-10 whole cloves
• 1-4 crushed cloves
• 1 cup brown sugar.

Step 2: Bring to a boil stirring until the salts and sugars are dissolved.

Step 3: Let Brine cool until room temperature.

Step 4: Place prepared briskets in Ziploc bags ready for Brine to be poured over them.

Step 5: Once Brine has cooled, pour into Ziploc bags to cover the brisket.

Step 6: Squeeze air out which will force the brine to the opening and then Ziploc fully shut. I find zip-locking 80-90% of the way and then squeezing and elevating the open portion of the bag until the brine starts coming out.

Step 7: Place in a bowl or something and place in the fridge for 7 to 10 days. Checking to make sure brine is covering meat on a regular basis. Refrigeration is not really needed but is advised.

Freezing

Brine bags can be frozen directly with meat and brine together, or emptied of the majority of the brine and then frozen. You could also remove the brisket and vacuum seal separately.

Other ingredients can be added to the brine depending on tastes. Its the salts, sugar and water that make the preservative part of the brine, the rest is just taste.

A little sweeter with apple juice, a nice apple flavour with apple cider, spicier with coriander, celery seed, mustard, whatever your tastes like, feel free to explore.

The corned beef is also the basis for Pastrami which is just smoking the corned beef instead of cooking it.