How to Cook Corned Beef
To cook corned beef, start by browning both sides in a skillet with some oil. Then, transfer the corned beef to a large pot, and fill the pot with enough water to cover the meat by 1 inch. Next, add herbs and spices to the pot, and bring the water to a simmer. Finally, simmer the corned beef for 3-4 hours.
A fresh cut of already-corned beef, typically brisket, is most practical if available. If you see it, buy it (and, optionally, trim the fat when you get it home) and skip ahead to cook it. It will typically come with a seasoning packet, which is typically very good, so all you'll need to add is vegetables! If you don't, and don't want to wait for St. Patrick's Day (or whenever, if at all, it may be "in season" locally), buy raw material to make your own. Peruse your local butcher's shop or supermarket for brisket or navel.  Choose "navel," if you have access to a good butcher who can prepare it especially for you. This section is usually not sold in supermarkets but it is more tender. Select a whole brisket, sometimes called a "packer brisket" at the store. Choose a large brisket, but keep in mind how big your roasting pan and pot are. Briskets can weigh up to 18 lbs. (8kg). However, most people cook a brisket between 6 and 10 lbs. (2.7 to 1.5kg). Trim the excess fat from your brisket. It is good to have a little fat on the side, but large amounts of fat will turn to gelatin in the cooking process. Excess fatty tissue will be soft and flakes off easily when cooked - much less unappealing than typical with beef. Find a large pot and roasting pan that are non-reactive. Everything that touches the salted meat should be either porcelain, stainless steel or glass. The pot should be able to fit at least 1 gallon (3.7l) of brine.  Buy curing salt. You may use pink curing salt, which will give your corned beef a pink color, but it is artificially dyed and contains the chemical sodium nitrite. If you use a different type of coarse salt, the corned beef will be tan or brown. Mix your pickling spices. You can find your own recipe on the Internet or try the following spices: Use 2 tbsp. (13.8g) whole peppercorns, 2 tbsp. (12.6g) of dill seeds, 1 tbsp. (5.4g) of hot red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp. (6g) of mustard seeds, 1 tbsp. (5.4g) of coriander seeds, 1 tbsp. (6g) of celery seeds, 1 tbsp. (5.4g) of ground ginger and 1 tbsp. (4.2g) of dried thyme leaves. Next, add 3 inches of cinnamon sticks, 4 bay leaves, 2 tbsp. (10g) of whole allspice berries and 1 tsp. (6g) of whole cloves. You can also include spices like anise, cardamom, juniper berries or mace. Mix your brine ingredients. Put your pot on a large burner. Place all of the following in 1 quart (0.9l) of very hot water inside the pot. Start with 1 cup (189g) of brown sugar and 5 tbsp. (approx. 75g) of mixed pickling spices. Add your salts. Use 4 tbsp. (20g) of curing salt #1 and 8 oz. (28g) of kosher salt. Add 4 cloves of crushed garlic. Add 3 quarts (2.8l) of cold water once everything is well combined.  Place the brisket in the brine. Place a bowl on top of it to weigh it down. It should be submerged by at least 1 inch (2.5cm). Cover the top of the pot with the lid or plastic wrap.  Allow the corned beef to brine for 1 to 5 days in the refrigerator. It is curing during this time, so the longer you leave it in, the richer the flavor will be. Remove the meat from the brine when you are ready to cook it.  Rinse the beef very well. Your corned beef will be too salty if you don't rinse the brine away thoroughly. And the briny dripping beef will be messy. Wash your large pot very well. You will need to use it again to cook the beef. Flush everything that comes in contact with brine very well with water to prevent corrosion over time. This includes the garbage disposal, if you poured the brine down the drain. Do not allow brine to contact dissimilar metals for any length of time. They will corrode rapidly. If you bought corned beef, open the package, find the seasoning packet that generally accompanies it, and rinse the meat and its seasoning packet (don't open the packet yet). This is most easily done in a clean sink. Flush the brine it had been in away. If you corned your own, it should be rinsed by now, too. Optionally, brown the beef for best flavor. Put it in a skillet or the cooking pot with enough oil for good contact between the meat side and the bottom, and shift it around until the surface turns moderately brown (but not scorched) across large areas. You can try to brown the fat side, too. Do not put the scorched bits on the pan in your stew: if you browned the meat in the cooking pot, set it aside to clean it out. Corned beef's own distinctive cured "hot-dog in steak form" flavor will come out very well whether or not the surface is browned for that familiar additional flavor. Place the corned brisket in a pot sufficiently large for it to sit flat. If you'll cooking vegetables with it, a stew pot of at least 8 quarts' (liters') volume is best; bigger is better. Big, inexpensive, thin pot bottoms don't spread heat well and tend to scorch a little spot. If you have to use one, use just a little heat to gradually bring it to a simmer, and keep it covered to stay hot with as weak a hot spot as possible. Use enough liquid that water can carry heat all around the meat, rather than the meat laying on the bottom under its own weight and scorching, and stir if you can. Or heat the pot evenly in an oven - at 300 degrees F (about 150 degrees C) until bubbling, then just around boiling to keep it cooking. If you corned your own beef, boil out the excess salt. Cover it with water. It should be submerged by 1 inch (2.5cm). Place the lid on the pot. Turn the burner onto medium heat. Once it starts to simmer (make little bubbles here and there), let it do so for 30 minutes. Do not allow it to boil, or it will get tough. It should remain at a simmer. Turn it down if it is boiling. Remove the brisket from the pot. Pour out the water. Stew the beef. Put the purchased and rinsed or homemade and pre-simmered beef in the pot and add sufficient water to have about an inch above and below it. Add the seasoning packet that typically comes with pre-corned beef, or herbs and spices of your own choosing (the typical flavor is like pastrami; search online for suggestions). Bring it back to a low simmer. Keep it at a simmer for a total of 3 to 4 hours. A longer, slower cooking process can keep the beef even moister, firmer, and less friable as it tenderizes. Try several hours at 170 degrees F (not much cooler, to ensure bacteria are killed), as calibrated with a thermometer. Add vegetables. Vegetables complement the meat - or rather, it should complement them for a healthy and environment-friendly diet as well as a tasty one. And a traditional one, as meat used to be very expensive! Vegetables need not cook nearly as long as the beef. Add them toward the end of the cooking time to soften and absorb flavor without turning to mush. You can cut them while the beef simmers. Vegetables contain a lot of water - add them and push down on the contents of the stew pot after it's returned to a boil for a while to see if more water is really needed before adding it, as it can dilute the flavors. Suggested vegetables: Cabbage. Cut one or two typical heads of cabbage into eight wedges each to complement a typical brisket with leaves that come apart into manageable bites. Add about 30 minutes before cooking is complete. Carrots. Cut into little disks. Add about 1 hour before cooking is complete. Onions. Dice. Optionally, sauté until translucent and lightly browned in spots but not mushy to develop flavor. Add about 30 minutes before cooking is complete - they don't need to soften much, but they contribute flavor to the broth as they soak. Potatoes. Cut into largish bite-size chunks and add about 30 minutes before cooking is complete. Optionally, sauté them to brown the surface slightly (not enough to cook them through, which will toughen the surface) to enhance the stew's flavor. Remove the brisket from the pot. Turn the burner off. You can allow the vegetables to sit in the broth until you are ready to serve them. Rest the meat on a platter. Cover the meat with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Carve it against the grain in thin slices.  Serve with the boiled vegetables. Ladle some of the broth onto the vegetables and meat. Add spices and condiments: Salt, after tasting, and generally not to the beef itself. Corned beef is itself salty. Black pepper. Goes well with delicate savory flavors. Optionally, strong "deli" mustard or pungent horseradish to the meat. Optionally, sour cream to the whole stew (popular with borscht). Finished.  
A fresh cut of already-corned beef, typically brisket, is most practical if available. Peruse your local butcher's shop or supermarket for brisket or navel. Choose "navel," if you have access to a good butcher who can prepare it especially for you. Select a whole brisket, sometimes called a "packer brisket" at the store. Trim the excess fat from your brisket. Find a large pot and roasting pan that are non-reactive. The pot should be able to fit at least 1 gallon (3.7l) of brine. Buy curing salt. Mix your pickling spices. Mix your brine ingredients. Add 3 quarts (2.8l) of cold water once everything is well combined. Place the brisket in the brine. Cover the top of the pot with the lid or plastic wrap. Allow the corned beef to brine for 1 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Remove the meat from the brine when you are ready to cook it. Rinse the beef very well. Wash your large pot very well. If you bought corned beef, open the package, find the seasoning packet that generally accompanies it, and rinse the meat and its seasoning packet (don't open the packet yet). Optionally, brown the beef for best flavor. Place the corned brisket in a pot sufficiently large for it to sit flat. If you corned your own beef, boil out the excess salt. Stew the beef. Add vegetables. Remove the brisket from the pot. Rest the meat on a platter. Carve it against the grain in thin slices. Serve with the boiled vegetables. Add spices and condiments: Finished. 