Tam O'Shanter

How to Make Corned Beef at Home: The Surprisingly Simple Process | Eater

"Stephen Rodriguez, the executive chef, presents corned beef as both a high-volume tradition and an accessible home project: on St. Patrick’s Day alone, the restaurant serves more than 600 pounds of corned beef. He reassures home cooks that “[Making] corned beef is fun,” and that “There’s a lost art to some of the stuff we do in the cook, like pickling and brining, which is unfortunate, because it’s really easy.” The curing salt is essential—“The curing salt really drives in that [pink] color,” Rodriguez says—and beyond that the brine is a choose-your-own-adventure where you can add sugar, garlic cloves, peppercorns and whatever pickling spice you like. In one home version described here, the brine included mustard seed, black peppercorn, bay leaves, garlic, sugar, fennel seeds, and pink curing salt; roughly two cups of the boiled spiced brine were mixed with six cups of ice water (about eight cups total) to cool and dilute before submerging a two-and-a-half pound flat-cut brisket. A flat cut was chosen because it’s leaner and more compact for slicing (whole briskets or point cuts can be used if you prefer shredded corned beef and have the space). Because fridge space is often the biggest constraint—at the restaurant Rodriguez has a dedicated shelf in the walk-in—he suggests breaking large slabs into smaller pieces or, as he advises, “You can also vacuum pack it and it will take less space.” The brine is boiled, steeped, cooled, the meat is set in a sealed bag or container and refrigerated, with the bag turned every other day; Rodriguez suggests curing for five to seven days. After curing, rinse the brine off, place the brisket in a Dutch oven with about 10 cups of water, fresh peppercorns, bay leaves and a sprinkling of allspice, bring to a boil and skim, then finish in a 300°F oven (the described cook used a 10-minute boil followed by roughly three-and-a-half hours in the oven). The results: the beef emerges pink, very tender (it shredded when lifted with tongs), juicy and distinctly salty. For serving, Rodriguez encourages the traditional pairing with braised cabbage—“At the restaurant, we cook the cabbage in the brining liquid,” he explains—and potatoes to temper the salt; a bright pickled cabbage slaw also cuts through the richness. The home cook here plans two tweaks for next time—trimming more fat and using slightly less salt—but agrees with Rodriguez that “Corned beef is really a set-it-and-forget-it project” and that “Once you make something like this from scratch, you have an appreciation for the artisan [nature] of it. It takes you back to the origins of how and why we cook.”" - Kat Thompson