Corned Beef
Instructions:
Corned beef is brisket (ideally) that, like wet-cured ham,
has been steeped in a spicy brine. If you have a choice,
buy the flat cut rather than the point cut. Cooking
corned beef is literally as easy as boiling water; it’s tough
to overcook, so this is a good candidate for the slow
cooker. With mustard, pickles, and good rye bread, this
makes a fine old-fashioned meal.
1 corned beef, 3 to 5 pounds
1 bay leaf
1 head garlic
3 cloves
10 peppercorns
5 allspice berries or 1 or 2 pinches ground allspice
1 onion
MAKES: 6 to 12 servings
TIME: 3 hours, largely unattended
- Put the corned beef in a large, heavy pot and cover with water. Add all the remaining ingredients.
- Bring to a boil and skim all the foam that rises to the surface.
- Lower the heat so that the water bubbles occasionally rather than constantly. Cook, turning every 30 minutes or so, for about 2 hours.
- Pierce with a thin-bladed knife, like a boning knife; the meat will probably still be fairly tough, but it’s time to begin checking.
- Check every 15 minutes or so; when the corned beef allows the knife to pass into the middle without much resistance, it is ready.
- Drain; if you like, put the meat into a 300 F oven for 10 minutes to dry out the exterior a little. (Or wrap it carefully in tin foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days; reheat at 300F for 30 minutes in the foil; unwrap and heat for about 15 minutes more.)
- Slice across the grain, as you would brisket, and serve.