One of the things I enjoy most about creating mouth-watering recipes (and all creative endeavors) is that what I have conceived in my head, for better or worse, isn’t what necessarily transpires on the plate. In this case, it is definitely the better. This is not the recipe that I had intended to make… well, sorta.
This started off as a traditional corned beef grilled with a little coriander and black pepper rub just to punch up the spices with which the brisket is corned (cured). Once the brisket is finished cooking with indirect heat, it is moved to direct heat and brushed the Guinness and Mustard glaze and flipped over the flame to add a little char and caramelization. That was supposed to be it; slice and serve. And it still can be, if you’d like a more traditional dinner… it’s delicious!
As I was finishing the glazing of the corned beef, I started anticipating the great sandwich this was going to make once I finished shooting the photos – I really love a great sandwich. Looking at the brisket as I was flipping it, I noticed the long muscle fibers and made a mental note to write about slicing across the grain of the meat. Thoughts wandered to the great pulled BBQ brisket sandwiches I’ve had and, well, here we are.
Whether you prefer sliced or pulled, serve with either my Emerald City Slaw or Easy Deli Slaw — no boiled cabbage here. In anticipation of the sliced dinner, I made a little extra rub and sprinkled them on some Crispy Grilled Smashed Potatoes before they hit the grill.
Note: I put this on Jewish rye bread because it’s what I had on hand and it was pretty perfect.
- 1 (3½ to 4½) corned beef brisket
- -
- For the rub:
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
- -
- For the sauce:
- 2 cups (16 ounces) Guinness stout
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup whole grain mustard
- -
- Toasted bread or buns, for serving
- Cole salw
- Remove corned beef from package and place it, any accumulated package juices, and pickling spice package into a large pot or Dutch oven. Cover brisket with water up to 1-inch above the brisket. Place a small plate on top of the meat to keep it submerged. Bring to a low simmer for 90 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest in water while it cools to room temperature – this will help to leech some of the salt from the meat.
- Remove corned beef from poaching liquid and pat dry with paper towels. Stir together the rub ingredients and sprinkle over all sides of the corned beef. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest refrigerated overnight. Reserve the poaching liquid for cooking potatoes and/or cabbage.
- Remove corned beef from refrigerator an hour or so before you want to start grilling.
- For Sauce: meanwhile, stir together the stout, brown sugar, vinegar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce to ½ cup; about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it's going to want to boil over. Once reduced, remove from heat and stir in the mustard. Set aside to cool. The sauce can be made the day before.
- Tear off a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil (or two pieces of regular foil) big enough to wrap the corned beef. Place the corned beef in the middle of the foil and spoon over some of the sauce. Bring up the sides of the foil and seal.
- Set up grill for indirect cooking (no need for a drip pan) and stabilize the temperature around 300°F to 325°F. Place foil-wrapped corned beef on the grill (not over the heat) and close the grill cover. Cook until the internal temperature of the meat is 180°F to 185°F.
- Remove from grill and unwrap. Optional: place cooked brisket over direct heat and brush with more sauce and cook for a minute or two to get some caramelization on the meat and sauce, flip and repeat.
- Remove from grill and let rest for 15 minutes. Pull brisket into long strands and then run a knife through the meat until the strands are ½- to 1-inch long. Toss with remaining sauce. Serve on toasted bread or buns topped with cole slaw.
Cheers and Happy Grilling!
~Jeff
Because of the picture, I am going to go with the sandwich. It looks delicious.
Thanks, Peyton! It really was pretty darn good. Cheers