Homemade Corned Beef – Brisket and Brine Recipe
- Type
- Pre-cooked sausage
- Level
- Medium
- Rating
- Rate this recipe
This homemade corned beef recipe is easier than you might think. All you need is beef brisket, a spiced brine and a little patience. After 5 to 7 days of curing and a few hours of gentle cooking, you’ll have tender, flavorful meat that puts store-bought canned meat in the shade.
I’ll show you two versions: classic sliced corned beef, as served in the US, and the German version in aspic, also known as Kraftfleisch, served chilled in jars.
The work is moderate; the brine does most of it for you in the refrigerator. For more meat recipe ideas, try my homemade breakfast meat or pork in its own juices.
Here you’ll find the complete corned beef recipe.
Have fun and good luck making it!
Homemade corned beef – ingredients and equipment
Ingredients per 1 kg
| Ingredient | Grams | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| corned beef | ||
| beef brisket | 1,000 g | |
Spices for 1 litre of brine
| Ingredient | Grams |
|---|---|
| water | 850 ml |
| beer (optional; replace with water if preferred) | 150 ml |
| salt | 73.5 g |
| brown sugar | 50 g |
| Cure #1 | 6.4 g |
| black peppercorns | 5 g |
| mustard seeds | 4 g |
| juniper berries | 3 piece |
| cardamom pods | 3 piece |
| coriander seeds | 2.5 g |
| dried bay leaves | 2 piece |
| allspice | 1.5 g |
| cloves | 1.5 g |
| fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped | 1 piece |
| cinnamon stick (half a stick) | 1 piece |
Optional: chili flakes to taste
For a 1 to 2 kg piece, you’ll need about 2 l brine, depending on the container. For cooking the meat, you’ll need another ⅓ of the spice mixture per liter, but without salt or sugar.
Equipment
Spice grinder or mortar
A spice grinder is ideal for grinding your spices. A mortar works too. You can use ready-ground spices, of course, but I recommend grinding them yourself.
Want to know which other equipment I recommend? See my full sausage-making equipment list.
Homemade corned beef – step-by-step instructions
Toast the spices
Briefly toast the spices, except the fresh ginger, in a dry pan over medium heat. 2 to 3 minutes is enough. Don’t let them burn. This step is optional, but I recommend it: toasting makes the spices much more flavorful.
Crush the spices
Put the toasted spices in a mortar and crush coarsely. They don’t need to be fine. You just want to break them open so they release more flavor into the brine.
Add the beer and spices
Add the beer, spice mixture and fresh ginger to the brine. The beer is optional; you can replace it with water. I recommend using beer, though, as it gives the corned beef a lovely rounded, malty flavor.
Add the meat
Put the beef brisket in the prepared brine. The meat must be completely covered. Weigh it down with a plate or small lid so it doesn’t float to the surface.
Cure in the refrigerator
Refrigerate the meat for 5 to 7 days. Turn it every two days so the brine penetrates evenly. The larger the piece, the longer you should cure it.
Rinse the meat
Remove the meat from the brine and rinse thoroughly under cold water. You’ll notice the texture has already changed: the meat feels firmer than before.
Prepare the cooking liquid
Fill a large saucepan with water and add ⅓ of the spice mixture per liter. Important: Don’t add salt or sugar to the cooking liquid; the meat has absorbed enough during curing.
Put the meat in the cooking liquid
Place the meat in the spiced liquid. It should be completely covered with water.
Cook gently
Cook the meat at about 91 °C (196 °F), just below boiling, until it reaches a core temperature of 85 °C (185 °F). Depending on the size, this takes between 2 and 4 hours. Let the meat rest for a few minutes after cooking.
Slice and enjoy
Cut the meat into thin slices against the grain. This gives you tender slices that almost fall apart. Your corned beef is ready. Serve with mustard and fresh bread, or with mayonnaise on a sandwich. Enjoy.
Corned beef in aspic
In Germany, corned beef is mainly known as Kraftfleisch in jars: meat in aspic, or jelly, that you can slice for bread. If you like aspic, take a look at my chicken in aspic too. Here’s how to make this variation from your homemade corned beef.
Follow the recipe above through step 10, cooking the meat. Important: You’ll also need a meat grinder and gelatin for this version.
Divide the meat
11. Divide the cooked meat into two equal pieces.
Shred the first half
12. Pull the first half into strands with two forks. After the long cooking time, this is easy.
Grind the second half
13. Cut the second half into pieces that fit your grinder, then grind through a fine plate.
Prepare the gelatin
14. Mix some of the cooking liquid with gelatin. You’ll need cooking liquid equal to about 25 % of the meat’s weight. For example, 2 kg meat needs 500 ml cooking liquid. Add gelatin according to the package directions to make a firm, sliceable mixture.
Mix everything together
15. Thoroughly combine the shredded meat, ground meat and prepared gelatin mixture.
Fill the jars and refrigerate
16. Fill clean jars with the mixture and refrigerate until the aspic sets. Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.
Your Kraftfleisch is ready
17. Your homemade corned beef in aspic is ready. Perfect on bread or as a snack. Enjoy.
Frequently asked questions
What is corned beef?
What is corned beef?
Corned beef is cured and gently cooked beef, traditionally made from brisket. Its name comes from “corn,” referring to the coarse grains of salt originally rubbed onto the meat. In Germany, it’s mainly known as Kraftfleisch in jars, set in aspic. In the US, it’s traditionally served as tender sliced meat.
How long does corned beef keep?
How long does corned beef keep?
Sliced and refrigerated, your corned beef keeps for about 3 to 4 days. Vacuum-packed and frozen, it keeps for 3 to 4 months. Keep the version in aspic refrigerated too and use within 3 to 4 days.
Can I serve corned beef in jars?
Can I serve corned beef in jars?
Yes. Follow the aspic variation above for traditional German Kraftfleisch. Keep the filled jars in the refrigerator and use within 3 to 4 days.
Why is store-bought corned beef often pink?
Why is store-bought corned beef often pink?
The nitrite in the cure preserves the meat’s characteristic pink color during curing. If you use regular sea salt, the meat becomes gray-brown instead. It makes no difference to the flavor.
Which cut of beef works best?
Which cut of beef works best?
Beef brisket works best. It contains enough fat and connective tissue to become tender and juicy during the long cooking time. Top sirloin cap, known as Tafelspitz, also works but gives a leaner result.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you’ll find plenty more ideas in my recipe collection.
EU readers can order allspice from my German store.
