Homemade Corned Beef - Dry Brine

Adapted from Julia Child. I've been reading that many cooks have abandoned the dry brine method for a wet brine method. I have been using this recipe for several years and it always comes out delicious. Just be aware that the meat will be brown, not that reddish purple color sold in stores. Their color is from sodium nitrate which is not used here.

• Ready In: 10 mins
• Serves: 36
• Yields: 1 corned beef

Ingredients

• 12  lbs beef brisket (or top or bottom round or eye round or boneless chuck)
• 1 1⁄3 cups coarse salt
• 1  teaspoon peppercorn, cracked
• 2  teaspoons allspice
• 2  teaspoons dried thyme
• 1  teaspoon paprika
• 1  teaspoon sage
• 1  teaspoon bay leaf, crumbled

Directions

1. Rub seasonings all over meat. Place in a large plastic bag, pressing as much air out of the bag as you can; seal. You will see red juice exude inside the bag which lets you know the cure has begun.
2. Set bag in a pan or bowl. Weight with a second pan or bowl for the first 2 days. Once or twice a day, massage meat and turn.
3. The cure is done in about 2 weeks. It will keep in its present state for several months. It just needs to be turned every few days.
4. Before cooking, the meat needs to be de-salted. Twenty-four hours before cooking wash the cure off the beef and soak the meat in a large bowl of cold water in the refrigerator. Change the water 2 or 3 times in the 24 hour period.
5. Please note that once the meat has been de-salted it is just as perishable as fresh beef.