Make your own corned beef
Upon moving here to Northwest Ontario, we tried a few different brands of corned beef, with none meeting our tastes of what we grew up with, in Nova Scotia.
After a little research and finding some pink salt. I now carry pink curing salt at my shop in Nipigon.
I decided to try my own corned beef brine and to adjust the process to suit my personal tastes.
Choosing your meat
Brisket is a cut of meat from the lower chest. Typically beef or veal however moose and deer also have good briskets if appropriately butchered. 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. Talk to your butcher if you have one, Zechner’s here in Nipigon was more than knowledgeable and trimmed me some lovely briskets to start with.
This recipe is good for up to six pounds of brisket!
The Brine
Step 1: Add the following ingredients to a large stockpot and place on stove.
1 Gallon of water
1 Tablespoon Pink Salt (Prague Powder)
(Curing salt available at Nipigon River Bait/myBackyard shop –
21 Second street Nipigon)
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 regularly. Refrigeration is not really needed but is advised.
The Brine
Step 1: Add the following ingredients to a large stockpot and place on stove.
1 Gallon 4 Quarts of water
1 Tablespoon Pink Salt (Prague Powder)
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 regularly. 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.
Options
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 subtle 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.
Requires:
Vacuum sealer (or just FREEZER BAGS): we carry vaccum sealer bags at the shop!
Pink Salt AKA: Prague Powder , Curing Salt. Available in the shop in Nipigon
Pickling Salt (Non-iodized coarse salt/kosher salt)
Pickling Spice
Brown Sugar
Pot/Stove
Optional:
Cinnamon Sticks
Apple Cider/Juice
Garlic
Carrot
Celery
Whole Cloves
Other Spices (personal tastes)