Corned Beef and Cabbage

Recipe makes 6 to 8 servings

Whatcha Need

For the brine:

• 2 quarts cold water, or enough to cover meat
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons pink curing salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoons black peppercorns
• 1 Tablespoons mustard seeds
• 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon allspice berries
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon juniper berries
• 3 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken
• 3 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
  

  To cook the brisket

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, quartered
• 6 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 10 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 4 whole garlic cloves
• 3 sprigs fresh marjoram
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 medium green cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 pound baby redskin potatoes, scrubbed

Whatcha Do

1. In a large non-reactive bowl or pot, combine all brine ingredients. Stir to dissolve salts and sugar. Add the brisket, adding additional water if needed to cover. Weight down the meat so it stays completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days for the best flavor.
2. Heat the oven to 300℉.
3. In a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When oils begins to shimmer, add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, marjoram, and thyme and cook until vegetable began to soften.
4. Remove the brisket from the brine, rinse well, and set on top of the vegetables. Cover meat with fresh water and bring to a boil, skimming any foam that forms. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Place Dutch oven with the meat and vegetables in the oven and cook for 3 hours, or until brisket is fork tender.
6. Remove meat to a plate, cover loosely with foil to rest and stay warm. Return Dutch oven and liquid to the stovetop over medium heat and add the cabbage and potatoes. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender.
7. Trim any excess fat from the corned beef and slice against the grain. Serve with a cabbage wedge, a few potatoes, and some carrot pieces.
   

   Note

   Pink curing salt is not the same as Himalayan pink salt. It contains sodium nitrite and is used in small amounts for safely curing meats.