House-Cured Corned Beef Brisket Reuben Sandwich

House-cured ibp Trusted Excellence® Beef Brisket Boneless TDO seasoned with aromatic pickling spices, slow-cooked until fork tender and sliced thin. Served with braised cabbage, baby potatoes and carrots for a hearty, traditional corned beef dinner.

Step 1: Fit a meat injector or brine syringe with a multi-hole needle. Working on a sanitized pan to catch runoff, inject the chilled brine into the brisket in a tight grid pattern, spacing injections roughly every 1 to 1.5 inches across the entire surface and at multiple depths. Aim to distribute brine evenly through both the point and the flat. Target an uptake of approximately 10% of the raw weight — for an 8 lb brisket, that's about 12 to 13 oz of brine pumped into the muscle.

Step 2: Rub the injected brisket with the surface rubs portioned kosher salt, coarse pepper, and pickling spice. Place it in a food-grade, non-reactive container, pour any reserved brine over the top, cover, and hold under refrigeration at or below 40°F. For maximum penetration, hold 24 to 48 hours, turning once daily. If your operation runs a vacuum tumbler, tumble the injected brisket for 20 to 30 minutes, then hold refrigerated for a minimum of 12 hours 

Step 3: Remove the brisket, discard the surface brine, and rinse briefly under cold running water to pull back exterior salinity. Pat dry.

Step 4: Braise method: Transfer the brisket to a deep braising pan with the cloves, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, bay, and pickling spice. Cover with fresh cold water by at least 2 inches, bring to a gentle simmer on the range, cover, and move to a 300°F oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until fork-tender at an internal temperature of 195°F to 205°F.

Pressure-cook finish (fastest): Load the brisket and aromatics into a commercial pressure cooker with water to the manufacturer's fill line. Cook at high pressure for 70 to 90 minutes, then allow a natural release. 

Step 5: Rest the brisket 20 to 30 minutes before slicing to order. For batch prep, cool in a shallow pan following proper cooling procedures (135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, 70°F to 40°F within 4 hours), then wrap and refrigerate at or below 40°F.Slice against the grain.

Slice thinly across the grain for maximum tenderness. Portion into 5 oz stacks and reheat on a flat-top or in a steamer to 165°F for service.

Step 6: Butter one side of each rye slice and griddle butter-side down until deep golden and crisp, about 2 minutes

Step 7: Flip the toasted slices. Spread 1 tbsp Russian dressing on the un-toasted face of each slice. Layer from the bottom up: one slice of Swiss, the 5 oz corned beef, 4 oz warm sauerkraut, a second slice of Swiss, then the top rye slice toasted-side up.

Step 8: Return the sandwich to the griddle and press gently 1 to 2 minutes per side until the cheese is melted and both crusts are golden. Cut on the diagonal and serve immediately.

Sub-Recipe Directions

Injection Brine

Step 1: In a saucepan, warm half of the water with the kosher salt, sugar, pink curing salt, and black peppercorns, yellow mustard seeds, coriander seed, garlic powder, whole allspice berries and onion powder. 

Step 2: Stir until the salt and sugar fully dissolve. 

Step 3: Remove from heat, add the remaining cold water, and chill the brine to 40°F or below before use.