Corned Bison
By: The Duo Dishes
Published: Monday, March 22, 2010 - 6:52pm

Ingredients




3 pounds whole bison brisket (beef works too)
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, smashed with skin on or minced
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon whole garam masala (cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, 
1 tablespoon rainbow pepper corns
2 whole dried chilies
3/4 cup coarse salt
2 quarts hot water

Preparation

1 Place meat in a large, deep non-reactive container: ceramic, plastic, glass are all fine, but metal is not okay. 2 Dissolve salt, sugar, in the hot water. Add spices and garlic. 3 Pour mixture over meat, making sure it is fully covered. May need to use a small glass bowl or plate to help weigh meat down, insuring it is completely beneath the liquid surface. 4 Cover with container’s lid, or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 7 days, up to 3 weeks. Make sure and turn the meat every 3-4 days. 5 When ready to cook the meat, rinse under cool water to remove any surface brine. 6 Place in a large pot and cover with water. Cook over medium-low heat for 90-120 minutes, or until “fork tender,” where a fork will penetrate to the center of the meat. Can also be cooked “pot roast style” in a crock pot, or slow cooked in the oven. 7 Add cabbage and/or carrots during the last 15-20 minutes of cooking if desired. Can also be served cold, sliced thinly across the grain.

About


One Sunday afternoon at our local farmer’s market, we came across a vendor selling grassfed bison meat. We were intrigued. For one, bison meat is stellar! It’s leaner than beef, pork, turkey—even chicken. We like that it doesn’t have that “gamey” taste like many proteins not found in chain grocery stores (i.e. goat, venison, moose, etc). Plus, most suspecting people wouldn’t be able to distinguish it between beef. Bison = okay with us! What got us even more fired up for bison was all the cool things we could do with it. The farmer suggested we try corning it for corned beef or pastrami. Apparently it’s pretty easy, super-rewardingly delicious, and “it’ll be ready just in time for St. Paddy’s Day,”–his exact words. Hmm? Yes! We took one brisket and went merrily on our way.