Corned Beef and Cabbage

((St. Patrick’s day may be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy good old fashion Corned Beef and Cabbage. Easy, and hearty; it’ll sure be a pleaser for those meat lovers in your family.))

**Easy Difficulty**
Serves 4

3 lbs / 1.3 kg Corned Beef Brisket (Pre-Cured)
1 tsp / 5 g Coriander Seeds
1 tsp / 5 g Dill Seeds
1 tsp / 5 g Brown Mustard Seeds
1 tsp / 5 g Yellow Mustard Seeds
1 tsp / 5 g Allspice (Pimenta Seeds)
1 tsp / 5 g Cloves
1 tsp / 5 g Red Peppercorns
1 tsp / 5 g Black Peppercorns
2 Bay Leaves
1 med Cinnamon Stick
1 tsp / 5 g Cardamom Pods
1 Whole Star Anise
4 Tbsp / 60 g Garlic, minced
6 Tbsp / 90 g Shallots, minced
4 Tbsp / 60 g Fresh Baby Dill, rough chop
6 to 8 med Sized Potatoes, peeled, kept WHOLE
3 Large Carrots, peeled, cut into 1 ½ in. pieces, cut on the bias
1 Whole Red Cabbage (Green is fine too), inner stem removed, quartered
2 Tbsp / 30 ml White Vinegar
Enough water to cover the meat

1.) First, with a Mortar and Pestle, lightly crack the Coriander Seeds, Dill Seeds, Brown Mustard Seeds, Yellow Mustard Seeds, Allspice, Cloves, Red Peppercorns, Black Peppercorns, Bay Leaves, Cinnamon Stick, Cardamom Pods, and Star Anise, into small pieces. We don’t want a powder, but we want the spices to be broken up enough. Set aside.

2.) Take the Pre-Cured Beef Brisket, and trim some of the fat. We want a thin layer of fat. This step is important because we will be using the boiling method, and if you have a thick layer still attached, the Beef Brisket will taste very oily.

3.) In a large pot set at high heat, place the whole Corned Beef Brisket into the pot, fat side down. Render the Fat just enough to release some of the oil and then add in the garlic and Shallots. Lightly brown the Garlic and Shallots then add in all the Spices from the Mortar and Pestle and mix. Fill the Pot up with water until it covers the very top of the Corned Beef Brisket.

4.) Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to a medium simmer, and cover. Simmer for 2 and a ½ hours. Yep. HOURS. Once 2 ½ hours have passed, remove the Corned Beef Brisket (carefully) from the pot and set on a plate to sit for another 15 minutes to rest.

5.) Save the Corned Beef brisket broth still in the pot, and place the peeled Potatoes, and Carrots into the broth. Increase heat to High, and bring to a boil. Let Potatoes and Carrots cook until tender. You can check the doneness of the potatoes by inserting a paring knife into the middle of the potato. It should go in and slide out easily. Same with Carrots. You may need to fish the Carrots out sooner than the potatoes so keep an eye on them. Remove when done. Set aside.

6.) Add the White Vinegar to the boiling hot broth, and blanch the Red Cabbage quarters for about 30 to 45 seconds or to desired softness. We are cooking the Red Cabbage last because it will dye the broth and make it unusable here after. Remove from heat and set aside.

7.) The Brisket should be cool to the touch now. Cut the brisket against the grain to ensure delicious, tender slices. The slices can be as thin or thick as you like. I personally kept a rough 1 inch thickness for purposes of the picture. Now to build our plate. Place the Corned Beef brisket in a neat overlapping row, then set the Potatoes, Carrots, and Cabbage to the side of the Brisket. Sprinkle the chopped Baby Dill over the plate for Garnish and flavor. Pour yourself a cup of tea, or a glass of beer and Enjoy!


Extra Info: Curing your own Beef Brisket is actually not that hard, however, it is very time consuming, and requires almost two weeks of patience, which I just didn’t have. XD So, I got the Pre-Cured Beef Brisket at my local Butcher Shop. Luckily for me, all the Corned Beef Brisket was on sale because it was after St. Patrick’s Day. So cheap in fact, that I’m mad at myself I didn’t buy more just to keep in my freezer.

Corned Beef is called as such not because it uses Corn anywhere in the recipe, but because of the large grains of salt used. The yellow Corn on the Cob we love eating with butter was most likely called “Corn” because the kernels looked like large salt grains. That’s my guess anyways.

As you can see in my picture, the meat is still very red inside. For those of you who’ve never had Corned Beef in this way, don’t worry. The meat is perfectly cooked. The reason why the meat is still red is because during the curing process, Sodium NitrITE and Sodium NitrATE, are used to preserve the color of the meat. My local Butcher Shop uses Morton brand “Tender Quick.“ You can buy it over the counter in some grocery stores. I personally don’t mind the Preservatives since I don‘t tend to eat preserved foods all that often, but a lot of health food experts say these Preservatives are linked to various health concerns. A little bit, once in a while shouldn’t be too bad though, right? XD

If you noticed, I added White Vinegar to the boiling broth BEFORE I blanched the Red Cabbage. That’s because Red Cabbage has a tendency to change color to either Blue or Pink. By adding the little extra Acidity to the broth, we are guaranteeing that the Cabbage doesn’t turn a funny color. Blue is cool, but a light Purple is more appetizing for this recipe. :3 Hehe. Remember my tutorial on Food Coloring using Red Cabbage? That ties into this recipe nicely. Happy Eating!