Corned Beef and Cabbage
corned beef
The idea is to encourage you to find a beef farmer and make the connection! Invest in your future and hers, by planing ahead. Ask your farmer how you can get cuts like briskets (and short ribs). Brisket is the "breast"/chest meat from the chest of a cow and there are two sides so there are generally two briskets from a whole cow, but some farmers will choose to have this made into ground beef so ask and plan! I am not one to SETTLE for beef that came from a cow, that had a miserable life (AKA NATURAL, no antibiotics or hormones!) Don’t be fooled. You want a 100% grass fed cow. One that was outside in the sunshine eating grass or in a barn in the winter and eating hay!
If I can’t find one, I’d prefer to be a vegetarian!
Everyone loves Guinness and corned beef this time of year! I like to make my own brisket and this year is no different. Over time, I have perfected the brine for the brisket. I like the second cut since it has more marbling and therefore more flavor. In the stores, there is usually a choice between the flat or point cut. The flat cut is leaner, but the point cut, the second cut, has a bit of extra fat called the deckel.
My dear friend Joan Nathan is an expert at cooking (everything Jewish) a brisket and I recall a St. Patrick’s Day when she brought her then 98 year old mother, who had a lot to say about how briskets should be cooked! This is to Joan and her mother Pearl. (everyone finds their 'inner Irish this time of year).
By now you know that I would not recommend anything but 100% grass-fed beef, and if you are not used to the flavor of grass-fed, now is the time to get brisket and brine it!
You will have to plan ahead and start this one week prior to St. Patrick’s Day. The idea is to encourage you to find a beef farmer and make the connection! Invest in your future and hers, by planning ahead. Ask your farmer how you can get cuts like briskets (and short ribs).
Brisket is the "breast"/chest meat from the chest of a cow and there are two sides so there are generally two briskets from a whole cow, but some farmers will choose to have this made into ground beef so ask and plan! I am not one to SETTLE for beef that came from a cow, that had a miserable life (NATURAL, no antibiotics or hormones!)
Brine:
3 quarts water,
1 cup kosher salt,
1 cup brown sugar,
2 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces,
2 tablespoons mustard seeds, crushed
2 tablespoons coriander seeds crush
2 teaspoon black peppercorns
10 whole cloves
1/8 cup whole allspice berries
10 whole juniper berries
4 bay leaves, crumbled
3-inch piece ginger minced or 3 teaspoons ground ginger
Dinner:
1 (4 to 5 pound) beef brisket, trimmed,
2 onion2, quartered,
4 -5 carrots, coarsely chopped,
12 new potatoes, quartered,
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped,
1 head of white cabbage, core removed and cut into 6 wedges,
1 bunch cilantro or parsley
This must be done minimally 4 days prior to serving. I marinate for 5-7 days.
Heat the mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, allspice and juniper in a skillet until just hot. Remove from heat. Put all the brine ingredients in a pot with 3 quarts water. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool in the refrigerator. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a pot that will hold the meat and the brine will cover the meat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for one week. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged. Allow to brine 5-7 days.
At 5 -7 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water.
The vegetables will be added in the last 30-40 minutes of cooking as you do not want soggy overcooked vegetables. Place the brisket into a pot large enough to hold the meat and the vegetables covered with 1 inch of water. Roughly chop half the bunch of parsley or cilantro and add to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 hours. After 2 hours, add the vegetables and continue simmering until cooked for about 30- 40 minutes. Finely chop the remaining cilantro or parsley and sprinkle over top just before serving. Thinly slice the beef across the grain. Serve with Mustard, horseradish and of course, your favorite brew- we like Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter!
And here I include a full menu with all the recipes
Anson Mills Traditional Soda Bread and Darina Allen’s Traditional Recipe
Photo Credit: citymama