Corned beef is brisket (ideally), like wet-cured ham, steeped in a spicy brine. If you have a choice, buy the flat cut rather than the point cut. Cooking corned beef is literally as easy as boiling water; it’s tough to overcook, so this is a good candidate for the slow cooker. With mustard, pickles, and good rye bread, this makes a fine old-fashioned meal.
Let’s have a look on how to make corned beef:
Ingredients:
- 1 corned beef, 3 to 5 pounds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 head garlic
- 3 cloves
- 10 peppercorns
- 5 allspice berries or 1 or 2 pinches ground allspice
- 1 onion
Instructions:
- Put the corned beef in a big, heavy pot and cover with water. Add all the remaining ingredients. Boil and skim the entire foam that rises to the surface. Turn the heat a bit low, so that the water bubbles at times, rather than constantly.
- Cook, turning every 30 minutes or so, for about 2 hours. Pierce with a thin-bladed knife, like a boning knife; the meat will probably still be fairly tough, but it’s time to begin checking.
- Check the beef every 20 minutes or so; when the corned beef allows the knife to pass into the middle without much resistance, it is ready. Drain; if you like, put the meat into a 300°F oven for 10 minutes to dry out the exterior a little.
- You can also wrap it carefully with tin foil and keep it in fridge for almost 2 days. Reheat at 300°F for 30 minutes in the foil; unwrap and heat for about 15 minutes more.) Slice across the grain, as you would brisket and serve.
New England Boiled Dinner (Corned Beef and Cabbage). In Step 2, after 2 hours of cooking, add the following per person: 1 medium peeled waxy red or white potato; 1 or 2 medium carrots; 1 wedge of cabbage, pierced with a skewer or a couple of toothpicks to keep it from falling apart; and any other root vegetable you like, whole peeled onions, peeled turnips, or parsnips.
- It’s best to leave most vegetables whole, but if the meat appears to be nearly done, you may cut them into halves or quarters to hasten their cooking, especially if they are large.
- In any case, do not overcook the vegetables; when they are tender, remove them. In Step 3, put the drained meat and vegetables on a platter and let sit in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with plenty of minced fresh parsley leaves.
Corned Beef (or Roast Beef) Hash. Toss together 2 cups cut-up leftover corned beef and 2 cups cut-up cold boiled potatoes, all in small cubes. Add 1 cup chopped onion and 1/2 cup liquid, stock, tomato sauce, milk, cream, or gravy, enough to moisten the mixture without making it soupy. Put 3 tablespoons oil or butter in a heavy skillet, preferably nonstick
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