DIY Corned Roast

As March blows in our thoughts always turn to making our own corned roast for St Patrick’s Day. Lean and tasty. Add mustard to the feast in a “Pot-o’-Gold” by Troy Bungart. Leftovers are great for sandwiches! This sauce dish is featured in the 2022 Virtual Roomshow. Similar work can be found year-round in Troy’s Pottery Shop.

DIY Corned Roast for St Patrick’s Day (it’s not really “Irish” but it’s oh, so good!)

adapted from a recipe by Morton Salt

pottery by Troy Bungart

recipe and photo by Valerie Bungart

It takes approximately a week and a day to cure your own roast. While it’s beef that is traditionally corned, we prefer venison as it’s practically fat-free! Both meats work well. When we process the venison in early winter, we brine 5 pounds of meat in a gallon ziploc freezer bag and, after 8 days, when the curing is complete, we throw the bag into the freezer to be thawed the day before we want to cook the roast. Alternately, you may take a fresh-bought or previously frozen (then thawed) roast and brine it for 8 days before the planned meal.

I use an insta-pot to cook the roast at 80 for 50 minutes. This gives me a very tender result. However, your roast can also be boiled in a stock pot for several hour or a crock pot for most of a day (don’t let it dry out!). Alternately, you can cook the meat in a regular pressure cooker. If you don’t have an insta-pot pressure cooker that will cook a 5 lb roast, please consult other recipes for instructions about cooking similar roasts in your pot of choice.

To brine: Prepare your roast by trimming as much fat away as you wish. (I remove every bit of fat and membrane I can.) If necessary, cut the meat down so it is no more than 2” thick in at least one direction. (To maximize flavor and to fit the meat into my insta-pot, I cut my meat into many 2” chunks about the size of my hand.)

For 4-6 lbs of meat, start with a small bowl and mix together the following dry brining mix:

5 Tablespoons Morton Tender Quick Cure

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2-3 Tablespoons McCormick brand blend of Mixed Pickling Spices

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)

Put meat into a 1-gallon ziploc freezer bag and add the dry brining mix. Put your hand in the bag and toss the dry mix over and around the meat until it’s fairly well distributed. Seal the bag, pressing out as much air as you can. Lay the bag flat and refrigerate for 8 days, flipping the bag once a day for the best brining effect.

At this point you may either cook the roast or freeze it in the bag (to thaw and cook for a future meal).

To cook: Thaw your meat, if necessary.

Make a liquid in which to cook the roast. Set a medium lidded saucepan on the stove and add

3 cups of water

2-3 Tablespoons of fresh (not reused) McCormick Mixed Pickling Spices

Simmer 10-20 minutes. Strain and discard the spices.

Flavor the spiced liquid by adding

2 Tablespoons of brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

Set aside while you prepare the meat for the insta-pot.

Set the strainer in the bottom of your clean sink (to catch the used bits of mixed pickling spices) and rinse the meat chunks by holding them in a stream of cold water. Examine each piece closely to remove all seeds and leaves. Another reason to rinse well is that if you don’t get rinse the brine your meat will be way too salty! Don’t worry about rinsing away the flavor. The seasoned spiced cooking liquid will assure a tasty finished meat.

Layer rinsed meat chunks inside the insta-pot and add the seasoned spiced liquid on top of the meat.

Cook time 50 minutes at pressure 80. Follow the instructions that came with your insta-pot to avoid injuring yourself. Save cooled cooking liquid to keep leftover meat chunks moistened.

Serve hot with steamed or roasted Brussels sprouts and baby potatoes. Serve cold or warm on sandwiches or a charcuterie board with a variety of cheeses, dips, and fruits and vegetables. Other mustards and sauces will work well. Try horseradish mayonnaise, an aioli based sauce or thousand island dressing. If you still have lots of leftovers, nothing’s better for brunch than hash browns made with onions and bits of corned meat, served up with ketchup on top! Ketchup is made with mixed pickling spices, so it complements the flavor very well. Maith thú!

Photo: Also pictured are steamed Brussels sprouts, unseeded rye bread slices and Dijon mustard.