The Institute Program Director, Melissa Willis, has blog where she writes about her personal adventures in farming (evergrowingfarm.com) and she has a fantastic Instagram profile as an extension of that. She recently shared her favorite recipe for the seasonal Irish dish: Corned Beef.
I picked up a big ol’ brisket from my friends at C4 Farms becasue St. Paddy’s Day is right around the bend and I simply can’t wait to get it into the pot with these gorgeous spices! If you’re looking for a brining recipe, I’ve been using this one for several years now and it doesn’t disappoint 💚
Corned Beef
Corned Beef Brine Ingredients:
- ~3 lbs beef brisket
- 2 quarts water
- 1 cup Kosher Salt
- ½ cup packed Brown Sugar
- 12 whole Juniper Berries
- 8 whole Cloves
- 8 whole Allspice Berries
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 Cinnamon Stick (broken up)
- 1 teaspoon Peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
Melissa’s brining process:
- Bring all your spices to a boil in the 2 qts of water.
- Let cool completely, then add your brisket to the brine, making sure the beef is completely covered by the liquid.
- Cover and let your brisket marinate in the brine (in the fridge) for 10 to 14 days before cooking it up!
Cook the brined meet!
- After 10 to 14 days, remove the beef from the brine and place in a pot just large enough to hold it.
- Add onion, carrot, and celery and cover with water by 1-inch.
- Set over high heat and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
- Remove from the pot and thinly slice across the grain.