Homemade Corned Beef Brisket

How to make your own home-cured Corned Beef Brisket, with flavorful brine, pickling spices, and celery juice.  Allow 5-10 days curing time before simmering it in your slow cooker or baking it in the oven. Tender and flavorful!

Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. ~ Norman Cousins

This homemade Corned Beef recipe comes just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. I think we need to take advantage of any ritual and celebration these days and create our own when inspiration strikes.  Fin, my 11-year-old, said recently, “Mom ritual gives me certainty.” It really struck me!

He named something for me that I definitely experience and want to foster, especially when things feel unknown and security is elusive.  I am often floored by the wisdom that flows from my kids.

I am inspired to create more rituals in our family rhythms.  These acknowledged occasions give us a place and time to come together and memories to share.  So, we will have a St. Patrick’s Day celebration with a nod to my husband’s Irish heritage!  We will be creating a meal that will include this home-cured corned beef brisket.

What is Corned Beef?

Corned Beef is made from beef brisket, which is cured in a salt and spice brine ( much like a pickle brine) for a week before being slow-cooked in a slow cooker, until tender and falling apart. Nitrate-free corned beef or “naturally cured” corned beef uses “natural” nitrates (in this case, celery juice) as a healthy alternative.

Corned Beef Recipe Ingredients

• Beef Brisket: Try to the best quality beef you can. Opt for pasture-raised, grass-feed beef brisket. A great source is at your local farmers market.
• “Natural” Nitrates: A natural way to cure your own corned beef is to use celery juice, (which contains natural nitrates in addition to a whole other host of benefits), sauerkraut brine (full of active probiotics and natural preservatives), and mineral salt. (You can read more about celery’s nutrition and a detailed explanation of how to juice it here.) You can juice your own celery at home, or if you don’t have a juicer, use a blender and strain, or find celery juice at gourmet grocery stores or at a juice bar.
• Pickling Spice Blend: Pink Himalayan Salt,  Black peppercorns, mustard seeds, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, coriander seeds, cardamom, red pepper flakes, & bay leaves. Optional additions: allspice berries, juniper berries,
• Optional: A slice of beet or beet juice ( for vibrant pink color)
• Veggies: onion, carrots, celery and garlic cloves

How to make Homemade Corned Beef Brisket

Corned Beef is basically salt-cured meat, usually beef brisket.  This process preserves and seasons the meat while enhancing tenderness and adding flavor with spices.

Pickling spices are essential in creating the traditional flavor of corned beef. Here is our pickling spice blend! Today we’re using grass-fed, pasture-raised beef to make our corned beef brisket.

Massage both sides of the beef brisket with salt and pickling spices.

Roll up with spices inside and tie to make a nice little bundle keeping the spices right close to the meat for ensured flavor.

Celery juice contains natural nitrates.  One bunch of celery makes about 2 cups.  I used a vita-mix and blended it up smooth and then strained through a cheesecloth.

I did the same for the beet juice ( which adds beautiful color!)  Beet powder is also an option if it is available to you.

Place the rolled meat and any remaining salt, spices, and whole garlic in a glass or ceramic vessel that has a lid, lodging it in the bottom where it will stay fully submerged under the brine. (You can also place a weight, a small plate or a small bowl directly on top of the meat if needed).

Pour in the celery juice, sauerkraut brine, and beet juice (for color).  Now it is ready to cure.

Cover and place in the refrigerator for 5-10 days.

Both sauerkraut brine and whey are starter cultures, already active giving your curing a boost.  Either work in this recipe.

Rinse thoroughly after removing from brine- for lower sodium, you can soak in water up to two hours.  Your beef is now officially corned!

Cook the Corned beef

Place the Corned Beef in a slow cooker on high  4-5 hours, and simmer until fork-tender. Alternatively, boil on the stovetop in a covered pot, or bake it in the oven (see the recipe card).

Serving Suggestions

Lather with whole grain mustard, slice across the grain and serve with roasted vegetables or roasted cabbage steaks along with mashed potatoes or Finnish Boiled Potatoes.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to three months. Leftovers can be repurposed into this Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup. Or shred it and add to Reuben sandwiches, or make corned beef potato hash!

I really love thinking about how back in the day this was just what one did to preserve food – not so much focus on ” good for you” or “bad for you”.  It was all about survival.  Food was pure, and the methods simple.

Our ancestors were clever in creating both sustenance and flavor.  There is something very gratifying about learning these ancient ways that are wholesome, full of natural nutrients and delicious in their simplicity.

More Beef Recipes you may like:

• Corned Beef and Cabbage Stew
• Homemade Meatloaf
• Rib Eye Beef Roast with Wild Mushrooms
• Instant Pot Beef Stew with Root Vegetables
• Simple Irish Stew
• Oven Beef Brisket
• Grilled Steak Tacos
• Crispy Herby Smashed Potatoes

Hope you enjoy this naturally-cured homemade Corned Beef Recipe!

Tonia

Homemade Corned Beef Recipe

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• Author: Tonia Schemmel | Feasting at Home
• Prep Time: 60
• Curing Time: 5 days
• Cook Time: 5 hours
• Total Time: 126 hours
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: beef recipe, Dinner, holiday
• Method: Baked, Cured, slow cooker
• Cuisine: Irish
• Diet: Low-Carb

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Description

How to make your own homemade Corned Beef with natural nitrates from celery juice.   It is easier and healthier than you may think!  Allow one-week curing time.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1/2x1x2x

Curing the Beef (Allow 5 - 10 days) 

• 2-3 pound thawed beef brisket (grass-fed preferred)
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorn
• 1 tablespoon whole cardamom pods
• 2/3 cup sea salt or mineral salt
• 1/4 cup cane sugar
• 2 cups celery juice (1 bunch celery, see notes)
• 2 cups sauerkraut brine, whey (see notes) or beet kvass
• 1/4 cup beet juice or 1 tablespoon beetroot powder, or a few slices of fresh beet, optional (for color)
• 5 cloves of garlic

Cook the Corned Beef

• 3 cups water
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 celery
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 head of cabbage

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Instructions

Brine the meat:

1. Rinse the beef brisket and pat dry. Trim the fat to 1/4 inch or remove it completely.
2. Break up the cinnamon stick and bay leaves, and lightly smash the cardamom.  Mix together with mustard seeds, coriander, cloves, red pepper flakes, salt, and sugar.
3. Thoroughly massage the spice/salt mixture into the meat (non-fat side).  Roll it up tying with string to secure. Place rolled up brisket in a large jar or glass bowl.
4. Pour sauerkraut brine, celery juice, and beet juice (if using) over the meat.  Make sure the meat is fully submerged. Throw in the garlic cloves.  Seal with lid.
5. Place the jar in the refrigerator for 5-10 days to cure.
6. Unwrap, rinse, and soak it in water for 1-2 hours to remove the salty flavor.

Cooking the Corned Beef

• Slow Cooker: Prepare onion, celery, carrot and garlic cutting in large chunks and place in the bottom of a crockpot. Place the meat on top of the vegetables (the fat side up) along with 4 cups of water. Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or 8-9 hours on low, until the meat is tender and easily forks apart.
• Baking instructions: Place the corned beef brisket in a Dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid (or cover tightly with foil). Add 2 cups water, broth, or beer. Cover and bake at 350°F for 1 hour, then reduce heat to 300°F and continue cooking 3–4 hours, until a fork slides easily into the center.

Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the brisket. Roast vegetables on a separate sheet pan, or add them to the pot during the last 2 hours of cooking.

To serve, slice the corned beef against the grain. Platter with the veggies and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

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Notes

You can use sauerkraut brine, our gut shot brine, or beet kvass, which you can make from your own batch of homemade sauerkraut — or strain store-bought sauerkraut.  1-quart yields about 1 1/2 cups.  This amount will vary depending on the brands. You can also buy Beet Kvass.

Celery juice can be made with a juicer, or blended in a blender with 2 cups water (then strained) or feel free to use store-bought celery juice.

If you choose to use whey, you can strain full-fat yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl left out at room temperature for about an hour. 1 quart usually yields a bit more than 1 cup of whey. The yogurt will now be thick –  “labneh”.

Adding vegetables to the crockpot when cooking the meat is totally optional, it just adds more savory flavor.  Alternatively cooking in just water will work just fine.

Store the cooked corned beef in the fridge up to 4 days in a seal container. Or freeze for 3-4 months. I like to freeze in meal sized portions.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: Used a 2 lb brisket - 4 ounce portions
• Calories: 235
• Sugar: 6.3 g
• Sodium: 966.5 mg
• Fat: 9.3 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Carbohydrates: 12.9 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 25.2 g
• Cholesterol: 70.3 mg