Corned Beef

I've never made the "traditional" St. Patrick's day dinner of Corned Beef and Cabbage, but I've always wanted to try it. So I looked it up on the trusty Cooks Illustrated website. According to Cook's, the corned beef you buy at the grocery store is nasty. So, they suggest you "corn", or cure, your own beef. So, here goes.

You need to purchase beef brisket. I halved the recipe because it feeds 8, but here's the original recipe from cooksillustrated.com:

HOME CORNED BEEF BRISKET

1/2 c kosher salt

1 T black peppercorns, cracked (I put them in a bag and used a rolling pin to crack them)

3/4 T ground allspice

1 T dried thyme

1/2 T paprika

2 bay leaves, crumbled

1 beef brisket, 4-6 pounds, trimmed of excess fat, rinsed and patted dry

Mix all spices in small bowl. Poke 30 holes in each side of the beef brisket with a meat fork or metal skewer. Rub each side evenly with spice mixture and place in 2-gallon zipper-lock bag. Press as much air out as possible. Place brisket in jelly roll, cookie sheet, or similar pan. Place another pan on top and weight with bricks or cans. Refrigerate 5-7 days, turning once a day.

Here's my set-up with the corned beef underneath the cans.
Looks and sounds a bit motley, eh?! We'll see if it turns out!
Stay tuned . . .