Homemade Corned Beef and Cured Meat Recipes

sausage making equipment and sauage seasonings

Homemade Corned Beef Brisket

Corned beef has its roots in Irish history. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, corned beef and cabbage was a traditional dish served on Easter Sunday in rural Ireland. A more likely scenario is that a piece of salt pork* was boiled with cabbage since beef was considered a delicacy reserved for the privileged. Regardless of its origins, corned beef is a mainstay among Irish-Americans as well as everyone else on St. Patrick’s Day.

The word ‘corned’ has to do with the method of curing or preserving meat. Before refrigeration, meat was preserved with very coarse salt. The pellets of salt rubbed into the meat’s surface were sometimes the size of corn kernels; hence the term ‘corned’ beef. Today, corned beef is usually brined, yet the corned term remains.

Pastrami is basically corned beef that has been rubbed with additional spices after removing from the curing brine and then slow smoked to infuse flavor and cook the meat. The word pastrami comes from the Romanian word ‘pastra’ meaning to preserve and was translated via Yiddish to pastrami. Another theory is that it was derived from the Turkish word ‘pastirma’ which is a Middle Eastern smoked meat.

Jerky Making

Sausage Making

Make Your Own Cured Meats
CORNED BEEF and PASTRAMI KIT $24.95
Make your own lean and delicious corned beef and pastrami with our latest addition to the You-Make-Kit Brand. This kit and fresh beef brisket from the supermarket are all you need. We tried many recipes and methods of making corned beef and found that the traditional brine method produces the best corned beef and pastrami.

You will be enjoying the best corned beef and pastrami sandwiches you have ever eaten in as little time as one week. The kit includes all the curing salts, spices, tools and instructions to prepare up to 10 lbs. of brisket.

MORTON TENDER QUICK 2 LB. bag $5.59
A fast cure product developed as a cure for meat, poultry, game and fish. It is a combination of quality curing ingredients. Contains salt, sugar, both sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, curing agents that also contribute to development of color and flavor. Propylene glycol keeps the mixture uniform. Tender Quick is NOT a meat tenderizer.

MEAT TENDERIZER $6.95
Easily tenderize the toughest cuts of meat. This heavy duty spring loaded tool has stainless steel prongs to break down meat fibers and pierce meats for marinating and curing.

Dry Curing Meat Curing Methods & Recipes provided by Morton International, Inc.

Dry curing involves applying the cure mix directly on the meat. Curing is done in the refrigerator. After curing, the meat is rinsed to remove the excess salt and then cooked. Dry curing is used in curing hams and bacon as well as smaller cuts of meat.

After applying the cure, place meat in a plastic food storage bag and tie end with a twist tie. For large cuts of meat and poultry, use large-size food storage bags which are available in most grocery stores. Do not use garbage bags.

Tips & Recipes
The featured recipes were developed by meat curing experts at Morton and made easy for everyone to enjoy. As you begin, please keep in mind that home meat curing is not an exact science. If you should experience difficulty in the preparation of an individual recipe, refer to the following meat curing tips to help ease the process. Remember patience is the key to perfection!

Meat cuts differ in thickness and amount of bone and fat which affect cure penetration rate. You may have to lengthen curing time if using a thicker cut than specified in a recipe.

Feel free to experiment with spices when curing to suit your family's taste. However, do not exceed the curing levels indicated in the recipes.

To eliminate guesswork, label and date meats before curing. We recommend labeling day and time the meat is to be removed from the cure.

If meat is too salty, soak or boil in water to remove excess salt. Next time, remember to rinse cured meat under running tap water to remove excess salt or reduce curing time slightly.

Cure meat in the refrigerator (36°-40°F). At colder temperatures, meat will not cure properly. Warmer temperatures encourage growth of spoilage microorganisms.

After curing, meat and poultry are still raw and must be cooked before being eaten. For your convenience, most recipes include suggested cooking instructions. Should you decide to give a home-cured delicacy as a gift, let the recipient know if you have cooked it.

Cured meat turns a pink or reddish color when cooked. If meat is fully cured, it will be pink throughout the cut. For poultry, use a meat thermometer to determine doneness, as meat will appear light pink when fully cooked.

Dry Rub Corned Beef


4-6 LB. beef brisket 5 Tbs. Tender Quick® 2 Tbs. brown sugar 1 Tbs. ground black pepper 1 tsp ground paprika 1 tsp ground bay leaves 1 tsp ground allspice ½ tsp garlic powder	Preparation: Trim surface of fat from brisket. In a small bowl, mix Morton® Tender Quick® and remaining ingredients and spices. Rub mixture into all sides of brisket. Place brisket in plastic bag and tie end securely. Refrigerate and allow to cure 5 days per inch of meat thickness.
	Cooking: Place brisket in Dutch oven. Add water to cover. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer until tender, about 3-4 hours.