OK, with St. Patrick's Day over and the smell of corned beef and cabbage dissipated from the surrounding countryside, I felt I had to post this.
We had corned venison roast this year instead of the old standard, and wow! Only the darker color and texture told the tale, the flavor was wonderful, so I thought I would share.
The recipe says beef, but of course substitute venison, elk, moose....whatever. One gallon of brine is plenty for a couple good sized venison roasts, you may have to adjust for larger game.
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Home-Cured Corned Beef
1-1/2 cups kosher salt*
½ cup sugar
4 teaspoons pink salt (sodium nitrite), also called Prague Powder #1
4 tablespoons pickling spice
1 5-pound beef brisket.
In a large pot, combine 1 gallon of water with kosher salt, sugar, sodium nitrite and 4 tablespoons pickling spice. Bring to a simmer, stirring until salt and sugar are dissolved, continue to simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.
Place brisket in a large container and cover to 1 over meat with the brine, weight with a plate to keep it submerged; cover. Refrigerate for 5 days.
Remove brisket from brine and rinse thoroughly. Cook by simmering until fork tender (about 30-40 minutes per pound).
Pickling Spice Buy fresh or make your own.
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons hot red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons allspice berries
2 small cinnamon sticks, crushed or broken into pieces
2 to 4 bay leaves, crumbled
2 tablespoons whole cloves
