What Is Corned Beef?

Corn Beef is Beef Brisket that has been salted and/or cured. The Brisket is a heavily used muscle so if you do not cook it correctly it can be very tough, this is why Corned Beef is cooked to such high temperatures. The collagen and connective tissue in the tough muscle will start to break down around 160 degrees (F). Brisket can be injected and then vacuum tumbled for immediate cooking, injected and held overnight for cooking the next day or it can wet brined, where you create a brine and let the Brisket soak in the brine for 10-14 days to allow the brine to penetrate the meat. Brisket is also a cured meat, which means part of the brine is sodium nitrites, in this case, it will be sure cure. The cure turns the meat a classic pink color, preserves the taste, keeps the food safe from botulism and imparts a cured meat flavor.

Meat Block

10 lb Trimmed Flat Beef Brisket

Seasoning

1 Bag Corn Beef Cure Twin Pack (3.2 oz per 10 lb)

Cure

Sure Cure (included with purchase)(.4 oz per 10 lb)

Additives

Cold Water (1.6 lb per 10 lb)
Sodium Phosphates (optional)

Process for injecting and holding overnight

Fully dissolve the seasoning and cure in the water, you want to have all particles fully suspended. Pump the brisket until it is 20% of its original weight, known as the “green” weight. Vacuum seal and hold in a cooler overnight or for a saltier taste create a 50% strength solution (just double the water) and hold it overnight in that solution. Both of these processes allow the cure time to equalize in the meat, this way everything will get the proper amount of seasoning and cure and the meat will be nicely pink throughout.

Process for bringing

Again, fully dissolve the cure in the water. Using a food-safe container, place the brisket into the corned beef solution and cover with lid or plastic wrap. Place in cooler and let sit for at least 10 days, for larger than normal briskets, or for a saltier, stronger taste hold as long as 14.

Process for injecting and tumbling

Again, fully dissolve the seasoning and cure in the water. Inject your brisket until it is just 15% of its green weight. Take the additional 5% and place that in your vacuum tumbler along with the brisket. Set your speed at 15 rpm and pull a 20 vacuum. Tumble for 1 hour, if you cannot put your tumbler in a cooler you should add ice to the water before you vacuum.

Cooking

A very common way to cook a brisket is to do so in water. This drastically cuts down cooking times and allows you to add cabbage, carrots, and onions to the water during the second half of your cook. However, taking the advice of a Meatgistics fan we went ahead and did a combo smoke and sous vide cook. We smoked for 3 hours at 225 degrees with applewood chips. Start with the dampers open for 30 minutes and then closed them up. After the 3 hours, we took our brisket out and vacuum sealed it in a large vacuum bag. We set our Sous Vide Circulator to 210 degrees and cooked it for 3 more hours until the internal temperature was 190 or higher.

If you have the time, we highly recommend that after the first 3 hours you set your Sos Vide Cooker down to 195 and let it cook overnight. The meat will be perfectly tender.

If you are planning on holding this overnight and reheating (you should do this if possible) before serving, save the juice from your vacuum bag.

Holding

This is the only part that we found to be “hard” in this process. Let your Corned Beef (it is no longer just Brisket!) sit in a cooler overnight before cutting it! This will be hard but try a slice or two after cooking and then a slice or two the next day and you will see why!

Slicing

Slice across the grain as thin or as thick as you want! If you slice it while hot, as you slice the fat cap on top of the brisket should heavily leak down the front of the slices, try to capture as much as this as you can.

Serving

Reheat in an oven (With the leftover juices from the sous vide bag if you saved) until meat is at least 165 and enjoy! You are going to get people raving about this corned beef, trust us!

Wrap up

Corned Beef can be an intimidating thing to cook for the first time but if you take your time it is a wonderful and way to enjoy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Watch WaltonsTV: How to Make Homemade Corned Beef

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