Corned Beef Seasoning
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Make the most delicious and flavorful corned beef with this simple Corned Beef Seasoning recipe! This homemade spice packet is easy to mix up with 9 ingredients, in just 5 minutes. It’s perfect for adding extra flavor to store-bought corned beef, or making your own homemade corned beef.
Table of contents
After St Patrick’s Day every year, my husband and I head to the grocery store and stock up on corned beef while it’s on sale. We freeze half a dozen of them, then toss them in the slow cooker throughout the year for an easy meal.
A few months back, we were tossing one in the Crock Pot and my husband asked if I could whip up a corned beef seasoning mix to add more flavor to the store-bought packet of seasoning that comes with the corned beef. Of course I did, and it was so good, that I decided I also had to use it to make my own homemade corned beef.
Now, we use this spice mix whenever I’m making homemade corned beef, or we’re slow cooking a store-bought corned beef. It adds so much flavor and truly makes the best tasting corned beef you’ve ever had! If you’re looking to spice up bland corned beef, this seasoning mix is exactly what you’re looking for!
The pickling spices will stay good in the pantry for up to 6 months, so make a big batch and use it every month to make yourself a tasty corned beef dinner!
Ingredients
For the full ingredient amounts, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Most of these spices can be found on the spice aisle at your local grocery store, or in the bulk spice containers. I have also linked to each of the spices below, so you can purchase them online, if you prefer.
- Coriander seeds
- Mustard seeds
- Black peppercorns
- Anise seeds
- Fennel seeds
- Dill seeds
- Whole cloves
- Bay leaves
- Crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Toast the seeds. Add coriander seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, anise seeds, fennel seeds, dill seeds and whole cloves to a skillet, or pan, on the stove over medium heat. Toast for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Grind the spices. Add the toasted seeds to a spice grinder, along with the bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Pulse the spices in the grinder into a coarse texture.
- Store the seasoning blend. Transfer the ground spices from the spice grinder to an airtight container, like a mason jar, and store in a cool, dark place, like the pantry, for up to 6 months.
Recipe notes
- If you don’t have a spice grinder, use a mortar and pestle to grind the spices after they’re toasted. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, place the spices in a sturdy bowl, then use the end of a wooden handled spoon or spatula to break up the seeds and spices as much as possible. You can also use a small food processor and pulse the spices. You still want the spice mix to be coarse in texture, not finely ground like other spice mixes.
- This recipe makes 8 tablespoons of corned beef seasoning. You will need 4 tablespoons of seasoning to make homemade corned beef. I recommend adding 1-2 tablespoons of the seasoning to a store-bought corned beef, in addition to the provided corned beef spice packet. If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click on the 2X button in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size.
- The corned beef spice blend will stay good, stored in an airtight container in the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice mix will not “go bad” but as spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- I recommend storing the corned beef spices in an 8 ounce mason jar. If doubling the recipe, use a pint size or 16 ounce mason jar. I recommend labeling the spice mix with a date and using it within 6 months.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free.
How to use the seasoning
To make homemade corned beef, follow the corned beef recipe linked here. You will need 4 tablespoons of the corned beef seasoning. One tablespoon of seasoning mix will be used in the brine for the corned beef, and an additional 3 tablespoons will be used to season the corned beef before you roast it in the oven or slow cooker.
I always cook carrots, potatoes and onions with the corned beef. The seasoning adds so much flavor to the vegetables, in addition to the meat! I can guarantee this will quickly become one of your favorite beef recipes. Just one taste and you’ll fall in love with this tender, flavorful corned beef brisket.
To add more flavor to a store-bought corned beef, add 1-2 tablespoons of this spice mix, in addition to the corned beef seasoning packet that comes with it. If the corned beef didn’t come with a spice packet, you’ll want to use 2 teaspoons of seasoning per pound of corned beef. For example, if the store-bought corned beef is 4 pounds, you’ll want to use 8 teaspoons of seasoning.
More homemade seasonings
Stock your pantry with all of my homemade seasoning recipes to add flavor to every meal!
Corned Beef Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons anise seeds
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons dill seeds
- 4 whole cloves
- 4 large bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add the coriander seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, anise seeds, fennel seeds, dill seeds and whole cloves to a skillet on the stove over medium heat.
- Lightly toast the seeds for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the toasted seeds to a spice grinder, along with the bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Pulse the spices in the grinder into a coarse texture. (See notes below if you don't have a spice grinder.)
- Transfer the ground spices from the spice grinder to an airtight container, like a mason jar, and store in a cool, dark place, like the pantry, for up to 6 months.
Notes
- If you don’t have a spice grinder, use a mortar and pestle to grind the spices after they’re toasted. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, place the spices in a sturdy bowl, then use the end of a wooden handled spoon or spatula to break up the seeds and spices as much as possible. You can also use a small food processor and pulse the spices. You still want the spice mix to be coarse in texture, not finely ground like other spice mixes.
- This recipe makes 8 tablespoons of corned beef seasoning. You will need 4 tablespoons of seasoning to make homemade corned beef. I recommend adding 1-2 tablespoons of the seasoning to a store-bought corned beef, in addition to the provided corned beef spice packet. If the corned beef didn’t come with a spice packet, you’ll want to use 2 teaspoons of seasoning per pound of corned beef.
- If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click on the 2X button above. The ingredient amounts will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size.
- The corned beef spice blend will stay good, stored in an airtight container in the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice mix will not “go bad” but as spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free.
Nutrition Facts
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2 Comments on “Corned Beef Seasoning”
I’m confused, I bought a store bought corned beef flat brisket, brine or not brine , I read the whole brine process then I read if store bought skip brine and just season ?
Hi Teresa, yes, if you bought a corned beef flat brisket at the store, that means it’s already been brined, so all you have to do is season and cook the corned beef.