- 1 navel corned beef, 4-5 lbs
- 1 (12 oz) bottle dark beer
- 1 yellow onion, halved
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp whole pickling spice
- 1 tbsp caraway seed
- 3 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Black pepper
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
Beer-Braised Navel Corned Beef
Ingredients
Method
- Rinse the navel corned beef well — this fattier cut is often saltier, and a good rinse plus a long simmer mellows it out.
- Place in a large pot, cover with water and the dark beer, and add onion, garlic, bay leaves, pickling spice, and caraway seed.
- Bring to a boil, skim off foam, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook 3.5-4 hours until very tender.
- Remove and rest, tented, 10-15 minutes.
- Ladle out 1 cup of the braising liquid into a small saucepan and simmer until reduced by half.
- Whisk in the whole grain mustard and olive oil to build a glossy pan sauce; season with pepper.
- Slice the navel thick against the grain.
- Spoon the mustard-caraway sauce over the sliced meat and garnish with parsley.
Chef's tip
Navel is one of the richest corned cuts — the caraway in both the braise and the finishing sauce gives it a deli rye-bread quality that plays beautifully against the fat.
