Corned Beef
Enjoy the best Corned Beef ever with this simple homemade recipe! It's easy to make in the oven, or in a slow cooker, after a 5 day brine in the fridge. The corned beef seasoning adds so much flavor to this traditional recipe, and a low, slow cook in beef broth makes this corned beef brisket juicy, tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
Ingredients
Brine
- 1 gallon water
- 9 ounces pickling salt, or coarse salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon corned beef seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 2 teaspoons pink curing salt, also called prague powder #1 or premium curing salt #1
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 pound beef brisket, flat cut preferred
For cooking
- 3 tablespoons corned beef seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 4 cups beef broth
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 onion, large dice
- 2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
- 2 pounds green cabbage, core removed and sliced into wedges
Instructions
Brine the brisket
- Add the water, salt, sugar, corned beef seasoning, pink curing salt and garlic to a large pot on the stove over high heat.
- Bring to a boil and stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Turn the heat off and allow the brine to cool.
- Place the beef brisket in a large container that can fit a 5 pound brisket and gallon of water. Pour the cooled brine over the brisket, making sure the brisket is completely covered in the liquid.
- Cover and brine the brisket in the fridge for 5-7 days.
- When it's time to cook the brisket, follow the instructions below to either cook it in the oven, or in a slow cooker.
Cook it in the oven
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Remove the brisket from the brine. Do not rinse it. Simply transfer it from the brine to a large dutch oven. Cover the brisket with corned beef seasoning.
- Pour beef broth into the dutch oven with the brisket. You can also use half broth and half beer if you’d like. I recommend using a pale ale, red ale or amber ale.
- Add the carrots, onions, and potatoes. Bring the broth to a boil on the stove over high heat.
- Once boiling, cover the pot, then transfer it to the oven, and cook for 4 hours.
- Add cabbage wedges to the dutch oven during the last 30 minutes of cook time.
- After 4 hours, remove the pot from the oven. Remove the lid, then use a large slotted spoon to scoop the vegetables out of the pot and place them on a serving dish. Cover with a piece of foil to keep them warm.
- Remove the corned beef from the liquid and place it on a cutting board. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Slice the corned beef against the grain in 1/4 inch slices. Place on the serving dish with the vegetables.
Cook it in a slow cooker
- Remove the brisket from the brine. Do not rinse it. Simply transfer it from the brine to a slow cooker. Cover the brisket with corned beef seasoning.
- Pour beef broth into the slow cooker with the brisket. You can also use half broth and half beer if you’d like. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours.
- Half way through the cooking time, add the potatoes, carrots and onions. Continue cooking, then if you’d like to add wedges of cabbage, add them with 1 hour left on high, or 2 hours left on low. You can also steam the cabbage separately to serve at the end.
- After the cook time, turn the slow cooker to warm. Use tongs to remove the corned beef from the slow cooker and transfer it to a cutting board.
- Let it rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Slice the corned beef against the grain in 1/4 inch slices.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables from the slow cooker and serve them with the corned beef.
Notes
- Containers for brining: I tested this recipe using a 2 gallon zipper bag for one of the briskets. I placed the bag in an aluminum pan, to keep the brisket standing up and fully submerged in the brine, and just in case the bag leaked at all in the fridge. I also tested the recipe, placing the brisket and brine in a large roasting pan. I placed a ramekin on top of the brisket to make sure it was fully submerged in the brine. If using a roasting pan, or large container to brine the brisket, make sure to cover it fully before placing it in the fridge. If the brisket is fully submerged in the brine, you do not need to flip the brisket during the brining process.
- Always slice corned beef against the grain to get tender slices of beef. You will easily be able to see the lines running though the corned beef, you want to slice in the opposite direction of these lines to get the most tender cut.
- Do not brine the corned beef for more than 10 days, or it will become too salty. For me, the perfect brine time was 7 days. If you want a corned beef that’s less salty, go with 5 days, if you want a corned beef that’s more salty, go with 10 days.
- Make sure the brisket is fully submerged in the brine. If the brisket is not completely covered in the brine, it will not brine evenly. You want the entire brisket covered in the brine to give you a perfectly seasoned, perfectly pink corned beef.
- To quickly cool down the brine before pouring it over the brisket, omit a cup of water in the brine, and add 20 ice cubes after you’ve prepared the brine. This will help it cool faster to pour over the brisket.
- If you’ve already bought a corned beef at the grocery store, you can skip the brining step and use the instructions in this post to cook it in the oven or slow cooker. Most store-bought corned beef comes with it’s own spice packet. Usually there’s only about a tablespoon of seasoning in the packet, so I recommend using an additional 2 tablespoons of my homemade corned beef seasoning.
- Leftover cooked corned beef can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. My favorite way to reheat the corned beef is in the oven, wrapped in foil, at 350°F for 15 minutes. This will heat it up, and keep it juicy and tender.
- You can also store leftover cooked corned beef in the freezer for up to 6 months. Make sure to store it in a freezer-safe container, and always label the container with a date, and cook it within 6 months. To defrost the frozen corned beef, place it in the fridge for 2 days to defrost. Wrap it in foil and reheat it in the oven at 350°F for 15-30 minutes. The time will vary based on the size and thickness of the beef.
- You can also freeze uncooked corned beef in the freezer for up to 6 months. After brining the corned beef, pat it dry, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Label the container with a date, then place it in the freezer. The corned beef can be cooked from frozen, using either the oven or slow cooker instructions in this post.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 464kcal (23%)Carbohydrates 25g (8%)Protein 51g (102%)Fat 17g (26%)Saturated Fat 6g (30%)Polyunsaturated Fat 1gMonounsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 141mg (47%)Sodium 1068mg (45%)Potassium 1472mg (42%)Fiber 5g (20%)Sugar 5g (6%)Vitamin A 3166mg (63%)Vitamin C 44mg (53%)Calcium 101mg (10%)Iron 6mg (33%)
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