While this tends to be one of the most festive days of the year, not everyone wants to go through the laborious process of putting together shepherd’s pie for the whole family. Let’s face it, pinching everyone not wearing green is a custom that quickly taxes the nerves.

That’s why we’re helping you start a new tradition on this Irish holiday. This recipe for corned beef will need to brine for 10 days, but we can’t stress enough how easy it is to cook once it’s soaked up all those salty juices. Here’s the recipe in a three easy steps:

DIY Grass Fed Corned Brisket Recipe

Serving Size: 6 to 8 servings

Cooking: Difficult

Prep Time: 10 days

Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 (4 to 5 pound) grass fed beef brisket, trimmed
• 2 quarts water
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons saltpeter
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 8 whole cloves
• 8 whole allspice berries
• 12 whole juniper berries
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 pounds ice
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

Simple Horseradish Sauce

• Grated horseradish
• Mayonnaise

Directions

Step 1: Make the Brine

• Pour water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, saltpeter, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves, onion, carrots, celery, and ginger.
• Stir together and cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat and add ice. Stir until the ice has melted.
• If necessary, place the brine in the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2: Cure

• Once cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip-top bag and add the brine.
• Seal and lay flat inside a container, cover and leave in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days. We brined for 10 days, but if you’re short on time, 7 will still get the job done.
• Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged, and stir the brine.

Step 3: Horseradish Sauce

• Stir 1 part grated horseradish with 1 part mayonnaise. Add mayonnaise to taste if too strong.
• Cover and set aside in refrigerator.

Step 4: Cook

• After 10 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water.
• With the fat cap of the brisket facing up, place the meat in a pot just large enough to hold the meat and cover in one inch of water.
• Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and gently simmer for 2.5 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
• Remove from the pot and thinly slice against the grain. Now it’s ready to eat! Garnish with horeradish for a nice finish.

There you have it! I hope you enjoy this Corned Brisket with Cloves & Horseradish Sauce Recipe!