Corned Beef and Cabbage

My great-great-great-great-grandparents would be so proud that I made a meal from "the old country". I'm a quarter Irish, but the only celebrating we ever participate in is Saint Patty's Day, and my mom and I were craving Corned Beef, so we made it during the week. Actually my great-great-great-great-grandparents would probably be ashamed that we made it so early, I'm sorry, can I still have some "luck of the Irish" (please pronounce this in an Irish accent).

Anyway, this classic Irish meal so simple. Really, I mean it. If you know how to boil water and cut a potato then you are good-to-go. Just crack open a Guinness and wait for the tantalizing scents of "the old country" to fill your home. Seriously though, it smells amazing.

For this recipe you're going to want to get: corned beef brisket (the one with a spice pack included, it makes life so simple), cabbage, and red potatoes. That's all folks.

Place the beef in a pot and cover with water. Make sure that the entire brisket is covered and there's extra on top. I really could have used more when all was said and done, but it still came out delicious.

Add the spice packet that came with the brisket. Cover with a lid and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce it to a simmer and cook for 50 minutes per pound which for mine was 2 1/2 hours. I had to do some hard math here, but I pulled through.

While your meat is a-cookin' go ahead and slice up the red potatoes. I used 8 because I could, and my family loves potatoes. Use as many as your heart desires, or that will fit in your pot. If they're small enough you can just throw them in whole, but mine were on the larger side so I cut them in half. Also, don't slice them too early, I did this and placed a wet towel on them to keep them from drying out. Don't be like me. Cut them right before they're supposed to go in. 

When the meat has 45 minutes left to cook, throw the potatoes in and then cover it again with the lid. Please don't ask me to do the math again on that one. I used a timer so I didn't have to count. If you drop in your potatoes just like I did, you might be lucky and get a sweet ripple like mine made. You can be jealous now.

Next, chop up your cabbage into medium-sized wedges. Let me tell you, cutting a cabbage is not easy. Just make sure to cut out the stem-thing in the middle.

When there's 15 minutes left of the cooking time, add in your cabbage wedges. You don't need the whole head unless everyone in your family loves cabbage and your pot is big enough to hold it all. I put in maybe 8-10 wedges. Just remember, that it will shrink down a bit as it cooks.

After 15 minutes, check the potatoes to make sure they're cooked all the way (they should slide off a fork when punctured). The cabbage should also be wilted like mine here. Remove from the pot and place on a serving platter. It's that simple. Pair it with some of my Irish Sodabread and everyone will be calling you "boy-o". Recipe below!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Makes 5 servings

Ingredients:

3 pound corned beef brisket

1 head of cabbage

8 - 10 red potatoes

Spice packet included with the beef

Instructions:

Place the brisket in a large pot and cover with water so that the beef is completely submerged. Add in the spice packet and bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 50 minutes per pound. Clean the potatoes and slice them in half if they're on the larger side. Place into the pot when the brisket has 45 minutes of cooking time remaining. Rinse and slice the cabbage into wedges and place in the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the pot and serve with a side of Irish Sodabread and enjoy!