Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

1 ea Fresh beef brisket,untrimmed 1 tb Mustard seed
( 8 to 12 pound brisket) 4 ea Bay leaves; crumbled
8 qt Water (or more) 8 ea Sprigs fresh thyme OR
3 c Kosher salt (to 5 cups) 1 ts Dry thyme; crumbled
1 ea Egg 2 tb Whole black peppercorns
6 ea Garlic cloves; sliced 1 ts Dried red pepper flakes
1 tb Whole cloves

If you want to corn a smaller piece of meat than 8 to 12 pounds, buy a
chunk of brisket from the fatty side that includes the cap. Do not
trim fat from the meat; in fact, the meat should only be trimmed, if
at all, after it is both cured and cooked.

Use a pot, bucket or crock large enough to hold brisket, leaving room
for it to float in brine. (Place brisket in pot and cover with about
2 gallons of water to test the amount of water needed and whether
container is large enough.) Remove brisket from pot and add a little
less than 3 cups of kosher salt to the water. Stir to dissolve salt.

Put an uncooked whole egg in the brine. If the egg sinks, continue to
add salt until egg floats. It could take as much as 2 cups more salt.
Remove egg. (Variables here are size of beef and container, which
will determine amount of water and salt. The egg test makes recipe
foolproff and truly consistent.)

Once the right amount of salt has been added, add garlic, cloves,
mustard seed, bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns and red pepper flakes.
Return brisket to brine and place plate or similar object on top to
weight down brisket, keeping it submerged. Cover with plastic wrap
and refrigerate 10 to 12 days. (Once you have made one batch, you may
vary flavorings to suit your taste. Be sure to use the same container
to perfect this recipe.)

After 10 to 12 days, remove brisket from brine and store in tightly
sealed plastic bag. Discard brine.

Meat may be cut in half and used for separate meals. Cured meat will
keep for quite a long time, but use within 2 weeks for maxiumum
flavor.

To cook: Wash brisket under cold running water to remove surface
brine. Place brisket in a very large pan and cover with several
inches of cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and skim off
foam. If desired, add a few bay leaves, black peppercorns, whole
allspice, thyme, garlic or other seasonings. Cover, and allow to
simmer about 1 hour per pound or until a fork can penetrate to
center. If desired, add potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage during
the last 20 minutes of cooking time.

Always slice corned beef very thin, diagonally across the grain.

NOTE: Kosher salt is widely available in larger supermarkets. if it's
not stocked with other salts, check the store's kosher food section
or bulk bins.

Corning is a very old and simple process of preserving meat that
predates modern refrigeration. The meat was rubbed with salt or
placed in a brine and set aside to cure. In the past, the salt had
the coarse texture of wheat kernels, or what the British called
"corn"; hence the name.

This recipe comes from Jasper White, chef-owner of Jasper's
restaurant in Boston.
Typed from the Oregonian FoodDay by Dorothy Flatman, 1995
Submitted By DOROTHY FLATMAN On 03-09-95

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