Smoked Corned Beef Brisket Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Smoked Corned Beef Brisket Recipe

A step-by-step guide on how to make your own corning spices and Smoked Corned Beef Brisket.

Prep Time7

Cook Time5

Resting Time1

Total Time7 6

Course: Entree, Holiday

Cuisine: Irish, St. Patrick's Day

Servings: people

Author: Mary Cressler

Cost: $45.00

Ingredients

5 pound Brisket Flat (trimmed of excess fat)
3 tablespoons Brisket Rub

Corning Spices

4 quarts water
1 cup kosher salt
½ cup brown sugar (dark or light will work, as will cane sugar if that is all you have)
2 teaspoons Prague Powder 1 (otherwise known as pink curing salt. Do not use Prague Powder 2)
1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
1 tablespoon whole mustard seed
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
6 large cardamom pods, crushed
4 bay leaves, crushed

Instructions

Prepare Brisket and Brine

Make The Brine – In a large stockpot, add the water. To the water, add sugar and salts. Stir until the solids incorporate into the water. Finally, add the remaining Corning Spice ingredients.
Boil – Bring to a boil, then turn off the burner. Stir the brine to incorporate the flavor from the spices. The heat helps the aromatics escape the seeds and spices versus leaving the water cool. At this point cool the brine down to room temperature (or use the refrigerator to speed up the cooling).
Trim – While the brine cools, this is a good time to trim the brisket of any silver skin or excess fat.
Brine – Once the brine is cool, place the brisket into the stock pot and secure the lid. Place the pot in the refrigerator to cure for 7 days. (see notes to speed up the process)
Rotate – Each day remove the brisket from the pot and flip it over, then re-submerge the meat. This flipping allows a more even cure. If the brisket floats, consider adding something heavy to the brisket to weigh it down. Return to the refrigerator.
Rinse – After 7 days, remove the brisket from the brine. Rinse the brisket of excess brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Discard the brine. Now it’s time to smoke it.

How to Smoke Corned Beef

Preheat Smoker - Prepare the smoker targeting 250 degrees Fahrenheit using a fruit wood like apple or cherry. Oak and hickory are good options if you want a more pronounced smoke flavor.
Season - Season the rinsed and dried brisket with the Brisket Seasoning. We go light on the rub because there is already salt in the brine. If you have any aversion to salt, consider a rub that is salt-free or low salt.
Smoke - Place the seasoned brisket on the smoker, fat cap side down. Insert a meat thermometer probe into the flat (if you have one) and smoke, unwrapped. Smoke the brisket until the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F, or when the meat thermometer easily inserts into the meat with little resistance. (Plan roughly one hour per pound)
Rest and Serve - Once it reaches 200 degrees, remove the brisket from the smoker, wrap it in foil or butcher paper, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Next, place it in a cooler with no ice for one hour. Remove the Corned Beef Brisket from the cooler and then slice against the grain to serve.

Video

Notes

Note on Brining Time - Injecting the brine into the meat can help speed up the brining process to as little as 5 days. Use a food safe injector to inject meat throughout. And then place into the brining solution.

Curing - Be sure to use the right ratio of Prague Powder 1 based on weight and volume of meat and liquid.

Warning About Seasoning - The cure will add a good salt base to the meat. Add your favorite beef rub, but if you have any aversion to salt, then pull back on salt in the seasoning. This is really important to avoid an overly salted flavor. Taste your Beef rub prior to using and adjust as needed to minimize the salt.

If you have a thick cut, or you don’t have a full 7 days to brine, inject the meat in 1-inch cubes using the brine to help incorporate the cure faster.

Nutrition