A St. Patrick’s Day classic, our version of corned beef and cabbage uses a homemade brisket brine that’s well worth the extra effort compared to buying a storebought version. Make sure to plan ahead as it takes a week for the brisket to really absorb that brine and become “corned!”
First, prepare the brine. Put the water in a large pot with the 3 tablespoons of pickling spice, sea salt, curing salt, garlic and brown sugar and bring to a boil, watching to make sure the sugar and salts are fully dissolved.
Meanwhile, combine the peppercorns, allspice berries, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon stick in a bowl and use a mortar and pestle to break up the seeds and berries so the mixture is uniform.
Take the pot of water off of the heat and add in the ice to cool it down to room temperature. Then add the brisket to the pot so that it’s fully submerged, put a lid on the pot and then store in the fridge.
Every two days or so flip the brisket around so that it’s evenly being brined. After seven days remove it from the pot and thoroughly rinse.
Put the brisket into another large pot (or clean and use the same pot you brined it in) and cover it with 4 inches of water. Add in the 1 tablespoon of pickling spice and bring to a boil over high heat.
Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for about 4 hours until the brisket is extremely tender. When there are 30 minutes left add the cabbage, carrots and potatoes to the pot and cover until the vegetables are fork tender. Slice the brisket against the grain and serve with the cabbage, carrots and potatoes.