Thanks very much Tamar.

I take it I don't actually need kosher salt? :-)

>>Mmmm, you guys are really whetting ny appetite for something I've always looked down my nose at. AFAIK there's little scope for buying the raw ingreedy-mints for cooking your own corned beef here.
>
>Actually, you can make your own corned beef from beef brisket. I've been making my own pastrami in the last year, and pastrami is simply smoked corned beef. Here's the recipe I'm using--I got it from another MVP (not a Fox MVP):
>
>------------
>Brining time: 4-5 days for an 8-10 pound brisket. (Recipes for a 5 pound brisket are on the order of 3 days.) But you should be able to tell by feel.
>
>The brine:
> 4 L. water
> 350 g. kosher salt
> 225 g. sugar
> 42 g. pink salt. (cure #1)
> 8 g. Pickling Spice
> 60ml honey
> 5 cloves, garlic. Minced.
>
>Rinsing: Just run it under the tap. It's going to be somewhat salty - that's normal for this.
>
>The rub: (pastrami only)
> 1 Tbl (8g) lightly toasted coriander seeds
> 1 Tbl (10g) lightly toasted black peppercorns
> (the above coarsely ground)
>
>The Smoke: (pastrami only)
> hot smoke to an internal temp of 150 F. (or cold, then hot - you want a heavy smoke). I think we used a mix of maple and hickory.
>
>Oh, and when you're done smoking it, THEN you get to cook it.
>
>3 hours or so, in a 250 F oven, with an inch or so of water in the bottom of the pan. Think S L O W, here.
>-----
>
>A couple of notes. The pink salt was the one ingredient difficult to find. I ended up ordering it online.
>
>To make corned beef, take the brisket after brining and boil/simmer for about 3 hours. You may want to add some coriander and peppercorns to the pot. (I haven't actually tried this since I'd be shot if I didn't go on an turn the thing into pastrami at this point.)
>
>Tamar