Plan ahead about a week ... you won't be sorry. This from-scratch corned beef is better than any commercial corned beef you could ever eat, and you'll wonder why you never tried doing it yourself before. I do not add salt and peter to my corned beef, so this is not going to have that familiar pink color, but you won't care -- and it's healthier this way.
03Make sure that all of the meat is covered by the brine (cutting the brisket in pieces if you need to), tie off tightly, place in a pot large enough to hold it all, and refrigerate for 6 to 7 days, turning occasionally.
04After the 6 to 7 days, remove brisket from the brine and discard the brine.
05Rinse the meat thoroughly, then place in a Dutch oven or other large pot and add enough water to come up 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up the side of the meat.
06Add the rest of the Simmering Liquid ingredients (peppercorns, mustard seeds, allspice, cloves and garlic), bring to a boil and skim off any foam.
07Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook, covered, for at least 3 hours, but 4 hours doesn't hurt anything. Meat will be SO tender and delicious!