Like the Brisket recipe we featured here last week, this might be considered an advanced lesson in Slow Cookery. But if you like Corned Beef and want to make your own, for 4 to 6 diners, this is definitely the way to go. Make sure you read the part about Brining, or Corning, the Meat first…
Corned Beef and Cabbage. If that’s where you’re headed with your Corned Beef Brisket,
you can just add the Cabbage, coarsely chopped, for the last 2 hours of
cooking time and get all the flavour from the cooking water!
You’ll start this one with a nice piece of Beef Brisket but you’ll have to do something special to it before you actually cook it. The ‘special’ part is called Brining, or soaking the Beef in a salt solution. You can also rub it in salt, but any Corned Beef aficionado will tell you to Brine it.
For the Brine:
8 cups / 2 L Water
1 packet of Picking Spices
3/4 cup / 185 ml Salt
1/2 cup / 125 ml Sugar
Dissolve the Salt, Sugar and Spices in the water. I suggest you heat the mixture on the stove top in a large saucepan or soup pot/stock pot stirring continuously to speed the dissolving. IF you do warm the mixture, let it cool to room temperature before continuing.
Place the Brisket in the cool brine in a deep plastic food container with a tight lid. Store in the fridge tightly covered for a minimum of 2 days and up to 5 days. The longer, the better.
Of course, you could use a pre-brined brisket, available at many supermarkets, but making your own is far more satisfying, and you can play with the spices to achieve the perfect flavour for you!
Then, get on with the cooking…
What you need…
2-3 lb. / 1-1.5 kg Corned Beef Brisket
8 oz. / 250 ml (1 standard bottle) Beer
16 oz. / 500 ml Water
1 medium Onion, sliced
1 Bay Leaf
What you do…
Place the Onions in the bottom of the Slow Cooker.
Place the brisket on top of the the onions.
Pour the Water and Beer over the Brisket.
Cook covered for 8 hours on Low, or until the Meat is fork tender.
Remove the Brisket from the liquid and allow to cool before slicing.
Enjoy it lots of ways!
Try it the traditional Irish way, with steamed Cabbage and Mashed Potatoes.
Slice it thick for sandwiches.
Cube it for Hash.
I could go on and on…
~ Maggie J.