I'm experimenting with a homemade/brined corned beef this year. ☘️

[MontanaMama]

Back story… for many many years there has been a meat manager at a locally owned grocery store who would corn 400-500 pounds of beef per year, using his Irish born grandmother‘s recipe. People stand in line for his corn beef. It’s just that good. I would buy three of his roasts every year…One for St. Patrick’s Day, one for September to welcome the first frost and one for December just because.

Fast forward… The meat manager retired in 2022 and word was out that there would be no more Butte America corn beef! The end of an era for sure. I decided to try my hand at corning/brining my own this year. I bought grass fed beef roast from a friend who has a local cattle ranch and corned a second one…and elk roast from the elk my husband got last fall. I used a recipe that included allspice berries, juniper berries, cloves, mustard seeds, cinnamon stick and whole red chiles.

Turns out that the meat manager came out of retirement to make his corned beef again because the demand was so high. I found out too late and had already bought the ingredients to make my own. Oh well.

Here’s a pic of the roast going into the instant pot…it’s nestled in Cold Smoke Scotch ale. My hopes are high!

[Kali]

1. let us know how it comes out.

and now brisket has joined the ranks of skirt steak and other formerly cheap cuts. holy crap it is selling per pound for more than ribeye on special!

[MontanaMama]

2. No kidding! Same with flank steak...

I did not use a brisket. I took a lesson from the meat manager at the grocery store and used a chuck roast. In fact, I never got a brisket from that little grocery store in all the years that I bought their corned beef. That butcher told me that his grandmother told him that her family used whatever meat was available, because briskets were often difficult to come by. We will see what happens! The recipe I used was Alton Brown’s.

[Kali]

5. interesting

I kind of thought it almost looked like a tip roast but decided it must have been a point cut - LOL, texture looked a little different.

[snowybirdie]

3. I'm experimenting

with an instapot for the first time. But its for family so they'll eat it no matter what. Good luck with your experiment!🍀

[MontanaMama]

4. Thanks!

I balked at the instant pot for a long time. Now I can’t do without one. I love that I can set a timer for it to begin cooking before I get home. I cook a fair bit of wild game and the instant pot guarantees the meat will be tender ever time. If it doesn’t come out tender, fire it back up for a few minutes. I think you will enjoy using it!

[hippywife]

6. I made my own...

once...many years ago. Just once.

[MontanaMama]

7. How did it turn out?

[hippywife]

8. It was so long ago, I don't remember. LOL

Neither does the husband. I guess it turned out okay, and I probably documented it here at the time, but too difficult to search for it. I mostly remember hunting down pink curing salt for it (someone else from here who was local brought me some), as well as the whole spice berrries.

I used to be a much more adventurous cook.