Posted: 3/14/2011 7:21:22 PM EDT
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Its that time of year again, no not just when woman have a legitimate excuse to go get drunk, wear skimpy green clothing, and kiss Irish. Hell, I even called myself Irish before, so be it the last name being WAY German gives it away later on, but its all for fun. Im talking corned beef and cabbage my friends.
Thought I would take a moment and share my recipe and give photos since there are many who still think this stuff comes in a can! Ill eat DAK, Spam, Vienna sausages and yes, potted corned beef product, but no way will I ever say its real corned beef. This is the good stuff. Start with your seasonings. I like to make my own using cheesecloth and butchers twine and a few spices that I like that way clean up is easy, Just fish out the pouch and toss, no bitting into any big chunks of spices or anything either, I use 1 dried hot pepper, 2 bay leaves, 8 whole all spice berries, 1 whole clove, and about a teaspoon of coriander seeds, again whole. 
I like to break up the pepper and bay leaves. 
Tie it up tight and set aside. 
Next open your corned beef package and give the brisket a nice wash, get that enzymes/ blood/ etc out of there, also, your may contain a spice pack, since I make my own, I toss this out. Add the brisket to your favorite dutch oven or heavy stockpot and add water to cover by an inch or so, I stop short and add some beer (stout or porter, your choice), and toss in your seasoning packet. 
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer anywhere from 2.25 to 3 hours, depending on size. Next, chop up some carrots, I like to toss the carrots in about 15 minutes prior to everything else since they take a little longer, you can also add parsnips if you like as well. I didn’t have any so I skipped them. 
At set time, pull the brisket keep warm, I use a 200* oven in a warmed pyrex and a few scoops of cooking liquid then cover with foil to keep moist. 
The toss in a quartered onion, big chunk taters, and a head of cabbage that has been cored and wedged. 
Bring back to simmer, cover, and let simmer for about 30 minutes . By then all the veggies should be soft. 
Retrieve your brisket from the oven and get to cutting, yes the inside should be pink, that’s the nitrates doing that, yes there is fat, and it taste dam good. 
Plate with a wedge of cabbage and veggies, top with hot mustard if you desire. MMM MMM MMM, good eats if I may say so myself. 
But the best part of this big meal comes the next morning, I am in the process of taking care of a sick daughter with strep, and mommy who may be coming down with it to, so a nice big breakfast gets you on your way. I know people who make corned beef just to toss in the fridge for breakfast. Anyways, break out a decent knife and chop up the meat and veggies, your not going for a paste here you want chunks. 
Then heat a skillet over med heat and toss in a pat of butter or some oil of your choice. 
I usually use cast iron but broke out the Calphalon non-stick commercial cookware to show it can be done in your average skillet in your average kitchen. Once the skillet is nice and hot and the butter melted, toss in your chunkies, and spread them out, let them cook and toss occasionally. 
After 5 or so minutes I hit it with shot of water to get some steam action going, once the water has about steamed away crank the heat and give it a fry and get some color going, this is where I hit it with salt pepper and hot sauce of choice. 
It does not take long and keep the food moving often. In a cast iron skillet I have been known to eat it right out of the pan since a 10” skillet is a perfect hungry man size. But a bowl, plate, or other serving vessel is fine. Here it is served up ARFcom style. 
Or again in a more traditional setting. Hope you all enjoyed, and happy St Pattys Day. 
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Very similar to what I do, but if my corned beef comes with a spice pack, I don't throw it away. I add it to the cooking water, along with a couple tablespoons of McCormick's Pickling Spice. (I like mine with a strong flavor). For a dinner, I use the Corned Beef Flat Cut. It is meatier and has less fat. I also save some of the cooking liquid to add to the hash, rather than using plain water.
Typically, we would buy an inexpensive point cut corned beef and cook it along with the flat cut corned beef. The point cut has more fat and is best used for the hash. Leftover potatoes, carrots and cabbage are also used, as well as the cooking broth and the layer of fat that solidifies on the top of the pot. Do not throw anything out. It all adds flavor. 1.The day after cooking, take the stock pot containing the meat and vegetables out of the refrigerator. 2.Remove the solidified layer of fat from the stock pot. Chop it finely and hold to the side. (yes, save the fat! It helps keep the hash moist) 3.Remove the point cut from the broth and chop it into finely diced pieces. Put the chopped meat into a large bowl. 4.Remove any potatoes, carrots and cabbage, finely chop and add to the bowl with the meat. 5. Add enough of the broth to moisten the mixture. 6.Add the solidified fat, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Mix well. 7. This will make enough hash for 2-3 meals. At this point, you can freeze anything you aren't going to cook immediately, but add more broth to the mix to make it very wet before freezing. This is so that it will be moist enough when you defrost and cook it in the future. 8. Place a frying pan on the stove and put a little butter in the bottom. Once butter is melted, add the hash and press it down firmly in the skillet. Allow it to cook until it browns and crisps. Turn over the mixture and continue to brown. 9. Add salt and pepper, if needed. |
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Quoted:
I had never seen it done like this until I left home. My mother does it in a pressure cooker, and it is by far the best corned beef I have ever had. I still bug her to make it every year around St Patricks day. Time to get on the phone.......  I made some mistakes doing it that way. My old fish and game club used to do CB that way. I just never watched them do it all as I was out shooting. I figured I would do it at home and screwed up and tossed all the veggies in with the CB and pressure cooked it. Don't do that unless you want mushy veggies cooked to death. Cook your CB under pressure then toss in your onion, taters and carrots and let them cook for 10 minutes at normal atmospheric pressure, toss in your cabbage and in about 10-15 minutes it's all done. I generally don't use the pressure cooker any more for a boiled dinner but I would if pressed for time. |