Ease of Preparation: Easy
Time of Preparation: 25 minutes, 3.5 hours braising time, and 3-5 days curing time
Yield: 6 servings
A home style dinner classic, the corned beef boiled dinner, gets a much-needed face-lift. Corned beef is cured and braised slow and low, so the result is tender and full of rich, meaty flavor. This is dish that gets better with time, so save some for the next day!
Ingredients:
Corned Beef:
- 2 ¼ pounds (1 kg) lean brisket
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) curing salt (Morton tender-quick curing salt)
- ½ cup (120 ml) kosher salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) mustard seeds
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) whole allspice berries
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) dill seeds
- 8 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) celery seeds
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) black peppercorns
Boil:
- 4 ¼ quarts (4 L) low sodium beef stock
- 24 black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 4 cloves garlic
- 6 cloves
- Corned Beef
- 1 cabbage, cut into 6 wedges (do not remove core)
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut in half
- 6 medium yellow flesh potatoes
- Salt
- Chopped curly parsley, to garnish
Method:
For the Corned Beef:
Trim the brisket as needed. Pierce the meat evenly, all over, with the tip of a thin, sharp knife to allow the cure to penetrate to the center.
Combine curing salt, kosher salt, and brown sugar, coat the meat evenly and rub in.
Transfer rubbed brisket to a vacuum bag.
Combine mustard, coriander, allspice, dill seeds, bay leaves, cloves, celery seed, and peppercorns and add to the vacuum bag, distributing evenly around beef.
Vacuum-seal the bag, place in refrigerator and cure 3-5 days.
For the Boil:
Heat the beef stock in a large low sided pot over low heat.
In a square of cheesecloth, combine black peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, garlic, and cloves. Fold the corners of the cloth over to make a bundle (a ‘sachet’) and tie the top closed with a short length of butcher’s twine. Add to the pot.
Add the corned beef to the pot.
Bring the stock to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook for 3 ½ hours.
Add the potatoes to the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Then add carrots and cabbage, and cook for another 6-8 minutes, until the veggies are just tender.
Cut the heat. Remove and discard the sachet.
Remove the beef and cut into ¼-½ inch (6 mm – 1.25 cm) thick slices.
To serve, divide the brisket slices and veggies into bowls and ladle over the hot beef stock.
Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
