My husband, he is a genius, as I think you all know.

Last weekend he decided he would make his own corned beef from scratch. So he duly made his spice mix, picked up a large brisket from our favourite purveyors of dead animals and set it to brining in the fridge for a week, where it took up a great deal of room.

He used a combination of recipes/instructions from Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall: Meat and Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn: Charcuterie.

After the week was over, the eventual cooking of the beef was based on our favourite Corned Beef with White Sauce recipe from Marie Claire: Comfort (p.151) which we’ve tweaked a little over time.

Don really does not care for white sauce at all, but that is my favourite corned beef accompaniment, so I’ve annotated the recipe with a large “make white sauce because you’re worth it”. Because I am and because it is yummy (although I just freestyle and don’t follow the Marie Claire recipe).

I will just say at this point that we will never, ever buy pre-corned beef again. This was the most marvellous, marvellous thing. So pink! So tender! So fabulously awesome!

Of course now Don has made yet another rod for his back (what with the stocks and the smoked bacon and the pancetta &etc). Unfortunately he will use the leftovers to make the not-at-all-to-my-taste Reuben sandwich.

26.09.10

Cooked by: Don

.