Farmer Boy Recipe: Corned Beef & Cabbage

Here is an authenic Irish meal!  While I'm not Irish, I did have a long friendship with a great guy, who came directly from Ireland.  It was Michael who gave me this recipe.  It is a very simple meal to make.

I'm not sure that this was as popular in Ireland as it has been here, in the U.S. - but it is something that originated in Ireland.  The "Corned" part of the name refers to the corning process - the coarse salt used to cure and preserve the beef.  But since we have Corned Beef and cabbage readily available year 'round, we don't have to enjoy this meal only during a St. Patrick's Day celebration!  I make it when I have a taste for it! :)  This recipe serves about 4 people - or 2 very hungry people!  ;)

Ingredients:
3 - 4 lb. Corned Beef Brisket
1 head of cabbage
6 - 8 new potatoes
3 - 4 carrots
peppercorns, celery salt, cloves, mustard seeds, 2 - 3 cloves of minced garlic, and 2 large bay leaves
Directions: Place the brisket in a large pot, cover with water.  Drop in the herbs (just about any amount will do!) - I use about 1/2 teaspoon of different peppercorns (green, black & whatever is on hand), a couple pinches of celery salt, about a half dozen whole cloves (cracked), about 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds, the garlic and the bay leaves.  Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil.  Turn down to simmer for about 3 1/2 hours - till it is tender and reads 160 degrees F. on a meat thermometer.  Remove the meat to a platter to rest; covered in plastic wrap.  Skim off any grease from the top of the water and remove the bay leaves.

Cut the cabbage into wedges, leaving them attached to a small section of the core.  Cut up the carrots into bite-sized pieces (or use about a dozen baby carrots).  If your potatoes are small enough, you can leave them whole - otherwise, cut them in half.  Drop all the veggies into the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes - till fully cooked.

Remove the veggies from the pot and place them on the platter with the meat.  Serve hot.  *Note: be sure to slice the meat against the grain.

If you are celebrating St. Patrick's Day, you may wish to add Irish Soda Bread to this meal and play a CD of Irish Bag Pipe music to really get into the mood. :)  Celebrating different cultural or ethnic meals can be fun!

Corned Beef makes great sandwiches too!  It is one of the basic ingredients in a Reuben Sandwich (not Irish!) - one that I crave every few weeks!

If  you make this meal, please let us all know, by leaving a comment here.  Thanks.
The Old Man in the Bib Overalls