Thursday, March 22, 2007

Sorry, no photo

I was a little bit late with the St. Patrick’s Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage. We had it last night and it was great. I did it a little different than last year, slow cooking the flat brisket for about 4 hours and the cabbage for 30 minutes. I began with a 4 pound flat with very little fat on it. I put it in the slow cooker and added enough beef broth to cover it. I also added the spice packet that came with the brisket. First I brought it to a boil and then reduced it to a simmer for the next 4 hours. As soon as the brisket was fork tender, I removed it and covered it with foil, placing it in the microwave to rest and stay warm. Now it was time for the cabbage. I quartered one head of cabbage and trimmed the hard center out of two quarters. Those I placed in the liquid remaining in the slow cooker and brought it up to a boil again. 20, or 30 minutes at the most, and it’s done. Watch the cabbage carefully and remove it if it’s starting to come apart. You want it to be slightly firm and not floating around the pot in pieces. Now you can remove the brisket from the microwave and slice it. I put the slices right down the middle of the plate and placed the cabbage quarters on each side of the slices. Looked good. You will have to trust me, I forgot to take a picture of it.

And what is it with corned beef and cabbage that makes me want to speak with an Irish accent? Is there something in that aroma that fills the kitchen?

2 comments:

Kitty said...

We also enjoyed a brisket of corned beef on Sunday, after St. Patty's day. Your description was almost exactly how I cooked ours and it was scrumptious. The leftover corned beef with a few onions and fried potatos with a side of over-easy eggs make a wonderful second meal

Steven said...

Ah! The leftovers...we're going to have corned beef on rye with Swiss cheese sandwiches tonight. But then I will try your recipe for the finale. Sounds great!