Corned beef

I start this entry by revealing that this is my favorite holiday. Being Irish I feel especially awesome on this day!  So I felt the need to create a corned beef brisket from scratch. Once I decided this Greg said I became as giddy as a school girl. I will say this is a timely ordeal, not because of how much effort it takes but because of how long you have to let it sit. However it is totally worth it!

Corned beef

Things you'll need:

1 beef brisket about 4-5 lbs, trimmed
2 qt water
1 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
8 whole allspice berries
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 lbs ice
1 small onion quartered
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 large celery stalk, coarsely chopped

• Place the water in a 6 to 8 qt stock pot along with all of the spices
• Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved
• Remove from heat and add ice, stir until the ice has melted. If necessary place in refrigerator until it reaches 45 degrees. Congratulations you have now made the brine!
• Place brisket in a 2 gal zip top bag and add the brine
• Seal and lay flat in a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days
• Check daily to make sure the beef is completely covered and stir/shake the brine
• After the 10 days, remove the beef from the brine and rinse very well under cool water
• place brisket in a pot just large enough to hold the meat, add the vegetables and cover with water by 1 in
• Set over high heat and bring to a boil
• Reduce to low, cover and gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours
• Remove and slice against the grain

This has by far been my favorite meal I've made. We had some friends over and they all enjoyed it, even the ones that have never enjoyed corned beef before! I think I'll make this for my birthday meal HAHA!