it's that time again... corned beef brisket
5 years ago
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- 5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
- 5 years ago
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Corned Beef
Comments (6)Thanks everyone - freezing the cooked meat is what I did. I cut the brisket into pieces, so it would fit in gallon sized bags, then covered it with brine, and put it in a big pot in my second fridge. I have a tendency to combine recipes. This is the 3rd brisket I brined, and when I was originally searching for recipes, I printed out 3 - the one I linked to below and 2 others (one from the food network site), and wrote out my own version - to use what I had on hand. I came up with: 1 brisket 2 Qts water 1/2 c brown sugar 3 bay leaves 4 cloves 1/2 cup vinegar 1/2 tsp ground mustard dash of cinnamon, allspice, and thyme 2 garlic cloves 1 TBSP peppercorns 3/4 cup canning or kosher salt Bring brine to a simmer / boil to dissolve salt and sugar, then cool. Cover meat with brine, and refrigerate for 3-10 days - turning occasionally. (I usually do 6-7 days). Then drain, rinse, and cook as you normally would. Some recipes call for coriander, juniper berries, marjoram, mustard seeds, cinnamon stick, saltpeter, etc. This is what I came up with, and we like it, so it's what I use. Play around with it - to come up with your favorite too! Here is a link that might be useful: corned beef recipe...See MoreHow long does corned beef keep?
Comments (2)Botulism isn't usually a concern if its cured with nitrates/nitrites. The 'Prague' is adding nitrites (and nitrogen) to the meat and has a preservative effect, which makes it stay pink. They use these in pepperoni, and you have probably seen pepperoni and other meats that are not even refrigerated, like some specialty sausages and even summer sausages. Because you don't have good control over the amount or salt and nitrites/nitrates in the Morton Tender Quick, it tends to be suitable for those who are not too concerned if its overly salty, or just want to give it a simple single try. When I make this brine, its usually the meat that gets weighed and the brine amount its based on the salt and Prague (nitrites/nitrates) and water. Here, I do use measuring devices, as its important to get the right amount of salt, and after curing if its too salty its hard to remove it. Prague is also got pink color and salt added so its not just pure nitrites/nitrates. If it were, it would be about 1/8 the amount that is in a tablespoon of Prague. They do this so that its easier to measure or weigh the nitrites/nitrates, and you are less likly to over do the amount. Soaking the meat for that long (2 weeks!? )is too much time. No matter what the books say. I use a meat pump, an oversized hypodermic needle and syringe and inject the brine into the meat. Because a brisket is quite thin, it needs very little brining, maybe 2-3 days tops. A very low, slow cooking is essential for a tender result. In this forum are many sources for the nitrites and nitrates and other curing supplies as well as links to recipes. Corned beef is also made into pastrami, by coating the outside with the same pckling spices and baking very slowly like 6 hours at 250 degrees. Usually the nitrates are used for longer, slower air curing, and nitrites are used for fast curing like sausages and corned beef. They also identify these as Instacure #1 and Instacure #2. Here, I don't use a pickling spice mix per se, but instead grind up peppercorns, mustard seed, coriander, bay leaf, celery seed, dried garlic, onion, and a few other spices (done in a small blender type coffee grinder) THis spice mix is also added to the brine. Suggest that uou remove it from the brine now, and rinse it off well, then either simmer to cook it very slowly for several hours, or bake at a very low 200-250 degree oven, covered, for about 4-6 hours. The internal temp should eventially reach about 160. I have even made a great pastrami from very lean eye of the round, which in itself tends to be quite tough. Not sure if you actaully tasted the brine before it was soaking the meat, but if it was overly salty, it may result in that same end result. Years ago, before I started making cured meats, my mom had gotten a recipe off a package of Morton Tender Quick to make a hamburger type pepperoni that was wrapped in aluminim foil like a big sausage and baked. It did turn out quite interesting, but was a bit salty. I still have that almost full bag of Morton Tender Quick here, for nearly 30 years now, and have not used any since. Lots of good info on nitrates and nitrites at this link to: http://www.butcher-packer.com/pages-document_general_info/product-743/nitrite-and-nitrate-curing-salt.html Here is a link that might be useful: Butcher Packer...See MoreBeef Brisket Help!
Comments (10)For being in Texas, it may seem strange but this is my favorite. 3 lb Beef brisket -- about 16 oz Stewed tomatoes 8 oz Sauerkraut 1 c Applesauce 2 ts Brown sugar 2 tb Cold water 2 tb Cornstarch In 10 inch skillet combine undrained tomatoes, undrained kraut, applesauce, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Add brisket, spooning mixture over the meat. Cover and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or till meat is tender, spooning sauce occassionally. Transfer meat to serving platter, keep warm. Skim off fat from pan juices. Combine cold water and cornstarch, stir into tomato mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, cook 2 more minutes. Serve as gravy. Most of the time, I'll cook it in the crock pot all day. I serve it over rice....See MoreCorned Beef Brisket
Comments (4)Yes, it's not worth it. I had 2 frozen boston butts in a heavy shrink package. 16 lbs. They were froze and I was cleaning out the freezer and set them on a counter. I didn't see them until the next day. They were still cold, but completely thawed. I tossed them. Food poisoning is not fun. New meat is cheap for what it would cost....See More- 5 years ago
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