how2heroes » Corned Beef

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Serves 8-10

Ingredients

Brisket & Brine - brining (corning) process takes 5-7 days

1 gallon water
1½ cups Morton kosher salt (450g)
½ cup sugar
¼ cup pickling spice mix
3 cloves garlic
25g (about 2 tbsp) curing salt (Insta Cure #1 or “pink salt”) - can be found in specialty food stores or online
5 lbs beef brisket (grass-fed recommended)

Braising Ingredients

brined (corned) beef brisket (from above)
enough water to cover brisket & vegetables
2 small Spanish onions, large dice
2 carrots, peeled, large dice
1 celery root, peeled, large dice
9 garlic cloves
3 bay leaves
2 tsp pickling spice mix
6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
6 sprigs thyme

How-to

Brine (Corn) the Brisket

In a large stockpot, bring water to a simmer over high heat. Add the salt, sugar, garlic cloves and pickling spices and stir to dissolve the kosher salt and sugar
Let cool to room temperature before adding the curing salt and stir to dissolve
Put the brisket in the brine, making sure it’s fully submerged
Cover and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days or until the beef is a rosy-pink color throughout. Make a small incision into the meat after 5 days to check for rosiness

Braise the Brisket

Remove the brisket from the brine and lightly rinse under cold water. Place in a large stockpot with enough water to cover the meat and the vegetables
Add the carrots, onions, celery root, garlic, herbs and spices. Slowly bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, skimming any scum that forms on the surface
Lower the heat to maintain a simmer – do not allow it to boil
Cover and cook until fork tender, approximately 3½ - 4 hours. Alternatively, you can cover and cook the beef in the oven, at 325º for 3½ - 4 hours*
If eating immediately, remove brisket from cooking liquid and allow to rest a few minutes before slicing. For best flavor, bring the brisket to room temperature in the cooking liquid, then refrigerate everything overnight. The next day, remove the cold brisket from the liquid, and slice the meat against the grain (the meat will cut with more ease when cold) Place slices back in the braising liquid and bring everything to a simmer (just to warm the meat) before serving

*Serving Suggestion: For Corned Beef and Cabbage, add cabbage and potatoes before braising, allowing them to cook with the corned beef for the full 3½ - 4 hours. A splash of beer of white wine to the cooking liquid is also another tasty option. Allow everything to cook altogether with the beef for the entire duration of the cooking time

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Tony Maws

Tony Maws, chef/proprietor of Craigie on Main, in Cambridge, MA, is a non-traditional chef – an “idealist with a kitchen” might be a more appropriate job description. His ideology: that local, seasonal and sustainably sourced ingredients are intrinsically better, and that these ingredients form the most significant part of what makes great food great. His resolute commitment to these tenets may have made Tony something of a pioneer in the “locavore” movement and in “Nose to Tail” cooking, but he admits that these ideas are not particularly novel. “Basically,” says Tony, “these are ideas that are shared by about 90% of the world’s grandmothers.” Much as he honors his Grandmother and culinary muse Hannah, Tony’s international acclaim is surely the result of other factors as well: his relentlessly innovative culinary techniques are precise enough to baffle any grandma and his ability to match just the right food combinations to create the perfect dish has been called “uncanny.”