Corned Beef, An Flavour Treat using Local Beef

Salt meat has been around for centuries, it has been a very long standing traditional method of preserving meat.  Corned Beef is actually salt beef, the corn comes from the type of salt (corning salt) used to cure the beef.  What we call corn actually got the name because the kernels are the size of the salt used to corn beef.  No wonder I couldn’t find the corn it when I was a kid.  I looked pretty hard.

So with freezing, refrigeration and other modern preservation methods why would we salt beef.  Taste of course.  As the salt is drawn into the beef it also draws in water and any favours dissolved in it.  This means that using the corning method we can infuse beef with moisture and well as flavor.  Commercial corned beefs are loaded with nitrates which are needed to preserve the meat.  When made at home you can leave this out, you wont get the pink color but you will get all of the taste and it wont last long enough to go bad.  Canned corned beef… yeah well we wont go there.  I will not criticize the use of nitrates, if we want commercial cured meats this is needed, but find someone who uses it in moderation.  However mystery meat in a can, yeah lets not.

Corned beef is made from brisket.  Brisket a cut from between the front legs, in the chest area of the cow.  It support more than half the weight of a moving cow so the amount of connective tissue requires it to be cooked in a very specific manner to keep it tender.  It needs to be cooked low and slow and if possible in a moist environment.  Another method of cooking brisket is smoking it for hours at a low temperature.(which I will leave to my good friends at Boneheads BBQ until I can get a smoker).

I got my beef for this recipe from Getaway Farms in the Annapolis Valley.  They are a great local option for grass fed beef.  Their beef are free range in the summer and they take special care in how they preserve the grass to feed them in the winter.  They are so proud of how they treat and feed their animals they even had a bag of the grass they feed there cows at the market for me to smell.  It was like spring in the middle of winter.  This beef is more lean, and much better for you than grain fed factory beef, and the flavor is amazing.  It made great corned beef.

When choosing your beef you want it to be sure it is fresh, deep red and you want the fat cap trimmed back.  You want a good amount of lean surface area, don’t trim all the fat but much of it.  If the beef is previously frozen or really oxidized (brown) I would not try to use it for this.  Too much risk of existing bacteria.  You want fresh beef.

Here is how I make my Corned Beef:

You will need:

One Piece of Beef Brisket (3 – 4 pounds)

Dry Rub

3 Cloves

5 pepper corns

2 tsp coriander

1 tsp mustard seed

1 allspice berry

Take the above ingredients and dry toast them in a skillet until they warmed, do not burn them.  Place them in a spice grinder with:

6 red pepper corns

1/2 tsp dried red chillies

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp sage.

Grind until all spices are broken up and then spread evenly over the entire brisket.  Wrap in cling wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Once the beef is in the refrigerator you need to make the brine.

In a large dutch oven combine:

20 cups of water

2 cups course salt

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp black peppercorns

10 whole cloves

10 juniper berries

2 sticks of cinnamon broken in half

1/2 tsp mace

1 tsp red pepper

1 tsp ginger

2 tbsp corriander

1 bulb of garlic cut in half

Bring the mixture to a boil and stir to dissolve all the salt.  Then allow the mixture to cool to the point where you can put it into the refrigerator.  Do not put the meat into this mixture until it is cold.  You do not want the beef stewing in warm water, this is really not safe and could cause food-born illness.

When the mixture is cold and the beef has rested with the dry rub for 4 hours place the beef into the brine.  The brine needs to cover the beef.  If it down not put a couple bowls on top of it to weigh it down.

Let the beef sit in your refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.  No it will not go bad, that is what the salt is for.  I will however absorb all of that amazing spice and flavor making the best corned beef you have ever had.

After the 10 days remove the meat from the brine and discard the brine.  Rinse the beef under cold water to clean off the excess salt.  Now put the beef in your dutch oven with the following:

3 carrots rough chopped

3 stocks of celery rough chopped

1 Onion pealed and rough chopped

1 bottle of beer (I used Garrison Jalapeno Beer.. amazing)

4 or 5 sprigs fresh thyme

Water to cover the corned beef by an inch.

Heat 1 tbsp of grape seed oil in a pan, sear off the brisket on all sides.  Then add the rest of the ingredients.

Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat for 2.5 to 3 hours or until fork tender. Remove from the water and let cool.  Then you can slice it across the grain for sandwiches, cut it into chunks for hash or use it in any of your favorite corned beef recipes.  I really enjoyed this one.

Thanks again to my local providers:

Brisket: Getaway Farms

Garlic: Active Life Farms

Herbs: Riverview Herbs

Beer: Garrison Brewery