1.  In a Dutch oven or large stock pot add the water, kosher salt, brown sugar, pickling
spice blend, pink curing salt, garlic and stir. Bring to a boil, lower to
simmer and cook until salt and sugar have dissolved. Turn off heat and cool.

2.  In a large container or large sealable plastic bag place beef brisket. Pour cooled
brining liquid over and cover or seal. Store in a refrigerator for 5-10 days,
turning beef on day 5 (some feel 10 days is too much. Feel free to brine 5 days
turning it after day 3). On day 10 remove from brining liquid (discard liquid)
and follow the directions to cook.

Cooking Methods

1. Stovetop method: Place the corned beef in a Dutch oven or roasting pan. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of pickling spice blend and pour in 4 cups water or beef broth. Add potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat, cover (cover with foil if roasting pan) and cook for about 3 1/2 hours. Add water if necessary to keep brisket covered. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 190-200°F. Place the corned beef on a cutting board, cover with foil, and let it rest at least 1520 minutes. Slice ACROSS the grain.

2. Oven Braised method: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the corned beef in a Dutch oven or roasting pan. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of pickling spice blend and pour in 4 cups water or beef broth. Add potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. Bring to a boil on high heat. Cover (cover with foil if roasting pan) and cook in oven for about 3 1/2-4 hours. Add water if necessary to keep brisket covered. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 190-200°F. Place the corned beef on a cutting board, cover with foil, and let it rest at least 15-20 minutes. Slice ACROSS the grain.

How to Cook Corned Beef in a Electric Pressure Cooker?

1. Place the corned beef brisket, fat side up, on a rack. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of pickling spice blend and pour in 4 cups water or beef broth. Lock the lid in place, close vent. Select High Pressure and set or 90 minutes, with a natural pressure release, NOT a quick pressure release.
2. Remove corned beef and cover with foil to keep warm at least 15-20
3. Add potatoes, carrots, and cabbage to liquid in pot. Seal with lid and set to HIGH pressure for 3 minutes. Do a Quick pressure release. Serve with corned beef sliced ACROSS the grain.

How to Cook Corned Beef in a Slow Cooker?

1. For a 5 pound corned beef brisket, it needs to be cooked on Low, for about 8-10 hours OR on High for roughly 4-5 hours. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of pickling spice blend and pour in 4 cups water or beef broth. Adding carrot and potatoes at the half time mark and add the cabbage in the last 2 hours.
2. Remove corned beef and cover with foil to keep warm at least 15-20.

Notes

1. Kosher salt is what I use as kosher salt is less likely to contain additives like anti-caking agents and iodine. Per Epicurious: It’s industrially produced by boiling off brine that’s pumped in and back out of a salt deposit. It is not kosher-certified; the name refers to how the salt crystals draw out moisture in the meat koshering process.

2. A key ingredient in the “corning” process is using pink curing salt. Not Himalayan pink salt! Pink curing salt is made using sodium nitrite that prevents food from going bad and spoiling while it’s being stored for a time. It’s also known as Prague powder #1, which is a combination of 6.25% sodium nitrite and 93.75% salt (sodium chloride) and usually some anti caking agents as well as pink dye.  Pink Curing Salt is available online or at your local specialty market or butcher shop. Curing salt is dyed that pink color so it’s not mistaken for everyday white table salt. If you don’t have it, you can still make corned beef, but it is necessary for that vibrant pink color we associate with corned beef. If you don’t have or don’t want to use curing salt containing sodium nitrite, you can brine meats without it. “Without curing salt that contains sodium nitrite, the color of the cured meat will be gray rather than pink and the flavor is less sweet with a more pronounced “pickle” flavor.” Source: Home Preserving Bible site.