Corned beef is a staple dish for many families, especially around St. Patrick’s Day. While you can buy pre-brined and cooked corned beef from the grocery store, making it yourself at home is so much better! Homemade corned beef has a depth of flavor that store-bought versions just can’t compare to.
Luckily, brining your own corned beef is an easy process that anyone can do at home with minimal ingredients and equipment. If you’ve never tried making homemade corned beef before, keep reading to learn the simple steps for brining and cooking perfect corned beef every time!
What is Corned Beef?
Corned beef gets its name from the “corns” of salt used to cure the meat. It’s made by soaking beef brisket in a brine solution for 7-10 days. This curing process gives corned beef its signature pink color unique salty flavor and tender texture.
While any beef cut can technically be corned, brisket is the preferred choice. Brisket has the perfect balance of fat marbling and meat that results in delicious, fork-tender corned beef after a low and slow cooking process. Look for a 3-5 pound beef brisket with nice marbling to corn at home.
Why Make Homemade Corned Beef?
Here are some of the biggest benefits of making DIY corned beef instead of buying it pre-brined
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Better flavor – Homemade corned beef made with quality brisket and your own special spice blend tastes better than anything from the store. You control the ingredients!
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Food safety – By making it yourself, you can ensure there are no nasty preservatives or anti-caking additives.
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Save money – Pre-brined corned beef can be expensive. Make it yourself for a fraction of the cost.
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Fun project – Not only do you get delicious homemade corned beef, but you also get the satisfaction of a fun DIY food project!
How to Make a Corned Beef Brine
The secret to incredible homemade corned beef is in the brine! Here are the simple steps:
Ingredients:
- 3-5 lb beef brisket
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons pink curing salt
- Spices: peppercorns, coriander, mustard seeds, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon stick, etc.
Directions:
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Trim excess fat from brisket. Place brisket in large sealable bag or container.
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Bring water, salt, sugar, and spices to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes until salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from heat and let cool.
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Pour cooled brine over brisket, cover, and refrigerate 7-10 days. Turn brisket over every 2 days.
And that’s it! The salt penetrates and cures the meat while the spices add flavor. In just 7-10 short days, you’ll have deliciously cured corned beef ready for cooking.
How to Cook Corned Beef
After a 7-10 day brining period, the corned beef is ready to be cooked! Here are cooking options:
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Stovetop: Place brisket in pot, cover with water, add more spices. Simmer 3-4 hours until fork tender.
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Slow Cooker: Add 1 cup water and spices. Cook 8-10 hours on low.
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Instant Pot: Add 1 cup broth and spices. Pressure cook 90 minutes. Natural release.
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Oven: Place brisket in Dutch oven, add water and spices. Cover and bake at 300F for 3-4 hours.
Allow the cooked corned beef to rest 15 minutes before slicing across the grain. Serve with cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and mustard on the side!
Tips for the Best Homemade Corned Beef
Here are some top tips for brining and cooking picture-perfect homemade corned beef:
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Use a nice 3-5 lb brisket with marbling for the best texture
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Trim excess hard fat before brining for cleaner slices
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Make sure brisket stays fully submerged in brine
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Brine for full 7-10 days for best flavor
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Rinse brisket after brining to remove excess salt
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Add spices, bay leaves, garlic when cooking for extra flavor
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Cook low and slow until extremely tender
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Allow corned beef to rest before slicing for juicy meat
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Slice across the grain for most tender bites
How Long Does Corned Beef Last?
Properly stored, homemade corned beef will last:
- Brined corned beef in fridge: 4-7 days
- Cooked corned beef in fridge: 5-7 days
- Brined or cooked corned beef in freezer: 4-6 months
For maximum freshness and flavor, try to cook your homemade corned beef within 1-2 days of finishing the brining process. And eat any leftovers within 5 days. Freeze any extra you don’t plan to eat quickly.
Enjoy Delicious Homemade Corned Beef!
Making your own corned beef at home is one of the most rewarding DIY food projects. While it takes some time and planning, the wait is well worth it when you take that first juicy, tender, salty, perfectly spiced bite of homemade corned beef! Surprise your family this St. Patrick’s Day with flavorful homemade corned beef.
Home Brined Corned Beef Brisket
Every year we anticipate the special dinner we cook on St. Patricks Day. While theres no reason you cant have potatoes, cabbage and brisket any day of the year, we enjoy the tradition of the celebration. To make it even more delectable, this week well show you how to brine your own corned beef.
Brining is an age-old method of preserving with salt and its quite a simple process. Just a few ingredients, a minimal amount of prep time, about a week in the brine, and your taste buds will be so happy!
Not only is it incredibly tasty, but you get to control the ingredients. And when you eat a One Straw brisket you know youre eating premium, nutrient-dense, mindfully-raised, 100% grass-fed beef!
This is our familys recipe. It results in a mildly flavored, not-too-salty, delicious corned beef where the inherent flavor of the beef really shines.
Ive included cooking directions for Instant Pot, Slow Cooker and Stovetop.
[**A note about nitrates, food safety, and the color of the finished product. Many recipes you find on the internet (and most, if not all, commercial corned beef) contains nitrates in the form of curing salt (also known as pink salt, prague powder, or instacure). These nitrates are added both because of food safety concerns and because they impart the pretty pink color typical of corned beef. However, our recipe does not call for nitrates/pink salt.
Our take on the matter: Since we are making the corned beef for ourselves and have control over the entire process, we feel it is safe to omit the nitrates. The salt brine is a preservative and we keep the meat refrigerated until we cook it. Also, we cook the brisket thoroughly – this is what makes it fall apart tender! As far as color, if you follow our recipe the finished product will be the color of a regular un-brined roast (see above photo). For our family, this aesthetic does not spoil the flavor of the meal.
However, if you want the pink color of typical corned beef or are concerned about the food safety issues, you should follow your instinct. There are lots of recipes available that include pink salt and will still make a delicious corned beef from a One Straw brisket!]
Corning Your Own Beef Brisket is Easy!
Like a lot of great recipes, the process of making homemade corned beef isnt complicated, it just takes time. 7-10 days worth of time, to be exact, so be sure to plan ahead. While it only takes minutes to prepare the brine, the beef brisket will sit in the brine for up to 10 days, meaning if you are planning to enjoy the corned beef on St. Patricks Day, its best to start the process around March 7th-10th.
ST. PATRICK’S DAY FEAST PART 1 | TURNING BEEF BRISKET INTO CORNED BEEF | ALL AMERICAN COOKING
FAQ
How long can you brine corned beef?
Marinate a beef brisket in the brine, for 5 to 7 days. Simmer the brined and drained brisket in water with more pickling spices for several hours until tender.
What is the best way to brine beef?
To wet brine a steak, combine 1 cup of kosher salt with 1 gallon of water and any additional seasonings you’d like. Make sure the meat is fully submerged in the brining solution, then store in the fridge. When ready to cook, remove the meat from the solution and pat down with paper towels as best you can.
What do I add to the water when cooking corned beef?
To boil corned beef, put the meat in a large pot and cover it with plenty of water. Add a tablespoon or two of pickling spice as well as a few garlic cloves, a quartered onion, a carrot, and a few stalks of celery if you like. Bring everything to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer.
What do you soak corned beef in?
However, when corned beef has been soaked in a seasoned brine of water, curing salt, and spices, and also cooked low and slow with moist heat, the connective tissue in this muscle-bound cut melts down, making a tough cut of meat juicy and succulent. What Is Corned Beef?Mar 5, 2025
What is corned beef brine?
Corned beef is a slab of beef (sometimes brisket) that is cured in a salt brine. You’ll find it in the grocery store meat department in a plastic packaging with this liquid. It is called the brine.
Can You Make your own corned beef brine?
Once you’ve got the ingredients and know-how to make your own corned beef brine, you’ll probably never go back to store bought! Combine the water, pink salt, sugar, garlic and salt in a large pot. Take half of the brining seasonings and add them to the pot. Set the other half aside to use for cooking at a later date.
How do you make 7 day corned beef brine?
Making this 7-day corned beef brine is so easy, here’s how to make it: Step 1: Using a large dutch oven, toast pickling spice over medium heat for 30 seconds or until you smell the aroma. Step 2: Add the water, salt, sugar, and pink salt and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt.