Why do we only eat this once a year? It's just too damn good to be eaten once a year.
It's a meal that cooks itself all in one pot, and there ain't nothing wrong with that. Serve with soda bread on the side. And beer. Plenty of beer.
CityMama's Corned Beef and Cabbage
When buying your brisket, plan on about 1 lb. per person (more if you want leftovers) since there
usually is a fair amount of fat to account for and it shrinks quite a bit when cooking.
- 1 prepared corned beef brisket (these come already "corned" or brined and are sold prepackaged at supermarket or from the butcher at Whole Foods),
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 peppercorns
- 4 whole cloves
- peel from half an orange
- 1 savoy or regular cabbage, cut into six wedges
- 1 pound of carrots, scrubbed, ends trimmed, leave whole
- 2 turnips, peeled and quartered
- 4 parsnips, peeled, ends trimmed, leave whole (or if they are particularly large, cut in half lengthwise)
- potatoes, scrubbed (1 medium waxy potato [like white or Yukon Gold] or two new potatoes per person)
- finely chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish
Condiments for serving: freshly grated horseradish, coarse salt, whole grain mustard
Place brisket fat side up in a dutch over or other heavy bottomed pot and cover with cold water. Add garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, and orange peel and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer slowly according to package directions or until fork tender, 2-3 hours. Skim foamy impurities every so often.
Remove brisket to a large platter and tent with foil. Remove orange peel and discard. Raise temperature of liquid to medium, and add veggies to the pot. Simmer until root vegetable are just fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
Slice corned beef on the bias against the grain and return to platter. Arrange vegetables around the meat and sprinkle parsley over all. Serve with condiments on the side.
Note: Photos to come. I'm not making mine until Friday. So go! Go get your ingredients today!
For corned beef, what's your opinion on flat-cut vs. point-cut brisket? (Or even the non-brisket-at-all option of a round? TJs here has a Niman Ranch corned beef round, but the sample was dry and just not the right texture 'cause I've always had brisket.)
Posted by: daddy in a strange land | March 16, 2006 at 11:07 AM
I prefer brisket, too. Round is just too..um...pot-roasty. Not sure on the difference between the flat-cut v. point-cut. I bought a flat one this year just because it's what my butcher happened to have. (He cut me a 6 lb piece off of a 12 lb piece and it just happened to be from the flatter end.)
Posted by: CityMama | March 16, 2006 at 01:49 PM
Quick timing question--my package directions say 60 min. per pound, you suggest 2-3 hours, and I know you have a six-pounder. I have one a little over 4. So, four hours, or 2-3? Thanks! (I've done this many a times, I just always forget what I did before. I probably end up calling my parents, is what happens.)
Posted by: daddy in a strange land | March 17, 2006 at 07:00 AM
Daddy--I would go with the package direction but check at the 2 hr mark and then every 30 mins or so after that. You don't want it to shred apart.
Posted by: CityMama | March 17, 2006 at 02:21 PM
My grocery was out of turnips. So I got rutabagas. They look similar. Hope that works out OK. It is boiling right now. Your post inspired me to cook for this day and have company.
Thanks
Posted by: greensunflower | March 17, 2006 at 06:27 PM
Yeah. This rocks. Tim's mom made this for us yesterday and it was really really good. I don't even eat red meat and I had a piece because it smelled too good to pass up. Oh- and I never knew I liked turnips. Des even ate the carrots! Thanks!
Posted by: Jules | March 18, 2006 at 06:41 AM
Yesterday was my first time cooking corned beef and cabbage (I had my MIL around to help me, in case of any SNAFUs), and it turned out *so* nicely. This is truly a fool-proof recipe, and just de-lish.
This is the third CityMama recipe I've tried (the first two being veggie-cheese chowder and spaghetti w/ tomatoes and butter), and the third to knock my socks off. Hats off to you, S.!
:)
Posted by: Alisyn | March 18, 2006 at 08:21 AM
Cook your corned beef round...less fatty and better texture than brisket it the pressure cooker. In about an hour a 5-6 lb corned beef will be done to perfection. Potatoes of course will have to be done in different pot; but when meat is done, remove form pressure cooker and add one or two heads of cabbage quartered...3min in pressure cooker and you are ready to serve! From an Irish Lass who serves cornedbeef several times every year..everyone loves it.
Posted by: Dorothy | March 15, 2008 at 05:39 PM
i don't have a heavy bottomed pot to do this on the stove...what would you do for the oven?
thanks!
Posted by: shannon | March 17, 2009 at 11:57 AM
Just tweeted the following on Twitter. This the second time I am using your recipe just before Christmas. Last year was a great success! Thank you! My tweet!
"Preparing corned beef (also called pickled beef in S Africa) & cabbage! Using my favorite recipe: http://bit.ly/77AZez"
You can follow me @wentzeldk if you wish to!
Thank you once again!~Daniel K
Posted by: Wentzeldk | December 23, 2009 at 07:38 AM
thanks for share this awesome recipe with us, an outrageous one.
Posted by: generic viagra | March 12, 2010 at 08:50 AM
try rubbing the beef with honey and a good mustard after its been boiled and rested. Throw it on the BBQ for 5 minutes per side or even longer for a dark smokey flavor.
Posted by: ~M | March 17, 2010 at 05:42 PM