March 4, 2011

St. Pat’s Corned Beef & Cabbage

beef, beer, Cabbage, holiday, main dish, St. Patrick's Day Recipes

Pin It

414 ratings

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 3 to 4 hours
Servings: 6

We looked forward to St. Patrick’s Day at Grandma’s house because she always made corned beef and cabbage; it was Grandpa Brian’s favorite.

Ingredients

1 corned beef brisket (about 5 pounds)
1 bottle (12 ounces) dark beer (optional)
4 large carrots, halved crosswise
2 medium onions, each studded with 3 cloves
2 medium celery stalks, halved crosswise
3 large leeks, halved lengthwise
1 green cabbage (about 3 pounds) cored and cut into 6 wedges
5 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Directions

1

Place the beef in a large Dutch oven and add the beer (if using). Add enough cold water to cover the beef. Add the carrots, onions and celery. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to low, cover and simmer, turning the beef every 45 minutes, until it is fork-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
2

Preheat the oven to 350F. Transfer the beef to a shallow baking pan, fat side up. Cover with foil and set aside.
3

Using a colander set over a large bowl, strain the broth from the pot, discarding the vegetables. Set aside 1 cup of the broth. Return the remaining broth to the pot and add the leeks, cabbage, 4 tablespoons of the parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the leeks and cabbage are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the vegetables and set aside; discard the broth.
4

To make the glaze, combine the brown sugar and mustard in a small bowl and mix well. Trim any excess fat from the corned beef. Spread the glaze over the beef. Return the beef to the baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Using a sharp carving knife, cut the beef crosswise into thin slices.
5

Transfer the sliced beef to a large serving platter; surround with the leeks and cabbage.
6

Just before serving, reheat the reserved broth in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; drizzle 2 tablespoons of the warm broth over the beef and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Transfer the remaining broth to a gravy boat; serve immediately with the beef.

Grandma's Secret Trick

On St. Patrick’s Day Grandma would serve this with shamrock carrots and a traditional Irish potato dish. For the carrots, she sliced large peeled carrots on an angle, cut out shamrocks with a small shamrock cookie cutter, then steamed the carrots until tender. For the potatoes, she combined mashed potatoes with steamed kale and sautéed onions.