For many of our fishy friends in Montana today will be a genuine hangover day.
We’ll assume that this morning’s headache and other associated symptoms were well earned.
No doubt, at least for St. Patrick’s Day traditionalists, part of yesterday’s debauchery included the consumption of corned beef in one form or another.
Like thousands of middle American youth of the past several decades I grew up thinking that corned beef was a product that oozed out of a can in a configuration somewhat alike to that of spam.
It wasn’t until coming under the mentorship of a born and bred Montanan (from Black Eagle no less) that I saw my first actual home cooked corned beef grace a table, prepared by the hand of his lovely wife Judy.
The world of corned beef was never to be the same thereafter.
Though it takes a little over a week to properly brine a home cured corned beef, once you try this one you’ll never open another can or slide a slimy brisket out of that commercial butcher’s wrapping again.
We even drag this recipe out now and again through the year. The Real Deal Corned Beef isn’t just for St. Paddy’s day anymore.
Brine
6 cups water
2 cups lager beer
1 and 1/2 cups coarse kosher salt
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup pickling spices
6 to 8 lb flat cut brisket, trimmed of most fat
(1 and 1/2 tbs Insta Cure #1 – see note)Corned Beef and Vegetables
12 ounce bottle Guinness (or other stout or porter)
Your cured brisket from above
12 baby turnips, trimmed
8 or so unpeeled small to medium red-skinned potatoes
6 medium carrots peeled
4 medium onions, peeled, halved
2-lb head of cabbage, quartered
4 bay leaves
1 tbs coriander seeds
4 whole allspice
2 dried chile de arbol peppers
cheesecloth
Make your brine. Mix the water and the beer in a large deep roasting pan; add the salt and stir until dissolved. Add the sugar, stir until dissolved. Add the pickling spices and the Insta Cure (if using). Pierce your brisket all over (both sides) with a small sharp knife tip.
[Insta Cure #1 note: yep, this is the (in)famous nitrate compound that’s been used in commercially prepared (and many a home prepped) corned beef for years. It keeps the meat from turning gray, so you can certainly leave it out, though around our camp we accept the occasional nitrate exposure as a matter of culinary tradition. ]
Brine the Brisket. Submerge the brisket and cover with a heavy platter or plates to keep it below the surface of the water. Cover the pan and keep in the fridge for 4 days.
On day 4, remove the brisket, stir the brine well and place the brisket back in the brine, weight and cover just as you did on day 1. Back into the fridge for another 4 days.
On the 8th day, remove from the brine, rinse and cook or wrap in plastic and refrigerate for a day.
Braise the corned beef. Place the corned beef in a large wide pot; add the stout and enough water to cover by an inch. Wrap the spices and the peppers in a piece of cheesecloth, tie well and add to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until beef is tender, probably close to 2 and 1/2 hours. Transfer the beef to a large baking sheet and cover.
Cook the vegetables. Add the turnips, carrots, spuds, onions and cabbage and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium low and boil gently until tender (20 – 25 minutes). Remove the vegetables to the baking sheet with the beef.
Go to it. Slice the corned beef (against the grain of course) into 1/3 inch slices and serve with an array of vegetables. We like this with a potent horseradish cream. And of course more Guinness.
Enjoy.
Tags: Friday Feast
