corning beef at home for sandwiches

Name: Corning Beef at Home for Sandwiches
Ingredients: 2 quart(s) water; 1 cup(s) kosher salt; 1/2 cup(s) brown sugar, lightly packed; 1 stick(s) cinnamon, broken into several pieces; 1 teaspoon(s) mustard seed; 1 teaspoon(s) peppercorns, whole black; 8 - whole cloves; 8 - whole allspice; 12 - whole juniper berrries; 2 - bay leaves, crumbled; 1/2 teaspoon(s) ginger powder; 2 pound(s) ice; 1 - whole top round; 1 small onion, quartered; 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped; 1 - celery stalk, coarsely chopped

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38 Pinches 1 Photo

Marsha Gardner

Florala, AL

Updated on Sep 28, 2012

When we lived in Western NY we could buy corned beef rounds to cook at home. I like the round rather than the brisket for making sandwiches. I couldn't find them here in Alabama and I didn't want to pay to have them shipped so I started corning my own. Not only do I have the round to slice for sandwiches, but I now can know what is in my corned beef and leave out suspect items. Not using any nitrates or saltpeter in the corned beef doesn't seem to affect the taste, but you will notice that it isn't as pink that commercially prepared beef is.

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Ingredients

2 quarts water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 stick cinnamon, broken into several pieces
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon peppercorns, whole black
8 - whole cloves
8 - whole allspice
12 - whole juniper berrries
2 - bay leaves, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
2 pounds ice
1 - whole top round
1 small onion, quartered
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 - celery stalk, coarsely chopped

How To Make corning beef at home for sandwiches

Step 1

Place the water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, saltpeter, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the ice.

Step 2

Stir until the ice has melted. If necessary, place the brine into the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45-degrees. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip top bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days.
Step 3

Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine. After 10 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water. Place the brisket into a pot just large enough to hold the meat, add the onion, carrot and celery and cover with water by 1-inch.
Step 4

Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender. Remove from the pot, let meat rest for at least 15 minutes and thinly slice across the grain.
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