Get into the spirit of St. Paddy’s Day with Andrew Zimmern’s crazy-easy version of corned beef with a sticky bourbon-molasses glaze. (If you want to cure the meat for this recipe yourself, we’ve got instructions for that, too! Another easy project if you have the time—about a week—and room in your fridge.) The results are out of this world.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 whole beef brisket, 10?12 lbs.
- cold water
- 1/3 cup paprika
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
- 1/4 cup pickling spice
- 2/3 cup Prague powder pink curing salt, available online
- 8 cups beef stock, plus more as necessary, to fully cover beef
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 8 black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 corned beef brisket, 4?5 lbs., from corned beef brisket recipe, or store-bought
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 Kaiser rolls
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 3 tablespoons chili sauce, preferably Heinz brand
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Corning the beef (optional): Lay the brisket on a flat surface. Feel where the fat is thickest, and use a sharp knife to trim off about half of the fat. Discard the fat. Square the meat off by trimming the edges so it cures and cooks evenly. You should be left with a brisket that’s about 4–5 pounds. (Note: This recipe calls for half of a whole brisket. Save the trimmed meat for another recipe, such as Edward Lee’s Korean-Style Texas Chili.)
- Place the trimmed brisket into a non-reactive container. Pour in enough cold water to cover by one inch. Add paprika, brown sugar, bay leaves, allspice, peppercorns, granulated garlic, pickling spice, and Prague powder. Use your hand to stir the ingredients into the water, and gently move the brisket around in the liquid to help dissolve the sugar. Let the meat rest fat side up in the curing mixture. Cover container with the lid and refrigerate, 7–8 days.
- Corned beef: Pour broth into a stockpot; add cinnamon, mustard seed, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Pull the corned beef brisket out of the curing solution and rinse with cold water. (Note: Alternatively, start by rinsing pickling spices off a 4- to 5-lb. store-bought corned beef.) Place the corned beef into the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until spoon-tender, or to an internal temperature of 175 F, about 2–3 hours. (Alternatively, you can place the meat in a 275 degrees F oven for the same length of time.)
- Preheat broiler. Remove corned beef from cooking liquid, pat dry on a dish towel, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. If you’re cooking the nose portion of the brisket, trim off the top for even glazing. Combine molasses, mustard powder, bourbon, and brown sugar in a bowl to make the glaze; stir until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour ⅓ of the glaze on top of the corned beef, distributing evenly. Place the corned beef 6 inches under broiler for about 1 minute. Remove and pour on half the remaining glaze. Place under the broiler for 30-40 seconds. Remove and pour the rest of the glaze onto the corned beef and broil another 30-40 seconds.
- Assembly: Remove corned beef from oven and let rest on a cutting board while preparing the buns, about 10 minutes (reserving the drippings in the pan). In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat until it’s foaming. Add 1-2 buns, cut side down, and cook until light brown and toasted, 30 seconds. Continue with remaining butter and buns until all are toasted. Meanwhile, make Thousand Island dressing: Combine mayonnaise, relish, and chili sauce in a bowl; season to taste with salt and stir. Slice corned beef at an angle, against the grain. Place on a serving platter and drizzle with reserved drippings from the pan. To make a sandwich, layer corned beef on griddled buns and top with a dollop of dressing.
Reviews
This is just for the corned beef because I did not start with the plain brisket (used store bought) and I didn’t try the glaze yet.
The flavor was so much better than when I just using the packet of spices that comes with corned beef. Delicious.
I used a store bought corned beef. The recipe was so easy to follow and flavors are just over the top. Especially the bourbon sauce.
This was absolutely amazing.. melt in your mouth, so good!!! Definitely making this again!
The best and so simple! Been making this for 3 yrs now (we use a pre-marinated corned beef). Highly suggest.