Did you know that you can make your own corned beef? There's still time to make this before St. Patrick's Day and its easy! All you have to do is start with a fresh brisket about 3 to 6 days before you plan to make your meal, The best part about making it yourself is that there are no preservatives :-)
Combine water, salt, sugar, mustard, spices and garlic in an 8 quart stainless steel (because it's nonreactive) stock pot, bring to a boil over high heat, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
When liquids have cooled, trim the corned beef of excess fat and put the excess fat into the liquid. Add more cold water to cover the beef if needed. Cover the pan and refrigerate for 3 to 6 days in the refrigerator, turning every twelve hours.
When ready to cook the beef, remove it from the brine and rinse well with cold water. Place back in the washed pot, add any seasonings that came with the brisket, cover with cold water and bring to a boil.
Once at a boil skim off any scum that develops on the surface, reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer until tender, about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
By Deeli from Richland, WA
This page contains the following solutions.
Instead of cooking it to death on the stove, cover with water, add regular spices. Bring briefly to boil on stove, then cover and bake in 300 degrees F oven for approximately 3 1/2 hrs. It will be tender, won't shrink as much, and the kitchen will smell heavenly!
Put brisket and seasoning packet in Dutch oven; Cover with water. Simmer 2 1/2 hours or until done. Remove brisket and place on a broiler pan, leaving liquid in Dutch oven. Combine honey and mustard. Brush half of it on brisket, leaving rest for later. Resume cooking liquid in Dutch oven, adding potatoes, carrots and other veggies to suit family size.
