Mind Blowing Home Brined and Cooked Corned Beef Recipe

Imagine the tantalizing aroma of spices wafting through your kitchen as you embark on the journey of making your own corned beef. With a careful blend of toasted spices and a week-long brining process, this recipe transforms a simple brisket into a tender, flavorful centerpiece that will have everyone coming back for seconds. The slow simmering ensures each bite is melt-in-your-mouth delicious, while the technique of cutting against the grain guarantees perfect slices every time. Get ready to impress your family and friends with this mind-blowing dish that’s worth every moment of anticipation!

1. 1

   Heat a frying pan on a medium-high heat.

2. 2

   Dry toast the allspice berries, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, chilli flakes, cloves, peppercorns, and cardamom pods until fragrant and you hear the mustard seeds start to pop.

3. 3

   Remove from heat and place in a small bowl.

4. 4

   Use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to crush the spices lightly.

5. 5

   Add to a small bowl and stir in the crumbled lime leaves and ground ginger.

6. 6

   Add about 3 Tbsp of the spice mix (reserve the rest for cooking the corned beef after it has cured), plus the half stick of cinnamon, to 6 pints of water in a large pot, along with the Kosher salt and brown sugar.

7. 7

   Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

8. 8

   Refrigerate all day or overnight so it becomes well chilled.

9. 9

   Place the brisket in a large cooking pot (we used our slow cooker pot), cover with the brine and weigh it down by adding 1 or 2 plates on top so the brisket is fully covered.

10. 10

    Add the lid to keep bugs etc away and leave to brine for 7 days.

11. 11

    At the end of the cure, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse off the brine with cold water.

12. 12

    Place the brisket in a large pot that just fits around the brisket and cover with at least 2 inches of water.

13. 13

    Add a tablespoon of the pickling spices to the pot.

14. 14

    Bring to a boil, reduce to a very low simmer (barely bubbling), and cook for 4 hours, until the corned beef is fork tender.

15. 15

    Remove the meat to a cutting board.

16. 16

    Notice the visible lines on the meat; this is the 'grain' of the meat, or the direction of the muscle fibers.

17. 17

    To make the meat easier to cut, cut it first in half, along the grain of the meat.

18. 18

    Then make thin crosswise cuts, across the grain to cut the meat to serve.