Traditional Australian Corned Meat / Corned Beef Recipe

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One of the random cravings I get from my childhood is Corned Beef. I remember it from my Grandmother but it was also something my Mum and Dad use to make, often with cabbage and a white sauce with onion. This recipe is from my Dad and it’s as good as I remember.

Traditional Australian Corned Meat or Corned Beef Recipe

In the US, Corned Beef is also known as Corned Beef Brisket. My local supermarket stocks it from time to time, but it’s not easy to find. This recipe works but has a mix of metric and imperial measurements. There’s also a lot of visual directions. This is how it was shared with me by my Dad and how you know you are making something from a family recipe with love.

Cooking Time. 2-2.5 hours. It’s on average 1 hour per 1KG (2 hour for every 1 pound).

  1. Fill a large pot with water.
  2. Put the corn meat in the pot, fast side up.
  3. You want about 2″ to 2.5″ of water above the meat, so if you need to top off the water, do it.
  4. Add some malt vinegar. You want. the water to go from clear to a pale brown color.
  5. Spoon brown sugar (brown not raw) over the fat side of the meat, the more fat, the more sugar you need – be generous. It can be as much as 3-4 tablespoons from my experience.
  6. Add 5-6 cloves.
  7. Add 4 whole bay leaves.
  8. Add 10 peppercorns.
  9. Put the lid on the pot, put the heat on low (very low). You want to simmer not boil the corn meat. The trick for corn meat is low and slow cooking. If it comes to the boil, take the lid off.
  10. You’ll know it’s cooked when the time is up and if a fork slides in and out of the meat easily. If it’s hard to push a fork in, it’s not cooked and give it another 30min before you test again.

My parents use to serve this with cabbage and white sauce. These days, I serve it with mashed potato and eat it with Hot English Mustard.

Enjoy!

Important: I am not affiliated with any of the manufacturers, brands, services, or websites listed on this page and this is my personal experience.  If you find this helpful and want to say thanks, please buy me a coffee or take a look at my book on Amazon. It keeps this page ad-free. Thank you!

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