Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned Beef and Cabbage

It simply would not be St. Patrick's Day without Corned Beef and Cabbage.  For as long as I can remember we have had this traditional meal on the 17th of March.  Many people assume that Corned Beef is a traditional meal, eaten in Ireland, on St. Paddy's Day.  If fact Corned Beef first showed up  during the time of the Irish immigration to the U.S.. The first generation of Irish-Americans were in search of the comforting tastes of their homeland. On St. Paddy's Day that meant boiled bacon. But the immigrants were too poor to afford the high price of pork and bacon products. Instead, they turned to the cheapest cut of meat available: beef brisket.* (More information on the History of Corned Beef)

Making Corned Beef is one of the easiest things to do.  It requires one pot, 15 minutes of prep time, and as much cooking time as you can give it. The longer you cook it the more tender it becomes. You can make this in a crock pot, but I like to use my dutch oven.  

Ingredients: 

1 Corned Beef plus the packet of spices that come with it. 
1 Head of Cabbage
1 Large Onion
4 to 8 potatoes (depending on number of people you are feeding)
4 to 8 Carrots 
1/2 a Pint of Dark Beer (Optional)**
**If you do not care for the taste of dark beer then do not use it in your recipe.  The vegetables will take on a bit of the flavor of the dark beer. Instead you can use about 1 cup of broth, or water.  

Instructions: 

1. Heat your oven to 225 degrees. (Crock Pot Instructions below) *** 

2. Cut the potatoes, onions, and carrots into large chunks.  

Dutch Oven

Be sure to cut your veggies into large pieces. 

3. Place potatoes, carrots and onion in the bottom of your Dutch Oven. Salt and Pepper them to taste.

4. Remove Corned Beef from Packaging. Set aside the spice packet and rinse the Corned Beef under cold water. 

5. Place Corned Beef on top of vegetables and sprinkle the provided spice packet over the top.  

Corned Beef with Spice Packet

6. Add Beer to Dutch Oven.  You really only need about a cup of Beer.  This will cook low and slow and steam the meat more than boil it.  You want the beer to cover the bottom of the Dutch Oven and come up the sides about and inch or so.

Add Beer

7. Cut your Head of Cabbage in Half, remove the core and then cut the halves in half again.  (you want it to be cut into quarters. By doing this the pieces remain big and do not fall apart during cooking.  Place the quarters on top for the Corned Beef. 

8. Place the lid on your Dutch Oven and place it on the center rack of your oven.  Cook from 6 to 8 hours. Serve with Soda Bread and Enjoy! 

***Crock Pot Instructions: Follow the instruction above and then cook in your Crock Pot on Low for 8 hours.  

Disclaimer: I am not a professional blogger.  I am a home cook that loves to share my recipes.  I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors.  While I strive to get better in both of these areas, it is not my primary focus.  My goal is to give you accurate recipes with simple instructions that  lead you to fabulous foods! If you have questions or comments please send me an email or leave a comment below and I will answer you as quickly as I can.  

Cook what you love and love what you cook! 

Kris

*History of Corned Beef courtesy of www.delish.com