Smoked and Beer-Braised Corned Beef

Step 1

Open and rinse corned beef under cold water. The beef will likely have patches of sinew still on it. Using a sharp boning knife, trim as much of that off as possible, it won’t render like fat during the cook and makes for a chewy mouth feel.

Step 2

Soak corned beef in cold water for 1 hour. These prepackaged corned beef briskets are really salty because of the liquid they are packaged in. Soaking it for about an hour will pull some of the salt out of the meat. You’ll notice I don’t use any salt in the rub, that’s because the meat is already plenty salty.

Step 3

While meat is soaking, whisk together all ingredients for the rub in a small bowl.

Step 4

Light grill and set up for indirect heat, establish temperature to between 225°–235°F. While grill is preheating, season all sides of the meat with the rub, (reserving 1 tablespoon) and insert a reliable leave-in thermometer into the thickest portion of the meat. I recommend a multi-channel unit from Thermoworks so you can monitor both meat temperature and grill temperature.

Step 5

Place meat on grill as far away from heat source as possible. Add one chunk of hickory wood to the hot coals and let meat smoke. When corned beef reaches about 145°F, mix all ingredients for the braise in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Step 6

Remove meat from grill when internal temperature reaches about 150°F, about 4 hours.

Step 7

Line bottom of oven-safe covered cooking vessel with cabbage and pour braise over cabbage. Remove leave-in thermometer probe from meat, place it on top of the cabbage, cover, and place in a 225°F oven for 1 hour.

Step 8

Remove beer-braised corned beef from oven and add potatoes to the braise. Cover and return to oven for 1 more hour.

Step 9

Remove from oven and, using a reliable instant-read thermometer, check temperature of meat. It should be around 200°–205°F and the probe should slide into the meat with little to no resistance.

Step 10

Remove meat from braise and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice, garnish with parsley, and serve with beer-braised potatoes and cabbage.