Corned Beef Brisket Finished on the Grill

How about a little twist on the traditional St. Patrick's Day corned beef? It takes a few hours to cook a corned beef so time things and have your grill ready to go when the corned beef comes out of the pot. Start out with your basic boiled corned beef recipe or use this one -

· 4½ pound corned beef brisket
· 4 allspice berries
· 2 bay leaves
· 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
· 1 onion, quartered 1 bulb garlic, cut crosswise so each clove is cut in half
· ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
· 1 whole clove, optional

1. Rinse corned beef under running water. Place in large pot. Add allspice, bay leaves, mustard seeds, onion, peppercorns, and clove. Add enough water to cover.

2. Bring to a boil, skim any scum if needed. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook about 4 hours, or until fork-tender.

Once the corned beef is done, remove it from the pot and pat it dry. Now you need to make up a little sauce of mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. You want a thick sauce that will stay on the brisket. I use about 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup yellow mustard and 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. I just add whatever I think makes the sauce tasty. The main thing is to have a thick, sugar-based sauce. It's the sugar that forms the crust. If you've eaten a corned beef sandwich you know mustard goes really well with corned beef. Have fun with this. You don't need a recipe! Once your sauce is mixed up to your satisfaction, spread it thickly on the corned beef to completely cover.

Put the brisket on the grill and cook for approximately 30 minutes on each side. Remember, the beef is already cooked. All you are doing is cooking the sauce, which will form a beautiful crust on the brisket. Putting the brisket on the grill will also tighten the fibers and do away with that "flabby" texture that corned beef briskets tend to have.

When you have a good, dark crust on your brisket, remove it from the grill. Let it rest for 10 minutes and then slice across the grain. Serve leftover sauce on the side. I like it spread on bread for corned beef sandwiches.