Corned Beef & Cabbage

Corned Beef & Cabbage

I tried a new recipe for cooking corned beef and cabbage this year. I did this after cooking this last year and having my corned beef come out like shoe leather! I’ve been watching many cooking shows on HGTV and I have been learning a lot about how to cook tough cuts of beef. So, here is what I did, and in the end, it came out so very well!

Ingredients:

  1. 2-5 pounds corned beef
  2. 5 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
  3. 10 peppercorns smashed
  4. 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  5. 2 bay leaves
  6. 12 ounces good beer
  7. 1 carton of beef broth or stock
  8. (Water, if needed for simmering)
  9. 4 yellow onions, cut into wedges, plus 1 large yellow or sweet onion, sliced
  10. 6 – 8 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
  11. 4 stalks celery cut into large chunks
  12. 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
  13. 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1 inch slices, core removed
  14. 4 tablespoons butter
  15. 1 tsp salt

Directions

Rinse the corned beef and put it into a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot. Make a bouquet garni with the garlic, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves and add to the pot. Stir in the beer, beef stock and enough water to cover the beef by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then place in pre-heated 300 degree F oven for 3 hours and 30 minutes.

After 3 hours and 30 minutes, add the onion wedges, celery, carrots, and the potatoes and cook for 1 hour. Then add the cabbage and continue cooking until the cabbage is tender, but not limp, about 20 minutes. Remove the cabbage to a plate and allow the corned beef and other vegetables to continue cooking until the meat is tender. Don’t be afraid you will overcook the corned beef. Cooking it slowly in a low oven will make this so tender. If the meat is tough, you did not cook it long enough!

In a separate large saute pan, heat 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the sliced onion, and a pinch of salt and saute until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the cabbage to remove excess water. Add the cabbage to the onion mixture and toss to coat well with the butter. Cook over medium heat until the cabbage begins to brown.

Remove the meat to a cutting board and slice. Serve with spicy mustard, at the table with all the vegetables piled onto a serving tray and the sliced meat onto another tray with some of the broth poured over the meat.

My total cooking time was five and a half hours. I used my cast iron Dutch Oven, and a low oven. Basically you get all the ingredients in and then let then Dutch Oven do all the work!

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