There are two schools of thought regarding rinsing the corned beef before cooking it. The first is to rinse the brisket with water to remove the excess salt from the curing process. The second is not to rinse the brisket. I choose the second method. I do not rinse the corned beef because I think it washes away the deep flavors of the corned beef. You can try it both ways and decide what's best for you.