Thanks Genie!  Good luck with your awards nomination.  I hope you win, you have a fantastic blog!

Translation Alert

It's been a while since I've done one, but can I just point out for British readers that what the Americans call corned beef is what we call salt beef. Here is a picture of British corned beef (for those of strong stomach!)

I'm a male single parent with (3) teenagers; sent them shopping, they brought back a large brisket and two cabbages - they said "We want this". Thanks for the tips. It was a breeze and I'm their hero in the kitchen. They probably think I know everything about cooking. I don't; my laptop does!

I'm having Corned Beef & Cabbage for a group on St. Pat's Day and I work. Can I put my 3 briskets in the crokpot or roaster on Sunday and warm up on Monday.  Will they still be tender? Thanks, Pat

I started "corning" meat when we moved to Alaska and had large cuts of caribou and moose to mess with.  It really cames in handy when we hunt ptarmigan, a grouse like bird with deep red breasts that have a strong flavor.  We collect 30 or 40 of these breasts and corn them for a feast. We make a brine of salts, sugar, garlic and pickling spices and soak the meat in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, then rinse and cook as in the directions on this site.

Janine, you will need a couple inches of water when cooking it if you go the roasting pan in the oven route. The water will make it tender and moist. The seasoning packet is optional most corked beef briskets come packed in a seasoned brine solution. If you decide to add the seasonings from the packet, just open the packet and sprinkle over the topside of the meat. 

Thank you kathy for your info on oven cooking im going to make it that way tomorrow !!!

A friend of mine cooked corned beef for approx. 35 folks each year.  He used the oven method.  It works perfectly - I know because I carved all the stuff.  Make sure you have a long bladed, very sharp knife.  Serated is not particularly good for this job.  Rutabega, white potatoes, carrots, cabbage and lots of horse radish are essential, as well as a lot of something strong and flavorful to drink.

I just found this site while searching to see how other people cook corned beef. Yes...corned beef is very easy to cook regardless of what method you use. My personal favorite method is by slow cooker (won't heat up the kitchen) or by using the pressure cooker if I am in a bit of a hurry. I don't think you can mess it up unless you let it go dry. After the meat is done I strain all of the solids out of the juice and throw in some quartered red potatoes (less starch). When the potatoes are done I pull out the spuds and in goes the cabbage. It makes for one heck of a meal and the next day, out comes the reuben sandwich. 

FYI...St Patrick's day was on Sat. March 15, 2008. The church changed it because it conflicted with Holy Monday.

great tips.  thanks!

With the help of this I got to show up my mother. Hah, "you'll ruin it". Even had a fit over it.

Best corned beef ever. So tender, so tasty, it was so very good. Boiled it for an hour, then threw it in a pan with some new potatoes and some carrots and poured some of the broth in. Ran it at 400 for about an hour. Cooked some white rice in the rest of the broth. So very yummy.

Maybe next time she wont run her mouth in the kitchen lol.

Your “recipe” looks fantastic! I would really love to be able to try it out. Actually I have to admit I was never a good cooker when it was about Corned Beef Brisket, and my husband really enjoyes it! So you kinda’ saved me! :D

AWESOME! AND REALLY EASY TOO! THIS IS MY FIRST TIME...THANKS!

Does anyone have a brine recipe for soaking the brisket??  I cannot find a brisket already in a brine. 

This question may seem obvious to some, but what is the best way to dispose of the "brine" or cooking water after cooking is completed? Simply pouring it down the drain may well cause clogging.  The knowledge you all demonstrate hopefully will come up with the best answer!

Hi, I tried out your roast pork recipe on Sunday and it turned out great!! Easy peasy!!  The beef brisket recipe sounds easy enough but I'd like to try it out in the pressure cooker I just bought.  Could you or anyone give me the method using a pressure cooker esp the timing?  Many thanks.

I love your website.  The step by step instructions with the pictures make all the difference. 

Thanks Kathy, it's a very comprehensive chart and I will most certainly try your recipe using the oven method sometime soon.

Disposing of kitchen waste is tricky.  I saw Julia Roberts recently on Opera showing how she “composts” everything.  That is clearly not an easy solution!  (My relatives in New Zealand made it all look much easier than what Julia was showing Opera!) 

PapaGeo, my compliments to you for expanding your cooking horizons!  If you look in the Recipe Index at the top of this page it will take you to all of my recipes including a section called Soups Salads and Sides and Sauces.  There you will find tons of videos and photo-tutorials on many vegetables and side dishes.  Some foods always go hand and hand but it is fun to shake up the menu now and again with a few surprises.  Good Luck!

JFL, are you sure you cut the meat across the grain?  If not, then it will end up really stringy and tough.

JFL,
One hour/pound is what the USDA recommends for stove-top cooking. 

Perhaps another 15 - 30 minutes of simmering would have helped.  Also make sure there is enough water in the pot to cover the meat, and place the meat with the flat side up in the pan.

BTW - When slicing corned beef, along the grain is not the same as across the grain.

You could try the oven method of cooking corned beef.  (described in the link above)

Let me know what happens with the next one!

Good Luck!

I have found a new way to serve corned beef that my whole family loves and you can eat just about any kind of side dish with it. We love to eat it this way in the summer with a baked potato or a pasta salad. You cook the corned beef the same as you would any other time. When it is nice and tender place it on a foil lined baking sheet. Mix together approx. 1 cup of brown sugar adding enough yellow or brown mustard to make it a moist glaze.Glaze the beef and put under the broiler until brown and bubbly, flip it over and do the other side the same.We also do it on our grill instead of using the broiler. I personally don't like mustard or anything sweet but this is something truely different.It isn't really sweet nor do you taste the mustard it changes into something very unique.My family and I are glad I took a chance on it and made it.It is our favorite way of eating corned beef.Also instead of cooking the cabbage with the beef we slice it into 1/2 inch slices and sautee it in butter on the side. I hope you enjoy this as much as our family does.

I prefer the point cut. We had the flat cut tonight for the first time in a long time and was very dissapointed with it. It was a lot drier than the point cut.At least that is what we thought. I cooked two of same size. One was a little more moist than the other but was a little tougher. The more tender one was like sawdust in your mouth. In the 20 plus I have cooked prior I have never had that happen. The only difference I could come upon is that we ussually get the point cut,for it's usually cheaper. I have to buy 2-3 for my family so it can get costly. Has any one else experienced this with the point/flat cut?

Good question Kate!

I have never tried making Pressed Corned Beef, but the section below on Pressed Corned Beef is from the "The National Cook Book" book, by Marion Harland And Christine Terhune Herrick (written in 1896 and reprinted in 2001!!!!).

Amazingly enough it is still available from Amazon: National Cook Book

Pressed Corned Beef

"Select a firm piece for this purpose. The brisket is good, or for those who like a streak of fat and a streak of lean, the plate-piece is excellent, but this must be chosen carefully. Tie the meat tightly in a piece of cotton cloth that has been shrunk, making the beef take the shape you wish it to have when cold. Lay it in a pot and. cover it with cold water, and put into this a stalk of celery, half a carrot sliced, a sliced turnip, an onion, and a few cabbage-leaves. Let the meat simmer gently. The time of cooking will depend upon the size of the piece of beef. Six pounds will require between four and five hours' cooking, but it must be very slow boiling - only the quietest of bubbling at the side of the pot. A hard galloping boil will cook the taste out of the meat and reduce it to a mass of insipid shreds. When the beef is done leave it in the water until this is nearly cold, then take it out and lay it between two flat surfaces and put heavy weights upon it. It should remain thus all night. In the morning remove the cloth, trim the beef into comeliness, if there are any ragged edges, and garnish it with watercress, or parsley and small pickles."

Kate if you give this a try, be sure to let us know how it turns out!

Cheers!
Kathy

Hi Dorothy,  There are all sorts spices you can add including pickling spices, cinnamon and peppercorns, just to name a few.  Here is a link to quite a few different Corned Beef Brisket recipes that I am sure will inspire!

Hi Nicole,  do remember to be sure to slice the brisket across the grain!
Good Luck,
Kathy