St. Patrick’s Day is so whimsical and fun that whether or not you have Irish heritage, it is an enjoyable day to celebrate. My Grandmother always prepared Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day, and it was a meal that I really looked forward to.
Now that I am cooking the meals, I am lucky enough that The Butcher brings me fantastic Corned Beef that has been brined in Manhattan, especially for R&S Meat Market. He orders ahead and they pickle it and place it in large brining barrels. Hence you have, Fresh Barrel Corned Beef…so delicious…and super special.
If you were lucky enough to pick up a piece of this fantastic corned beef, then follow the directions below to cook it to perfection. I have also added a link to my recipe for Beer, Bacon and Cheddar Soup, a delicious compliment to this traditional meal.
In addition to your piece of corned beef you will need:
A VERY LARGE pot to boil the beef in!
Red skin potatoes – two per person
One small head of purple cabbage- thin sliced
One medium size head of green cabbage- cut into wedges
Gourmet Mustards for serving
Plan on two and a half to three hours of cooking time for the corned beef.
Slice half of the head of purple cabbage and place in the bottom of a large pot. Place the piece of beef on top of the cabbage and fill the pot with water. The corned beef should have plenty of space in the pot and should be fully submerged in the water. If you have ordered a very large piece of meat, ask The Butcher to cut it in half so that you can cook it in two separate pots.
Once the water has come to a full boil, set the timer for three hours. Check the meat at the two and a half hour mark. Once you can sink a fork into the piece of meat, it is done.
If you are making boiled potatoes and cabbage on the side. You can start to prepare these about an hour before you expect the corned beef to be done. I prefer to boil the potatoes and cabbage in separate pots, but you can also put them together in one large pot.
You can find a printable version of the cooking instructions here
Corned Beef & Cabbage
The link to the Beer, Cheddar and Bacon Soup is here
http://randsmeatmarket.com/2015/03/13/beer-cheddar-and-bacon-soup/
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- I had planned to feed about 8 people, so The Butcher sent me home with this large piece of corned beef.
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- This piece of Corned Beef weighed 9 pounds! The Butcher suggests about a pound per person. You will need a VERY large pot to cook this size corned beef! I suggest asking The Butcher to cut it in half and cooking it in two separate pots.
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- One side has considerably more fat on it than the other. This can be trimmed off just before serving.
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- I used half of a purple cabbage sliced up and placed in the bottom of the pot.
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- Just be aware the cabbage will turn the water purple! Place the corned beef on top of the cabbage and then add water to cover the entire piece of meat.
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- You will need to bring the water to a boil, and then start the timer and continue to cook at a very rapid simmer for two and a half to three hours.The meat will be done when you can sink a fork into it.
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- While the corned beef is boiling you can put the side dishes together. I prefer to use red skin potatoes along side my corned beef. Scrub them really well.
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- Leave some of the skin if you wish.
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- Remove the outer leaves of the green cabbage . Cut large slices down and around the core.
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- You will be left with three or four sections.
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- Place them cut side down and cut into fours. This will leave you with nice neat squares of cabbage.
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- Place them in a colander and rinse well.
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- Start to boil the potatoes and the cabbage one hour before you expect the corned beef to be done.
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- It’s fun to serve the beef with several different mustards. I set out a spicy Oscar’s More than Mustard, a Sweet Honey Dijon Mustard and a Coarse whole grain mustard.
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- Don’t forget to add some Irish Soda Bread, and some Irish Beer!
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- The potatoes should take about 25-30 minutes to boil.
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- This Beer, Bacon and Cheddar Soup is a delicious compliment to the Corned Beef. I have included a link to the recipe above.
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- At the end of two and a half to three hours, you should be able to sink a fork into the meat. This will tell you that it is ready to be sliced.
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- Let it set on the cutting board for five minutes before slicing it in half.
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- Slice the half into quarter inch thick slices.
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- Delicious!
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- This is the purple cabbage that I simmered along with the corned beef. It had a really great flavor.
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- Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
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- May you enjoy the Luck of the Irish!
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- If you have leftover corned beef, I would suggest using the crock pot to re-heat it the next day. Place some fresh cabbage on the bottom.
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- Place the COOKED corned beef on top. I used a whole piece that I had leftover, but you could also just lay the slices on top.
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- Use the leftover soup as a sauce .
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- I had two containers of soup left. Just pour it over the corned beef and set to low for five hours. Simple!
Chowfancy 
Reblogged this on chowfancy and commented:
May your joys be as deep as the oceans
Your troubles as light as its foam
And may you find sweet peace of mind
Wherever you
may roam~
~Irish Blessing~
Thanks for your Corned Beef recipe. I will use it.
Thanks also for all your cooking inspiration.
Thank you Ellie ! We appreciate you:) Hope your Corned Beef was fantastic!