This is experimental, use at your own risk. Annotations and observations to follow.

Ingredients

• 6-8 lbs beef brisket
• 8 quarts water
• 1½ cups Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Prague Powder #1
• 1 tbsp black peppercorn
• ½ tbsp yellow mustard seed
• ½ tbsp coriander seed
• 2 tsp fennel seed
• 1 tsp whole allspice
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp ground mace
• 3 clove crushed garlic, or 2 tbsp granulated garlic
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• 2 anise pods
• 2 cloves
• 2 cinnamon stick, crushed

Instructions

Prepare beef brisket, trimming silver skin and fat. Reduce fat cap to ¼” thickness.  Set aside.

Combine water, salt, sugar, Prague Powder and spices in a pot and raise to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, until salt and sugar are dissolved.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Combine beef brisket and cooled brine in a 2 gallon freezer bag, displacing air. Refrigerate 10 days, flipping daily to distribute cure.

After 10 days, rinse beef well to remove excess cure and spices, discarding brine. Refrigerate meat up to 2 weeks, or prepare as normal.