Corned Beef Recipe: A Natural Way To Make Homemade Corned Beef (2024)

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Corned Beef Recipe: A Natural Way To Make Homemade Corned Beef (1)

This homemade corned beef recipe allows you to make corned beef without nitrates and nitrites. And Himalayan Sea Salt adds health benefits!

A Homemade Corned Beef Recipe

Now that it’s March, the warmerweather has me thinking about traditional foods for the season. One of those that we always make in early spring is corned beef and cabbage. You can make yourown delicious version to avoid chemicals and preservatives found in the store-bought corned beef.

What is Corned Beef?

There is no actual corn in corned beef. The name comes from Great Britain and means “small chunks,” referring to the salt pieces that were used in the curing process. You can certainly use rock salt, although I use Himalayan Pink Salt for the flavor and the nutritive value.

Delicious Homemade Corned Beef Recipe

My main secrets to good corned beef are 1) toasting the spices, and 2) using good cuts of meat. I get most of my beef from a local farm that specializes in hormone-free, pasture-raised, organic beef.

Spice Mix

Corned Beef Recipe Brine

Meat

  • 1 beef brisket, about 5 pounds for this corned beef recipe.

Cooking Instructions

  1. Make the Spice Mix. Toast all the spices (except ginger) in a pan for just a few minutes. Be sure to have your fan on or windows open as the fumes can be quite harsh if overheated. Let cool while you do the next step.
  2. Combine all the ingredients for the Brine. Bring to a boil, then simmer until all of the sugar and salt is dissolved. Cool, then refrigerate until very cold.
  3. Place the brisket in a large 9×13 pan, or larger if needed. Use enough brine to fully cover the brisket. This could be the entire gallon but may be more or less depending on the cut of meat. The meat may want to float. If it does, fill a clean quart jar with water and place it on top of the brisket. You may need more than one jar depending on the size of the brisket.
  4. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Turn it over every day to be sure the brine is getting to all sides.
  5. When the brisket is fully cured, no more than 7 days for this corned beef recipe, it’s time to cook it. Rinse off well and place in a stockpot or another large pan. Cover with clear water and 1 tablespoon of the Spice Mixfrom the recipe. Either simmer ORbake on low (about 300°F) for 2-3 hours, or until cooked through. It should pull apart easily with a fork.

Tips for Great Roast Beef

The curing salt isnot totallynecessary as a curing agent sinceyou are cooking the meat, but it does help create that cool pink color. Without it, your meat will be a dull gray. However, you will notice that most pink curing salts contain red dye. If you’d like to skip the curing salt, you can use 1-2 tablespoons of beetroot powder to turn the meata light pink color.

You can use almost any type of sugar in this corned beef recipe. You could also use stevia since the sweetness is only for flavoring and not actual curing. Again, the meat will be cooked, not open-air cured.

Any type of salt will work. Just be sure to adjust your recipe if using finely ground salt; use about half as much. You could also omit part of the salt and use soy sauce. Salt is essential to curing and must be used in some form. If you don’t want as much of a salty taste later, you can change the water partway through the cooking process and eliminate some of the final salt.

And check out our Au Jus recipe if you want something to dip your sandwich in!

Corned beef is really easy! Have you ever made a corned beef recipe from scratch?

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Corned Beef Recipe: A Natural Way To Make Homemade Corned Beef (2)

About Debra Maslowski

Debra is a master gardener, a certified herbalist, a natural living instructor, and more. She taught Matt and Betsy how to make soap so they decided to bring her on as a staff writer! Debra recently started an organic herb farm in the mountains of Western North Carolina. You can even purchase her handmade products on Amazon!

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Comments

  1. Corned Beef Recipe: A Natural Way To Make Homemade Corned Beef (6)Kathy says

    Your directions about the spice mix are a little confusing to me. You have us make up over 9 tbs of mix, tell us to toast 3 tbls and let cool while you boil the salt and sugar to dissolve in water. When do you add the 3 tbls of spice to the brine, just after it is taken off the boil or just before you put the meat in it? And the 1 tbls that is added when you cook your corned beef, is that toasted also or taken from the untoasted lot? I need specifics, thank you.

  2. Corned Beef Recipe: A Natural Way To Make Homemade Corned Beef (7)Sonya says

    Any way I can put this in the crockpot on low insted of simmer or in the oven? Thanks, im really appreciating your recipes.

  3. Corned Beef Recipe: A Natural Way To Make Homemade Corned Beef (8)Marco says

    I have to make my own corned beef as I can’t eat the commercial ones due to allergies to the spices (black pepper, mustard, coriander, pepper flakes etc)

    So I make a herbed one with different dried herbs and salt etc. it comes out fantastically.

    There are so many variations to this recipe. The important part is the salt part which does the brining.

    I always weigh my salt and water as each type of salt has a different density. Also by weighing the water, I can boil half the water with the salt and herbs, then weigh in the remainder of the water as ice! Makes the whole solution cool down super fast and allows me to get the meat in the fridge brining asap.

  4. Corned Beef Recipe: A Natural Way To Make Homemade Corned Beef (9)Redina Miller says

    As a cancer survivor I avoid nitrates religiously and was enticed by your initial email comment about DIY nitrate free corned beef. But in the recipe you advise us to use “pink curing salt” for a nice pink color. Are you not aware that nitrates are in the curing salt? If you are offering a nitrate free recipe, you should point out that nitrates are in the curing salt and not to use it of you truly want to avoid nitrates.

    • Corned Beef Recipe: A Natural Way To Make Homemade Corned Beef (10)Nikkea says

      Just curious what you mean by nitrates in the curing salt? Pink Himalayan salt has nitrates??? Or in the process there is a chemical reaction that causes nitrates to be formed.

      • Corned Beef Recipe: A Natural Way To Make Homemade Corned Beef (11)Nikkea says

        Sorry I just read the rest of the recipe and saw that it uses NOT only Himalayan but also a “curing salt”. Too bad.

        • Corned Beef Recipe: A Natural Way To Make Homemade Corned Beef (12)Debra Maslowski says

          Hi Redina and Nikkea, I’m all about choices. You can use curing salt if you wish, but for those of you who don’t want to use it, you can add a bit of beetroot powder, as I described above. Curing salt, in this case, is only used to preserve the nice pink color and can be omitted since the meat will be cooked anyway. Hope this clears up any confusion!

Corned Beef Recipe: A Natural Way To Make Homemade Corned Beef (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to best corned beef? ›

Simmering corned beef on the stovetop is a tried-and-true method that results in very tender beef. One of the keys to simmering corned beef correctly is the amount of water in the pot. When there's not ample liquid to cover the meat, your dreams of tender corned beef may be replaced by a tough, chewy result.

How is corned beef traditionally made? ›

corned beef, food made of beef brisket cured in salt. Related to the word kernel, a corn is a coarse grain of rock salt. In North America, corned beef is brisket, taken from the lower chest of a cow or steer, that has been brined in salt and spices.

Do you need saltpeter for corned beef? ›

The sodium nitrate is a curing salt that contributes to the pink color and cured flavor of corned beef. It also prevent the meat from spoiling or going rancid while it is curing. However, since the meat is cooked after it is brined it is not essential to use it.

What gives corned beef its unique flavor? ›

The flavor profile often includes bay leaf, black peppercorn, mustard seed, dried red pepper and coriander. If that blend sounds familiar, it's because it's same list of spices that are packaged as pickling spice. Not surprising, since corned beef and pickles are commonly made in the same place: a deli.

What not to do when cooking corned beef? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Corned Beef
  1. Not rinsing the meat before cooking. ...
  2. Cooking over a high temperature. ...
  3. Not filling the pot with enough water. ...
  4. Not cooking the meat long enough. ...
  5. Cutting the meat incorrectly.

What is real corned beef made of? ›

Corned beef is most often made from beef brisket (a relatively inexpensive, tough cut of beef) that's been cured in a salt brine with a mix of spices, like bay leaf, peppercorns, mustard seed, juniper berries, coriander seed, and whole cloves.

What is the raw material for corned beef? ›

Traditionally, corned beef is prepared from the brisket; however, the demand for leaner meat products has some processors preparing it from muscles of the round.

Is corned beef good for you? ›

While it provides protein and nutrients like iron and vitamin B12, corned beef is relatively high in fat and sodium. It's also a source of certain compounds that may increase your risk of cancer.

What makes corned beef taste like corned beef? ›

Corned beef is typically made from beef brisket – a relatively inexpensive cut of beef – cured in salt brine, with some pickling spices: bay leaf, peppercorns, mustard seed, juniper berries, coriander seeds, and whole cloves. Corned beef gets its characteristic sweet and tart taste from the brine.

What cut of meat to make corned beef? ›

Beef brisket is the cut used to make corned beef. A primal cut, it's a large piece from the breast or lower chest of beef cattle. Brisket is a tough cut with connective tissue throughout, and a whole brisket typically weighs 10 pounds or more. When it's cooked whole, it's usually served as a roast or barbecued brisket.

What makes corned beef red? ›

The color difference is due to one ingredient: nitrates, either in the form of sodium nitrate or saltpeter, added into the salty brine that gives brisket its corned taste and flavor. Nitrates preserve meat and give it a reddish color, two compelling qualities that make red corned beef much more popular than gray.

What replaces sodium nitrate? ›

Alternatives to Sodium Nitrate

Instead, celery powder is approved for flavor, and as an antimicrobial. Products that use celery powder must be labeled 'uncured' to distinguish them from conventionally cured products. For more information refer to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website.

What happens if you don't rinse corned beef? ›

Depending on the pickling solution used for the meat, you may be in for a saltier meal than you bargained for if you cook the meat without rinsing it. And don't worry: Rinsing won't make the beef taste bland! The flavor is infused deep into the beef during the curing process.

What does saltpeter do to meat? ›

Nitrates and Nitrites for Meat Color and Flavor

Early meat processors recognized that saltpeter was the ingredient that caused a good color and flavor to cured meat.

Does corned beef get more tender the longer it is cooked? ›

Information. Corned beef is made from one of several less tender cuts of beef like the brisket, rump, or round. Therefore, it requires long, moist cooking. Corned beef is safe once the internal temperature has reached at least 145 °F, with a three minute rest time, but cooking it longer will make it fork-tender.

Why does my corned beef always come out tough? ›

When you're done cooking the corned beef, make sure you slice against the grain of the meat. This will produce a more tender result; if you slice with the grain, you'll find a more tough and stringy texture when you chew.

What is the most flavorful cut of corned beef? ›

Point Cut: More marbling and fat, ideal for slow cooking, results in a richer flavor and more tender meat, best for hearty dishes.

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