This simple corned beef recipe will have you whipping up a classic Jewish culinary dish in no time. With only three ingredients, it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and delicious.
I love corned beef, and it turns out to be easy to make at home with our simple corned beef recipe. Whether it’s thinly sliced and piled high on rye bread with mustard or thickly sliced and served alongside mashed potatoes and coleslaw, it’s a winner at our house.
Growing up in a Jewish neighborhood in America, it was easy to get. While I just called it corned beef, I never fully understood the importance of the word “kosher-style” when describing my favorite deli meat.
Well, now I live in New Zealand, and let me tell you, the deli meat from the local store that is labeled corned beef has little resemblance to the wonderful flavors I grew up with. Our simple corned beef recipe is the solution to enjoying the taste I love.
Our homemade corned beef ticks all of the boxes
- Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free
- A classic flavor that reminds me of my childhood
- Easy to make
- It uses only three ingredients
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What kind of meat do I use?
Ideally, I want brisket, but sometimes you just have to go with what you can get.
Corned silverside
This is the closest I can get to a cured brisket in New Zealand (where I live). Although the cuts are different, as brisket is taken from a more forward part of the animal than silverside. This, of course, prevents it from ever being kosher, so if it’s actually a Jewish corned beef you want, you need to use the American meat solution just below. Importantly, the result tastes great, and we are happy with our Jewish-style corned beef.
By using this meat, we shortened the 10-day process my grandma used to do down to just a few hours. It’s available at most major supermarket chains, some smaller stores, and at butcher shops.
Ready-to-cook corned beef
Sold under the name ‘ready-to-cook corned beef’ in the States, it is, in fact, a brisket. (phew!)
I have never looked for it, so I can’t offer guidance on where to find it.
What you need for our simple corned beef recipe
(The full recipe is near the bottom of the page)
Prepared on the stovetop, you need only either a large saucepan or a small stockpot. And while we provided exact measurements below for the two ingredients added to the meat, precision measuring is not terribly important for this boiled corned beef recipe. Here are the three corned beef ingredients in our recipe.
- Corned silverside for Jewish-style or ready-to-cook corned beef from the States.
- Brown sugar
- White
Step-by-step photos of our simple corned beef recipe
I almost didn’t write this recipe as the meat just doesn’t look “appealing” as it boils. And it gets even worse when it is done, and the fat rises to the top.
Even once removed from the pan, it doesn’t offer a photo opportunity. However, with a quick flick of the knife over the top, and like magic, it looks like the corned beef I grew up eating. And best of all, it tastes like it too.
Serving suggestions
- A traditional-style corned beef sandwich with thinly sliced meat piled high and served on rye bread with mustard. I like some pickles or cucumber salad on the side.
- As an ingredient in a Reuben sandwich. I know the spicier pastrami is popular, but I always prefer a corned beef Reuben made with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing (another not possible to be kosher use of corned beef). Here is how to make sauerkraut, a key ingredient for your Reuben.
- Another favorite deli sandwich of mine: is corned beef and chopped liver on rye bread.
- Or, I love it thickly sliced for dinner and served warm alongside mashed potatoes, homemade coleslaw, tahini roasted cauliflower, or apple eggplant sauté.
- Similarly, in summer, we serve it cold with a side of coleslaw and one of our favorite potato salads.
Our simple corned beef recipe
This recipe was contributed by Jeff Albom.
Corned Beef
Corned beef is a Jewish delicatessan staple and easy to make at home with this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) ready-to-cook corned beef (or corned silverside if you are in NZ)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
Instructions
- Place corned silverside/brisket in a saucepan or stockpot.
- Add the brown sugar on top of the meat and use a spoon to coat the meat with the sugar.
- Pour the vinegar into the saucepan and fill with water until the meat is mostly covered.
- Heat the saucepan on the stove on high until boiling, then lower to simmer.
- Cook the meat for 50-60 minutes per pound (500 grams). This will be 2 hours for 1 kg size beef we used.
- After cooking, remove the meat from the saucepan, trim excess fat, slice, and serve.
Notes
Serving size based on 5oz of cooked meat. Note that after cooking and removing the fat, the meat will be about ⅔ of its original size.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 5oz (140 grams)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 120Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 16mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 10g
Start here if you want to cure your own beef
Curing your own beef isn’t quick. Be prepared to wait days for the process to be complete. It’s not something I am willing to wait for, especially when pre-packaged meat is readily available. However, if you want to cure corned beef, check out one of these articles:
- Here’s a 10-day option from Taste of Home.
- This method of curing by Simply Recipes requires five to seven days.
- If you want lots of detail and all the science of curing meats, then read this: The Science Of Curing Meats Safely.
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Will you try our simple corned beef recipe?
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I always thought I had to go to a deli to get corned beef. Never in my wildest imagination did I think I could cook it myself. This is great.
I have a question. The corned beef I buy at the supermarket here in the US has a packet of spices included. According to the instructions on the package, the spices should go into the water while the corned beef is cooking. For your recipe, should the spices go in or be omitted?
The corned beef in this article is just pickled (typically a variety of mineral salts) with no added spices. The vinegar and sugar do add flavor. Your spice packet will probably add additional flavors so it would be up to your personal preference (do you like the spices in the packet?). For example, coriander, mustard, and peppercorns might give it a slight pastrami-like flavor but not nearly as strong as if you coated the meat in the seeds.
I’m 73 years of age. I was born and raised in Philadelphia in a neighborhood that consisted of Irish, Italian , and Jewish. Plus a blend of many other ethnic groups. At a young age I developed an appreciation of many ethnic foods. The row home neighborhood we lived in contained few barriers. The corner of every block had a grocery store or deli or butcher. Who needed a car? We would walk a very short distance for nourishment.
To this day I can not figure out why I must goto a Kosher deli for Kosher style corned beef. The corned beef sold in chain grocery stores is called California corned beef. It’s OK but entirely different from that product of heaven that you get in a Kosher deli or restaurant.
The world is changing. Kosher delis are disappearing in my part of the country.
What is the deal? What makes Kosher corned beef so different?
LOVE corned beef but never thought to make it myself. This seems doable! Yum!
Oh, my: 10 days for the proper brining? I’m so spoiled by the pre-brined briskets. I’m not sure we can get this kind in the states, but I’m sure going to look! This recipe is a great alternative to my usual, so I’m anxious to give it a try!
This recipe for corned beef sounds delicious. I’d love to make it, however I would need to find the corned silverside or brisket. Any idea if you can find it in mainland Europe? Or I will have to cure it myself. Anyway, I can’t wait to try the homemade version of this corned beef.
I haven’t made corned beef for a while. I found a great recipe for it using sous vide. Yours also looks tasty.
Thanks for the detailed recipe..sharing this recipe with a friend
I love the simplicity of the ingredients. This looks fabulous.
This sounds so delicious, I love corned beef, so would love to make this.
I am so intrigued! What a wonderful step by step process you have outlined to make homemade corned beef – and I’m thinking this is so so so much more tasty than the canned ones I’ve eaten as a child.
This is the best sandwich meat ever! I have never dared to make it myself but you made it look totally doable! Thanks for sharing