Corned Buffalo Brisket

It has been years since I have made “scratch” Corned Beef. I revisited an old recipe, made some modern adjustments, and ended up with delicious results. The American Irish have adopted “Corned Beef” as their official St. Paddy’s celebratory food. And after making this dish, complete with the parsley potatoes and wilted cabbage, one has to wonder why we eat it only once a year?  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

*The leftovers made an excellent Corned Buffalo Hash for breakfast!

Serves 6

Note: To preserve the color and with out adding sodium nitrites, I used sea salt & celery powder. The outside was brown in color, but the inside was pink, melt in your mouth tender and super delicious.

Brine Ingredients:

• 3 quarts water
• ½ cup sea salt or 1 cup kosher salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 3 stalks celery, puréed with 1 cup water
• 1 tsp. celery powder
• 1 tsp. ground cloves + 8 whole cloves (*I like cloves, adjust to your liking.)
• 2 tsp. ground dry mustard
• 2 tsp. allspice
• 1 Tb. black pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 – 3 lb. Wild Idea Buffalo Briskets, rinsed

1. Bring water, salt, sugar & spices to a boil on stove top.
2. Remove from heat and set aside until cool.
3. Place Brisket and brine in to a non-reactive bowl or place in zip lock baggies.
   Briskets should be completely covered. A weight may be needed to keep briskets immersed.
4. Leave briskets in brine for 7 days, rotating or turning every couple of days.
5. Remove briskets from Brine and rinse thoroughly. Reserve 1 cup brine.

Cooking Ingredients: *Preheat oven to 350*

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 Tb. black pepper
• 8 whole cloves
• 2 bottles of beer (light in color)
• 1 cup of brine
• water

1. Place half of the vegetables in the bottom of a stock pot.
2. Add briskets, remaining vegetables, and seasonings
3. Add beer, brine and enough water to cover briskets.
4. Bring to boil on stove top.
5. Cover and place in preheated oven.
6. Cook for 3 hours, or until tender.
7. Remove from heat and let rest in juices for 20 minutes or until ready to serve.
8. Slice brisket and serve with Parsley Potatoes and Wilted Cabbage.

Pass with a mixture of coarse brown mustard, horseradish and sour cream.

Wine Pairing: 2007 La Crema Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast CA

With layers of mineral, citrus and spice, a hint of oak and a creamy round finish, this paired very nicely with the corned buffalo. If your not a white wine fan – have a Guiness!