Ingredients

Brine

• 5 lbs WWC beef brisket, thawed overnight. Trim fat cap to 1/4 inch thickness.

• 8 cups of water
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 tsp pink pickling salt
• 1/3 cup pickling spice or:
  • 2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp black peppercorns
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 1 3-inch piece of cinnamon
  • 3 bay leaves crumbled
    
  • 2 star anise
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds

• 8 cups of ice/ cold water

For cooking

• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 large onions
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch knob ginger, minced
• 3 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 lb baby dutch potatoes, halved
• 1 large cabbage, cored and quartered
• 1 Tbsp mild whole spices (optional, I recommend coriander, fennel, and/or mustard seeds as these are more pleasant if eaten whole than other spices are)

Instructions

1. Make Brine. Toast pickling spice mix in the bottom of a large stockpot until fragrant. Add rest of brine ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat until simmering, cook until sugar just dissolves. Turn off heat and pour in ice/ cold water. Allow to cool completely, I recommend putting it in the fridge. 
2. Brine beef. Place beef in a large bowl or a 2 gallon sealable ziplock bag. Pour chilled brine over top, ensuring beef is completely covered. Brine for 7-10 tens, giving the bowl a swirl/ flipping the bag every day to ensure beef stays completely submerged.
   
3. Cook. After 7-10 days, remove beef from brine and discard brining liquid. Place beef in slow cooker with onion, garlic, ginger, and whole spices. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5 hours (depending on your slow cooker it might take longer) until very tender. Add potatoes and carrots halfway through cooking, and the cabbage in the last two hours.
4. Remove beef from slow cooker and tent with foil for 15 minutes before serving. Cut against the grain and serve with carrots, potatoes, and cabbage.