Beer-Brined Corned Beef by Jan

Ingredients

• Brine:
• 3 quarts cold water
• 3 (12 fluid ounce) bottles lager beer
• 2 onions, cut into wide slices
• 1 ½ cups kosher salt
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons curing salt
• ¼ cup pickling spice
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 (5 pound) beef brisket, fat trimmed to a thin layer
• wood chips
• 2 cups apple juice, or as needed
• Braising Liquid:
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) bottle lager beer
• 1 onion, cut into large slices
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (Optional)

Step 1

Combin water, three bottles of beer, two onions, kosher salt, half a cup of brown sugar, curing salt, a quarter cup of pickling spice, and two tablespoons of garlic in a very large pot. Stir everything together until the salts dissolve. Add the beef to the pot and gently stir to make sure it’s well coated. Use a heavy plate or a large bowl to keep the beef fully submerged. Cover the pot with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge. Let it brine for four days, stirring it once each day.

Step 2

While the beef is brining, soak some wood chips in apple juice for about two hours. When the brining time is up, take the beef out, discard the brine, and rinse the meat under cold water. Let it sit out until it comes to room temperature.

Step 3

Get your outdoor grill going and heat it to a low temperature, around 150 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the soaked wood chips in a shallow aluminum pan and place it on the heat source. Then, put the beef directly on the grill grate and let it smoke gently for two hours.

Step 4

Mix together one bottle of beer, one chopped onion, two tablespoons each of brown sugar, pickling spice, and chopped garlic, along with some black pepper in a large saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil, then pour it into a big roasting pan. Nestle the smoked beef into this braising liquid and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

Step 5

Turn up the grill temperature to about 250 degrees Fahrenheit, place the roasting pan on the grill, and close the lid. Let the beef roast for three to four hours until it’s tender and an instant-read thermometer reads at least 145 degrees in the center.

Step 6

Finally, remove the beef from the roasting pan and discard the braising liquid. Let the meat cool just enough so you can handle it easily, then slice it very thinly against the grain before serving.