Corned Beef and Cabbage

I like corned beef but I have not made it in a long time.

Expect, I did, a few weeks ago.

Susan's mother asked me, "Bruce, would you make corned beef?"

And I did and Susan's mom asked a few days before the corned beef dinner, "Can I bring a friend with me?"

And we will call this friend Theresa and Theresa who had eaten a corned beef dinner at a fine dining establishment a few days before coming to our home for my corned beef dinner said, "Bruce. This is the best corned beef I have ever eaten. It is better than what I had at the restaurant. It is even better than my mom's."

Wow! Better than her mom's!

Corned Beef and Cabbage from Bruce's Kitchen.

I now quote Mark Bittman, whose recipe I followed:

"Corned beef is the beef equivalent of wet-cured ham, beef that has been steeped in a spic brine for days or longer (or shorter, now that there are fast, chemically enhanced cures). Most corned beef is from the brisket, and that's the only kind you should buy. If you have a choice, buy the flat cut rather than the point cut; it's the better end.

"Cooking corned beef is as close to a no-brainer as there is. It's difficult to overcook it, although it can be done, of course, so this is a good candidate for the crock-pot, if you have one. I think corned beef cooked without garlic lacks character but you can omit the garlic if you prefer......."

Ingredients

1 corned beef, 3 to 5 pounds
1 bay leaf
1 head garlic
3 cloves
10 peppercorns
5 allspice berries or pinch or two of ground allspice
1 onion, whole

Directions

1. Put the corned beef in a large, heavy pot and cover with water. Add all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and skim all the foam that rises to the surface.
2. Lower the heat so that water bubbles occasionally rather than constantly. Cover pot (Bitty didn't say anything about covering the pot, but other recipes said to do so and I did.). Cook turning every 30 minutes or so for about 2 hours.
3. After 2 hours of cooking, add the following per person: 1 medium waxy red or white potato; 1 or 2 medium carrots (I used baby carrots); 1 wedge of cabbage.......(I cut the potato in quarters.)
4.Cook for another 20-30 minutes. When the corned beef allows a thin-bladed knife to pass into the middle without much resistance, it is ready.
5. Drain; if you like, put the meat into a 300 degree over for about 10 minutes to dry out the exterior a little (I did.).

It really was delicious. And for the next few days, Susan and I enjoyed corned beef sandwiches. YUM!

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