Homemade Corned Beef Brisket is easier to make than you might think. And being able to make it without nitrates is just a bonus. Our nitrate-free corned beef recipe cures at home in about a week using everyday ingredients you probably already have on hand.
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You can cook the cured beef in a stockpot, pressure cooker (aka Instant Pot), or slow cooker. Serve with colcannon, gluten-free Irish soda bread, and a slice of our GF Dark chocolate cake for a proper Irish dinner.
And if it is March 16th and you just realized you are a little late to the party, try making our amazing homemade Shepard's pie instead.
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📖Why My Recipe Works
- Quick Prep- It takes just a few minutes of prep time and 7 days in the fridge to make your own corned beef.
- Flavorful- The main flavor in store-bought corned beef is salt. While this recipe is full of flavor thanks to our unique pickling spice.
🧾Ingredient Notes
Beef Brisket- If you can find it, I prefer a grass beef brisket.
Kosher Salt- Yes, you should use kosher not table salt or pink curing salt.
Molasses- Old fashion skip the blackstrap for this recipe. Some recipes use brown sugar but molasses provides a richer less sweet flavor.
Fresh Garlic
Beet Juice or Purple Sauerkraut Juice- Optional, but it does provide that classic pink corned beef look.
Onions, Carrots, Celery- The trinity of stewing veggies.
Water- Typically corned beef is cooked without beer but for a fun twist add your favorite ale.
Pickling Spice- You can use any selection of spices you want but we have provided our homemade mix on the recipe card.
I never make the same pickling spice twice. This is my basic go-to blend. But inevitably I am out of something or have extra of another. It always comes out just fine.
The cinnamon is where I think most people differ in opinion. I think this recipe is a little high in cinnamon so definitely pull back if that isn't your thing.
Store-bought pickling spice blends work too.
⏲️How to Make Corned Beef from Scratch
This recipe has two steps. First, we are going to brine the meet. This brining process is what cures the beef. After waiting about a week, the beef will be ready for cooking.
How to Brine Corned Beef
To make the brining liquid we are going to heat the water over medium heat. Don't get it too hot, just warm enough to melt the molasses. Cool with ice and add your pickling spices.
Trim the excess fat from your brisket and place the brisket in a large roasting pan. Cover with the brine.
After placing the brisket in the brine, it is critical to check on it daily to ensure the beef is completely submerged. When checking always give the liquid a stir.
If the beef isn't submerged you can place a saucer or small plate on top and weigh it down with a can.
The meat can sit in the brine anywhere from 3 to 10 days, so the recipe can adjust to your schedule. I find a week is just about right.
If at any time it starts to smell, something went wrong and you will need to toss it and start over.
How to Cook Corned Beef
First, remove the meat from the brine. Rinse it thoroughly with cold water. The leftover brisket brine should be tossed out.
Place the corned beef in a large pot with the vegetables. Cover the beef and veggies with water.
I cook my corned beef with carrots, celery, and onions. Cooking with cabbage is optional.
When serving with our dairy-free colcannon or when making corned beef for homemade Rubens I opt not to use cabbage.
Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the corned beef for 3-4 hours, or until it's tender.
Most recipes for corned beef say two to three hours of roasting time. Two hours will get you sliceable brisket. Cooking it for up to four hours gets you that perfect stringy texture.
What to Serve with Corned Beef
Corned beef is traditionally served with cabbage or colcannon, which is potatoes mixed with cabbage. My dairy-free colcannon is out of this world!
Other options include roasted turnips with bacon, Boursin mashed potatoes, or pureed celeriac. On the veggie side of things, garlic green beans, sauteed rainbow chard, or a crispy seared broccolini all make delicious pairings.
Consider starting off your meal with a simple house salad or creamy broccoli and asparagus soup. The bright green color is so festive!
👩🏻🍳Jen's Testing Notes
- Choose a well-marbled brisket for the most flavor.
- Plan ahead so that the corned beef has plenty of time to cure.
- Rinse the cured meat thoroughly before cooking to ensure the final dish isn't overly salty.
- Pay careful attention to food safety, ensure everything is sanitized, check the meat daily, and always wash your hands after touching raw meat.
🌡️Storing Leftovers
Cooked corned beef can last in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days if stored properly. To store cooked corned beef, place it in an airtight container and keep in the fridge.
To store corned beef for longer than 5 days, you can freeze it for up to 2-3 months Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag. When you're ready to eat the corned beef, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating it.
🥗More Cozy Dinner Recipes
💭 Corned Beef FAQ
The 'corned' in corned beef means pickled or cured. The origin of the term 'corned' comes from the process of curing meat with salt using large crystal salt, also referred to as 'corns' of salt.
There is much debate regarding the harmfulness of nitrates and nitrites. They naturally occur in many vegetables but are also required for preserving meat in an industrial setting. But there are concerns if you frequently eat processed meats.
Luckily, there is no need to use them in a home kitchen except to achieve that very pink color. Sodium nitrate (aka saltpeter) is dyed pink to distinguish it from regular salt. We can get a soft pink color into the beef naturally by adding beet juice. Not as bright but certainly as tasty.
To learn more about nitrates and nitrites, this article from Dr. Axe breaks it down in an easy-to-understand format.
For best results cure and cook your corned beef. Then place it in a large freezer bag or plastic container with the broth.
Freezing corned beef in its own broth keeps it nice and moist so we can pull it out for our St. Patty's Day feast or a Saturday afternoon Reuben.
Yes and no. When the Brits came to Ireland they brought their love of beef. In Ireland, cattle were used for producing milk and plowing fields. They weren't often used for meat consumption.
The Smithsonian magazine has an interesting article about the winding path corned beef took from 16th century Ireland to today's American table.
Corned beef from scratch will cure in 7 to 10 days.
Corned beef is typically made with a brisket cut. A brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of the cattle.
Traditional corned beef can be gluten-free but it depends on where you get it from. Many manufacturers may add flavors or coloring made from malt or barley. While restaurants may cook their corned beef in beer. Always double-check before consuming., My homemade corned beef recipe is gluten-free.
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📖 Recipe Card
Homemade Corned Beef (No Nitrates!)
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb grass-fed beef brisket
- 2 qts filtered water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- ½ cup molasses
- 6 cloves garlic
- ¼ recipe pickling spice
- ½ cup beet or purple sauerkraut juice
- 2 sm onions quartered
- 2 carrots, chunked
- 2 celery stalks, chunked
- 1 green cabbage wedges (optional)
Pickling Spice (Note: only use ¼ of the mix)
- 4 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 4 Tablespoon whole mustard seed
- 4 Tablespoon whole coriander seed
- 2 Tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 Tablespoon whole allspice berries
- 4 sticks cinnamon, broken
- 4 Tablespoon whole cloves
- 2 Tablespoon ground ginger
- 8 bay leaves
Instructions
- Place water, salt, molasses, garlic, and pickling spice into pot on low heat. Stir until salt and molasses completely dissolve. Remove from heat and add 2-4 cups of ice to cool liquid. Should be chilled. Stir in beet juice.2 qts filtered water, 1 cup kosher salt, ½ cup molasses, 6 cloves garlic, ¼ recipe pickling spice, ½ cup beet or purple sauerkraut juice
- Add brisket. Meat should be totally submerged. Place saucer or plate to hold meat down if necessary. Cover and place in fridge for 5 to 10 days, ideally 7 days. Check daily to ensure beef is staying submerged and to stir brine.4-5 lb grass-fed beef brisket
- When ready to cook, remove beef and discard liquid. Trim off any excess fat. Rinse the beef with cold water.
Slow Cooker Method
- Place the brisket into a large slow cooker, add the onion, carrot and celery and cover with water by 1-inch (about 2 quarts). Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.2 sm onions, 2 carrots, chunked, 2 celery stalks, chunked
Stove Top Method
- Place brisket into large pot, cut into pieces if needed. add the onion, carrot and celery and cover with water by 1-inch (about 2 quarts). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Partially cover and cook 3 to 4 hours until fork tender.
Video
Notes
- Leftover corned beef can be stored for up to 5 days covered in the fridge.
- To freeze, place corned beef in its juices in a freezer bag. Store for up to 3 months.
Mtmama23 says
Excellent flavor after only 8 hours of pickling! And so easy!!! It was the afternoon of Christmas Eve and I needed something great for Christmas day dinner (not a planner). I put the marinade and brisket in the frig for 8 hours, then moved it to the crock pot unit to cook for eight hours overnight on low. I used half of the pickling spice instead of a quarter the recipe called for. It was perfect. My $16 homemade corned beef tasted better than the $50 pre-made beef my mom served last Christmas. It was so good that I didn't even have enough for leftovers the next day.
Jen says
Thank you so much for your kind review. I am thrilled to hear it was delicious after just a few hours.
Tanya says
I need to make this quickly, too. When you moved the brisket to the crockpot, was it rinsed and completed per the recipe's instructions, or did you cook it in the brine since your brine time was so short?