The ides of March are here, let’s make Nitrate Free Corned Beef and Cabbage together! Gorgeous, slow cooked, tender beef with insane flavor AND no nitrates. With all the traditional fare of cabbage, red potato, carrot and onions to feast on of course!

Last year I found a corned beef that was packaged brined and it didn’t have any nitrates in it. I don’t live near a Whole Foods anymore, so……I decided to make my own, homemade brine and go for it! Without any pink curing salt, that’s where the nitrates come from.

PICKELING

I used all of my own pickling spices from the pantry; mustard seeds, garlic cloves, celery seed, cloves, coriander, dried onion, black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, and star anise. Instead of brown sugar I sub’d date sugar along with Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice for both flavor and to get some gorgeous color.

Nitrate Free Corned Beef and Cabbage is a brining labor of love guys. It takes a whole week! Well, three to five days brining and then you slow cook it for 8 hours. You have to plan it out a little but It’s ABSOLUTLEY WORTH IT delicious. For Saint Patrick’s Day this year, give it a try! About a week ahead of time, you can prepare all this and have a lovely meal with family and friends.

Pomegranate juice huh? YES!

This was a total experiment on my part first go around. The packaged nitrate free version I found used beet juice for color but, I was really trying to enhance the sweet flavor without too much sugar. I hadn’t seen anything on any other websites that have used pomegranate juice for a corned beef, I thought the rich deep red color and the subtle sweet flavor would go really well with the beef brisket. Mission accomplished.

BRINING

Combine all the seasonings, sea salt, date sugar, pomegranate juice and water in a large pan to melt the salt and sugar down. Once ready add it to a bowl of ice, you’ll want it to be room temperature before you add the raw meat. Pop it all together and put it in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. The longer you go the deeper the flavors will develop 🙂

Make sure that the meat is completely under the brine, as much as you can. Sometimes it’ll lift up to the top, just push it down in again. Every day, check on it and move it around a little bit. Pending on the size of the meat you may not need all the brine. Make sure that the meat is submerged, don’t put too much liquid in to where the meat floats in your container.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!

SLOW COOKER

Ok, we’ve got this flavor bomb brined brisket and it’s ready to slow cook!

In this step, we’ll be adding beef bone broth and more pomegranate juice. We’re not going to be filling up the entire container with liquid though. More flavor! Drop the brisket in with a heavy handed sprinkle of pepper and dried onion on the top of it. Pour the juice around the sides (don’t disturb the seasonings) and fill it up juuuuust about to the top of the brisket. Set the cooker on low for 8 hours.

VEGGIES

So at your 6 hour mark is when you’re going to add vegetables. This way they don’t overcook and get super mushy on ya. We’re going with straight up traditional veggie fare; cabbage, carrots, onions and red potatoes.

Large dice on the carrots, onions and potatoes. Keep all the liquid that has rendered in the slow cooker, add the veggies in all around the brisket. Keep the beef in the middle of the slow cooker. Core the cabbage and cut it into 8 wedges. Arrange the cabbage on the very top of the liquid, veggies and meat. Get it all snugly settled, cover and cook for the remaining 2 hours.

PLATE

Family style is the best way to eat this divine medley. Use a large pasta bowl or baking dish to set the cabbage in, then a large soup bowl for the remaining veggies from the liquid.

On a large cutting board thinly slice the corned beef, ladle on some of the slow cooker brothy liquid gold over the top of the meat and gather the tribe around your dinner table. Enjoy!

If you have any of this left, you can always do some beautiful Corned Beef Sweet Potato Hash with it!

I did get some initial pickling advice from Wellness Mama’s recipe here, the pomegranate juice and date sugar was all on my own 😉

*photos of food products and kitchen items have affiliate links to Amazon if you’re ready to shop. I may receive a small commissionfor the link provided*

Nitrate Free Corned Beef and Cabbage

Gorgeous, slow cooked, tender corned beef brisket with insane flavor AND no nitrates. Homemade brine using all the favorite pickling spices, date sugar and pomegranate juice for low sugars and deep color. With all the traditional fixins of cabbage, red potato, carrot and onions to feast of course!

Course Dinner, Entertaining, Main Course

Cuisine American, Irish

Keyword Beef Brine, Beef Brisket, Corned Beef, Homemade Brine, Low Sugar Corned Beef, Nitrate Free Corned Beef, Slow cooker

Author Dawn Loves Food

Ingredients

5-6 Lb Beef Brisket

Brine Mix

3/4 C Redmond Real Salt
3/4 C Date Sugar
1 C Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Juice
2 Qts Water

Brine Seasonings

1 T Mustard Seed
7 Cloves Garlic Minced
1 T Celery Seed
1 t Cloves
1 T Corriander
1 T Dried Onion
2 T Black Peppercorns
2 Cinnamon Sticks
3 Bay Leaves
2 Star Anise

Slow Cooker - Day of Dinner

2 T Dried Onion
1 t Black Pepper
2 C Bone Broth
1 C Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Juice
4 Med Red Potatoes
3 Med Carrots
1 Med White Onion
1 Head Green Cabbage

Instructions

Brine

Combine all brine mix and seasonings to a large stock pot. Stir occasionally on medium until both sugar and salt melt, about 10 minutes. Pour into a large 5-6 Quart container (ceramic or glass preferably) container with 4-5 cups of ice to bring to room temp.
Add beef to container *you may not need all the brine pending on the size of your beef* make sure it is submerged completely. Refrigerate, rotate meat daily for 3 to 5 days

Slow Cooker

In a large bowl (with a pour spout ideally) combine bone broth and pomegranate juice. I use a powder bone broth with water but you can use any stock or boulion you'd like.
Rinse (or pick off) off the whole spices off the beef before putting in the slow cooker. Put the meat in the middle of the slow cooker and pour the liquid around it, just to the top sides of the meat, not over the very top of it. Add the pepper and onion flakes to the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
At the 6 hour mark add veggies. Large dice the onion, carrot and potato. Add to the liquid around the corned beef. Cut cabbage into 8 wedges and arrange on the top of the liquid mixture, cover and cook for the remaining 2 hours.
To serve separate out the cabbage and veggies into two bowls. On a large cutting board cut the meat into thin slices and take off any super fatty bites. Drizzle a few spoonfuls of the divine smelling (and tasting) stock from the slow cooker onto the meat. Set it all out family style at your table and enjoy!