Irish Classic Dish (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Pickling Spices

01 - 1 tablespoon mustard seeds (yellow or brown)
02 - 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
03 - 1 tablespoon red chili flakes
04 - 1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
05 - 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
06 - 2 teaspoons ground ginger
07 - 2 teaspoons cloves (whole)
08 - 6 bay leaves, crumbled up
09 - 9 cardamom pods
10 - 1/2 cinnamon stick

→ Brine

11 - 3.8 liters (1 gallon) of water
12 - 2 cups kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) OR 1 cup + 3½ tbsp Morton's salt (300g)
13 - 5 tsp pink curing salt (optional)
14 - 3 tbsp of the spice mix for pickling
15 - 90g (1/2 cup) packed brown sugar

→ Beef Brisket

16 - 5 pounds of beef brisket (one piece)
17 - 1 tbsp reserved pickling spices

# Instructions:

01 - In a dry pan, toast coriander, mustard, allspice, cardamom, chili flakes, cloves, and black peppercorns. Give them a quick crush in a mortar, then combine with ground ginger and bay leaves in a bowl.
02 - In a pot, pour a gallon of water. Add kosher salt, pink salt (optional), brown sugar, and a few tablespoons of the pickling spices along with the cinnamon stick. Heat until it boils, then let it cool to room temp. Lastly, chill it in the fridge.
03 - Submerge your brisket fully in the chilled brine in a large container. If it floats, weigh it down with something like a plate. Or use a 2-gallon freezer bag placed in another container. Let it sit in the fridge, flipping the meat daily, for 5 to 7 days.
04 - Rinse the brined brisket under cold water and pop it into a big pot. Cover it with enough water so it’s about an inch or more above the meat. Add a spoonful of pickling spices, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours until it’s tender when poked with a fork.
05 - Pull the brisket out and set it on a cutting board. Slice it in half along the grain first, then thinly slice across the grain for serving.

# Notes:

01 - Using pink curing salt will give the beef a reddish hue, otherwise, it will look grey.
02 - Pink curing salt is different from Himalayan pink salt—don’t confuse them. It contains sodium nitrite and can be harmful if eaten alone.
03 - The broth can double as a cooking liquid for veggies.
04 - You can safely keep the cured beef in your fridge for about seven days.
05 - This brine quantity works great for a 5-pound brisket. Use less for smaller pieces of meat.

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