Recipe adapted from Michael Ruhlman, photo by Rivka Friedman
Brine:
- 6 ounces or 3/4 cups Morton’s kosher salt (or 200 grams if measuring water in liters)
- 3 ounces or ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
- 2 teaspoons “pink salt” (sodium nitrite), optional
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed with the flat side of a knife
- 2 tablespoons pickling spice (purchase or make your own from this recipe)
- 1 5-pound beef brisket, the more fat it has the better
Rub:
- 1 tablespoon peppercorn, toasted and ground (or as needed)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seed, toasted and ground (or as needed)
- In pot large enough to hold brisket, combine 1 gallon/4 liters of water with kosher salt, sugar, sodium nitrite (if using), garlic and 2 tablespoons pickling spice. Bring to a simmer, stirring until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.
- Place brisket in brine, weighted with a plate to keep it submerged; cover. Refrigerate for 2 days if it’s thin, a third day if it’s thick.
- Remove brisket from brine and rinse thoroughly. Refrigerate it for another day uncovered (this is best, to let cure equalize, but if you can’t wait, that’s ok too).
- Combine the pepper and coriander and coat the brisket with it. Smoke the meat for a couple hours. Then transfer it to a 200 to 250 degree oven to finish: first cook, uncovered, 30-60 minutes to bake the smoke on, and then cover it with foil and 1/2 cup of water and cook it for another 2 to 4 hours till it’s tender (the water is to make sure there’s plenty of steam).
- Slice thinly to serve. This will keep for a week in the refrigerated. Steam it to reheat or reheat covered in a microwave (gently).
Yield: 8 to 10 servings.
