Corned Beef

Homemade Corned beef
Make your own corned beef with spices and an easy brine, and skip the preservatives! Here's a delicious homemade corned beef recipe, along with instructions for the corned beef and cabbage dinner. Start the corned beef with a fresh brisket about 7 days before you plan to make your dinner.

Ingredients:

• 10 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard
• 3 tablespoons pickling spices
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 fresh beef brisket, 7 to 9 pounds
• .
• Corned Beef and Cabbage
• 3 ribs celery, cut in 2-inch pieces
• 2 large onions, cut in wedges
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 medium red potatoes, halved
• 5 carrots, cut into thirds
• 2 small rutabagas or 1 medium rutabaga, cut in 2-inch chunks
• 1 head of cabbage, cut in 6 or 8 wedges

Preparation:

Combine water, salt, sugar, mustard, spices, and 3 cloves minced garlic in an 8-quart 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 into the liquid. You may need to transfer the liquids and corned beef to a larger container or bowl, just make sure it is nonreactive. If necessary, add more cold water to cover the beef. Using a heavy pottery bowl or a few small bowls, weigh the corned beef down so it will stay submerged in the water. Cover the pan and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator. Take out once a day to stir lightly, and turn the beef as needed.