Monday, March 31, 2008

Corned Beef & Cabbage

My roommate Wendy made this for Saint Patrick’s Day and it was super yummy. I hate to admit it but I had never had corned beef and cabbage before! It’s funny how many basic things like this I have never even tasted. I was little concerned about pickled beef brisket, but was pleasantly surprised by the good slightly tangy flavor the brining and cooking adds to the meat. We had several friends over and just sat around the dining table and chatted and ate a ton. For drings we served Black & Tans, and for a side I made French bread and Irish Soda Bread.

Corned Beef & Cabbage

1-3/4 pounds onions, divided use
2-1/2 pounds carrots, divided use
6 pounds corned beef brisket or round
1 cup malt vinegar
12 ounces Irish stout beer
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon dill seed
1/2 tablespoon whole allspice
2 bay leaves
3 pounds cabbage, rinsed
2-1/2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed
1/2 cup coarse grain mustard, optional
1/2 cup Dijon mustard, optional

You'll need a heavy-duty pot large enough to hold 4 gallons for this large quantity recipe.
Divide onions and carrots and chop enough to fill 1 cup of each, reserving the rest.

Place the corned beef in the stockpot. Add the chopped onions, carrots, malt vinegar, stout beer, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, dill seeds, whole allspice, and bay leaves. Add enough water to cover the corned beef, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer about 3 hours until meat is fork-tender.

While the corned beef is cooking, cut the reserved onions into eight wedges and the carrots into 2-inch chunks. (Larger carrots should be halved first.) Slice each head of cabbage into 8 wedges.

Remove corned beef, skim fat. Cover and return to a boil. Add onions, carrots and red potatoes to the broth, with the cabbage on top. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, until potatoes and cabbage are fork-tender.

To serve, cut corned beef against the grain into thin slices and accompany with the cooked vegetables. Dijon mustard and/or coarse-grained mustard complement the corned beef as optional condiments. Or horseradish sauce.


Horseradish Sauce

¼ Cup Mayonnaise
1-8 Ounce Jar Horseradish
Zest of 1 Lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and let sit for a few minutes for flavors to mingle.

1 comment:

  1. Corned beef and cabbage is such a staple of New England winter cooking, especially around St. Patrick's Day when everyone here becomes Irish for a day. I love making corned beef for the leftovers, which often find their way into hash.

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