Cornbeef and Cabbage - Jen's Savory Summary

The man behind the meat

I loved this recipe.  It was so perfect for a lazy Sunday.  The only part that took some intense planning was securing the corned beef.  It is quite a popular cut of beef this time of year.  Then there is the on-going debate, do you get the gray or the red, the flat or the tri cut?  Instead of debating back and forth I called my trusty butcher, MF Dulock, and let him decide.  They used the red tri cut, a more fatty piece which makes it less likely to dry out when you boil it to oblivion for 6 hours. When I walked into the store at 10AM on Saturday I was surprised at how packed it was.  There was a stack of orders for their corned beef and more people picking up other treats in the store.  I picked up a bag of dog treats as an extra little tidbit for Ethel.

Relaxing while beef cooks

On Sunday, I woke up around 9AM and took the corned beef out of the fridge.  I don't know if this helps but I think meat should always be at room temperature before you start cooking.  Who knows if its true, but I read it somewhere and I've adapted it as my bible.  At noon, I took out my large dutch over and covered the corned beef with water and adding some peppercorns and a dash of pickling spices.  I got both spices at Williams and Sonoma. Now here's the best part of the recipe - let it simmer for six hours.  I went over to the couch still in my jammies and relaxed. At around one I mustered up some energy to go to brunch and, yes, I left my stove running when I went to brunch...

At 4PM, I chopped up an onion, a bunch of carrots, and some celery.  I tossed them into the water and while tossing grabbed a piece of beef to try.  Sweet Jesus, it was good.  I sent Jason out to get some cabbage.  He decided to go to Ming's and get this 'cabbage looking thing' (his description). It turned out to be Napa cabbage.  So we had an Asian twist on our Irish meal.   For the last step, instead of putting melted butter on the veggies, I melted butter into a cast iron pan and sauteed up the veggies so they were nice and caramelized with a buttery finish.  Finally, I added the beef on top.  The corned beef and cabbage was complete!

I can't wait to make this again.  It probably won't be until next Saint Patrick's Day though because it feels wrong every other day of the year!

Happy Cooking!
Jen