Talk about easy comfort food! Nothing beats a hot corned beef and cabbage boiled dinner on a cold New England winter’s night! I usually cook twice the corned beef, and plan to include enough extra potatoes to insure there are plenty left-overs for my favorite corned beef hash the next day…delish!
I have been careful to call this dish New England Corned Beef & Cabbage, not to be confused with it’s identical cousin, Irish Boiled Dinner…because us yanks include carrots, but carrots served in an Irish Boiled Dinner are considered an insult to Irish Catholics (the color orange being identified with Orangemen, or Northern Irish Protestants…and we all know the friction there).
This dish is a no-brainer. When shopping in your local grocery store for a corned beef brisket, look for a fresh date on the package and check to see if it includes a seasoning packet. I prefer the brands that use natural enzyme papain for the tenderizer, and stay away from MSG altogether. Today you can even find brands that are gluten free, hormone and preservative free. Just before St. Patrick’s Day you can find them on sale.
New England Corned Beef & Cabbage
Ingredients:
- 1 3 to 4 lb corned beef brisket
- seasoning packet from brisket or teaspoon of peppercorns and 2 bay leaves
- 1 bottle favorite beer
- 1 gallon water
- 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
- 3 medium, slender carrots, washed, peeled and cut in half
- 1 lb baby red-skinned potatoes, washed & left whole
- 1 small head cabbage, outer leaves peeled and cut into 1/8th wedges
- 1 peeled large garlic clove
- 1/4 cup soft butter
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Place brisket into a dutch oven or large soup pot. Add contents of seasoning packet. Empty bottle of beer over the corned beef and add ~ 1 gallon of water, so liquid covers the beef by several inches.
Add onion. Bring to a rolling boil, skim off any scum from the top and turn heat down to a medium simmer (water should still be slightly bubbling. Cover tightly and simmer for 3 hours. Or place in 300 degree oven for 3 hours.
Remove lid, place potatoes and carrots on top of meat and continue to simmer 10 minutes covered. Add cabbage wedges and cover. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes more until cabbage is tender.
In large mixing bowl, rub cut garlic clove all over inside of bowl. Place softened butter in bowl.
Remove cabbage wedges to serving platter. With slotted spoon, remove carrots and potatoes to bowl with garlic/butter and stir to coat the hot veggies with the garlic flavored butter. Sprinkle with parsley.
Remove beef to cutting board and carve thick slices across the grain. Arrange on platter with cabbage. Spoon a little of the hot braising liquid over the platter and serve immediately with mustard on the side, along with the buttered carrots and potatoes.
