It's March! Time for Corned Beef!

It’s March! Not only is spring around the corner…(Spring Equinox this year is Friday, March 20!) but the time for corned beef fast approacheth! For those who celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), and even for those who do not, it is a great time to “corn” or cure some beef at home. Ditch the dyes and nitrates of store-bought corned beef, and make your own this year! It’s yummy and it’s worth it! As always, use the best quality ingredients you can find - organic, biodynamic, grass fed/pastured, etc.!


Corned Beef!

This recipe uses celery juice instead of nitrates. It is GAPS compliant if you use date sugar!

 

Ingredients for Curing the Beef

3 pounds beef brisket

 

2-3 bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick, broken up

1 tablespoon whole cardamom pods

2 tablespoons mustard seeds, brown

2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds

½ -1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like spicy)

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

3-4 cloves

2/3 cup high mineral salt

¼ cup turbinado sugar OR sucanat, OR date sugar

1.5 cups celery juice (1 bunch celery, juiced, or pulverized in a blender with 2 cups of water and then strained)

2 cups sauerkraut brine, cabbage tonic or whey (from strained whole milk, plain yogurt)

6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

Optional, for color: ¼ cup beet kvass or 1/4 cup water mixed with 2 teaspoons Three Beet Powder

 

Ingredients for Cooking the Corned Beef

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

2-3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 pound baby redskin potatoes (or fingerlings), scrubbed (note: not GAPS)

2 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled

Optional: 1 cup sauerkraut and/or 1 large green cabbage, outer leaves and stem removed, cut in quarters or eighths

3 cups pure, filtered water

 

Instructions

First, brine the meat for 5-10 days.

  1. Rinse brisket and pat dry.

  2. Prepare the spices. Place cardamom pods on a cutting board. Use a cleaver or large knife to lightly smash the cardamom, breaking the shells (or use a mortar and pestle). With your hands, break up the cinnamon stick and crush bay leaves. Put all the spices in a bowl. Add salt and sugar.  Mix well with a fork or a whisk.

  3. Massage the mixture into all sides of the meat. Place it in a glass or Pyrex bowl to fit snugly.

  4. Pour sauerkraut brine (or whey) celery juice, and optional beet kvass or water plus beet powder over the meat.  Make sure meat is fully submerged.  Put in garlic cloves.  Seal with lid or wrap.

  5. Place the meat in the refrigerator for 5-10 days. (Turn the meat every 12-24 hours so that the entire piece is brined.)

  6. After 5-10 days of brining, when you are ready to cook, rinse the spices off the meat and discard. Pat the meat dry and set aside.

 

Cooking the Corned Beef

  1. Place the onion, celery, carrot and optional sauerkraut/cabbage in the bottom of a crock pot or Dutch oven. Add the garlic. 

  2. Place the brined meat on top of the vegetables. Add the water and cover with the lid. (Note: you can also cook the meat without the vegetables, if you choose. OR if you like firm vegetables, add for the last hour of cooking.)

  3. If using a crock pot or slow cooker, cook on high for 1 hour, then on low 3-5 hours, or until the meat is fork tender. (The meat is done when you can flake it apart with a fork.)

  4. If baking in a Dutch oven, cook in the center of a preheated oven at 275°F for about 3-4 hours. Turn the meat every hour and check with a fork for doneness.

  5. When you are ready to refrigerate, allow the cooked corned beef to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a sealed container. May also be frozen.

Bon Appetit!

Monica Corrado