St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef

One of the most profound things about eating locally is shaking the hand of the person raising your food.  At Miles Smith Farm one of those folks is Carol Soule.  She welcomed us to the farm, showed us to the cows and got hay for us to feed them.  That was when we learned just how long a cows tongue really is!  The boys were so scared of getting licked they refused to feed them! 

Miles Smith cows are pasture raised and well cared for as they enjoy the fresh air and blue skies of New Hampshire.  The care that Carol and her husband provide the cows translates into beef that I trust is safe for my family.  To find local meat in your area visit your local farmers market, health food store, www.localharvest.org or www.eatwild.com. 

Brine dry ingredients

Who needs grocery store corned beef for St. Patrick's Day when you can do it yourself?  Alton Brown's recipe indicates the brisket should brine for 10 days so I'm cheating a little with only seven to spare.  Our point cut brisket is fairly thin and will do fine with a few days less in the brine.  Because of the large size of the brisket I cut it into two pieces - each in their own ziptop bag.

I chose to omit the saltpeter that Alton's recipe includes.  Saltpeter is a nitrate that retains the meat's pink color.  I also wasn't able to find the juniper berries so those were also omitted from my version.  I did hear that Whole Foods carried them but we don't yet have a Whole Foods in NH!

In the coming days I'll post my favorite recipes for corned beef, horseradish sauce, Brussel sprouts and Irish soda bread.  Stay tuned!

Brisket in the brine

Corned Beef Brine

• 2 quarts water
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into a few pieces
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 12 whole juniper berries
• 8 whole cloves
• 8 whole allspice berries
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 lbs of ice
• 1 3lb brisket 

1. Place the water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger.
2. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
3. Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice has melted. If necessary, place the brine into the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees F.
4. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip top bag and add the brine. Squeeze out any air and seal the bag.  Lay it flat inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine.
5. Serves 4-6.