If You're Not Putting This In Your Corned Beef, You're Doing It Wrong

Few meats conjure up the incomparable experience of standing in line at a Jewish deli quite like corned beef (which differs from salt beef). However, if you don't have a Jewish deli nearby, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about when it comes to this salty, spicy, and slightly sour meat. To that we say: You should absolutely try making it at home (and turning it into deli-worthy sandwiches). To get tips on how to do so, Food Republic spoke to Sarri Harper, owner of the iconic Carnegie Deli. According to her, if you leave out allspice — typically used in its whole berry form — you're doing it totally wrong.

"Allspice brings warmth and balance to the curing blend," Harper told us. "It adds subtle notes of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg — without overpowering the beef." She said it not only rounds out the savory elements of the meat, but also gives it that "comforting, old-world depth." While the allspice berries might not be the most potent during the brining process, which can take up to seven days, their scent tends to release during cooking — typically done by braising or boiling the meat — filling your kitchen with a homey, pleasant aroma.

Allspice, while an essential workhorse for your corned beef, can't do all the flavoring alone, of course. But before you go pulling every spice out of your kitchen cabinet, keep in mind Sarri Harper's sage wisdom: "With corned beef, tradition reigns — less is more, and the classic mix still delivers the best bite."

That means, in addition to the allspice berries (don't use the ground form), you'll definitely want to include whole peppercorns, cloves, and coriander seeds, as well as mustard seeds, in your brine — and before using them, you can toast them in a skillet on your stove to unlock even more flavor. Tuck in about a half-dozen bay leaves (they do add a significant amount of flavor), some ginger, and brown sugar to the brine as well. And you can't forget the pink salt, which helps imbue the corned beef with that rosy hue.

When it comes time to actually cook the corned beef, in addition to the water you'll add to the pot for braising or boiling, don't miss the opportunity to deepen the flavor even more. That means using some of the same spice mix from your brine in your cooking liquids is a must, too.