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How to Cook Corned Beef

Last modified on 2008-03-14 17:11:35 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Chef Erika, half Irish and our resident “meat maven” describes her favorite way to prepare corned beef.

RECIPES

Corned Beef Brisket and Cabbage with Horseradish Sauce
Chef: Robyn Fennessey
Food Mood: Holiday
Cuisine: Irish

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients
1 whole Corned Beef (raw), 2-3 lbs.
1 can of beer, Harp preferred
1/2 cup pickling spice
1 head green cabbage, halved and cut into wedges, leaving core intact
4 large carrots, cut into large dice
2 large white onions, cut into eighths
12 red baby potatoes, left whole (or 6 red potatoes, cut in half)
Water as needed

Method
Place corned beef, beer, and pickling spice in a very large pot of the stove.
Add enough water to cover completely.

Bring up to a roaring boil, and then turn down to a slow simmer. Cover and cook. You may have to add more water to keep beef covered as it simmers.

A 3 lb corned beef will take approximately three hours to cook. When it is done, the meat will break apart very easily.

Remove meat from the pot and place on a plate.

Add the potatoes, carrots and onions to the cooking liquid. Let cook for about 10 minutes. Add the cabbage, and continue cooking until tender.

Slice the meat, drain vegetables and serve with horseradish sauce.

Notes
The fattier your corned beef, the more it will shrink when cooked. If purchasing a meatier, leaner corned beef, estimate a 6 ounce portion per person.

Horseradish Sauce for Corned Beef
Chef: Robyn Fennessey
Food Mood: Holiday
Cuisine: Irish
Servings: 2 cups

Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. fresh horseradish, peeled and grated
1/2 tsp. Ground nutmeg
Salt and white pepper to taste

Method
Heat milk in a saucepan. In a separate saucepan, melt butter, then mix in the flour. Once the milk has been heated, slowly add the flour/butter mixture. Using a whisk, constantly stirring in order to prevent lumps. Strain through a sieve. Stir in the horseradish and nutmeg. Season with salt and white pepper. Serve warm or cold with the corned beef.

Notes
May be prepared up to five days in advance.

Apple Onion Relish for Corned Beef

Last modified on 2008-03-14 17:10:53 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Corned beef is spectacular. Try it with coleslaw and this apple onion relish, which is a great combo of sweet and savory.

Apple Onion Relish

Ingredients:
2 large yellow onions, 1/4 thick slices
2 firm green apples, cored and sliced 1/4 inch
1/2 stick of butter
1 tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
Dash of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Melt butter in large pan over low heat (do not brown). Add apples and lemon juice and cook until slightly tender
Add sliced onions and cook over medium-low heat until onions are transparent. Sprinkle mixture with a dash of nutmeg. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

-It’s also great with pork and chicken dishes!

TIPS

Making Corned Beef in A Roaster

Last modified on 2008-03-14 17:10:08 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Here are Chef Kevin’s step by step instructions for preparing corned beef in an electric roaster for John from LaGrange.

Electric Roaster Corned Beef
Your electric roaster is a great idea for preparing your corned beef, especially if you don’t have a large roasting pan for your oven. A roaster oven cooks at approximately the same temperature and in the same time as a conventional oven. Generally, corned beef is best when cooking slowly and with some moisture, more or less braising. You’ll want to limit the number of times you open your roaster because heat will quickly escape. You’ll want to cook the corned beef brisket at 350 degrees and your large roast will take 5 hours. The cook time for the brisket will depend on your roaster and how often you open the door/lid. The corned beef is finished when it reaches an internal temperature, measured with a meat thermometer, of at least 145 degrees minimum but it will taste best when 160 degrees and fork-tender. The brisket is fork-tender when a two pronged fork can separate the meat. Test meat using the thermometer and ‘if the beef is still pink, that’s OK since that’s typically the case with this brined meat.

Getting Ready
Trim away any big chunks or thick fat but still leave some on. Rinse brisket and dry. Rub brisket with some ground, dried herbs such as coriander, black peppercorns, paprika, mustard seeds or dried mustard, and fresh garlic. Bring roast to room temperature. Preheat roaster oven if it’s recommended by manufacturer (usually the case) for 15-20 minutes.

Braising Liquid
Place your brisket, fat side up, on two overlapping sheets of aluminum foil. Place in roaster pan, then add enough liquid to cover 3/4-1 inch of the way up the roast, probably about 2 cups should do it. For your liquid, use water, apple cider, apple juice, water with cider vinegar, wine, etc.; it really depends on what you like. Definitely add some orange peels (white pith removed), whole cloves, and 2-3 whole bay leaves. Wrap roast by folding top edges together (so you can peak inside to see the roast easily).

Adding Vegetables
After 4 hours or when you test your brisket and it’s reached around 140 degrees, drain most of the liquid into a pan. Take out the meat (you’ll probably need to use gloves for such a big roast) and set aside. Place small or quartered potatoes, large-dice carrots, small or diced onions, diced turnips, and of course, cabbage wedges on the aluminum foil. Put the corned beef on top of the vegetables and return all back to oven for 1 hour.

Serving Ideas

The Heart of New England’s Horseradish Cream
Mix together…..3/4 cup sour cream, regular or low fat, 1/4 cup prepared horseradish, 3 scallions, thinly sliced, 2 teaspoons grainy mustard.

Mustard Tasting
Another serving option is a selection of mustards, sort of a mustard tasting. Get some brown mustard, honey mustard, dijon,
cajun, whatever, and then add a taste of a different mustard with each bite of brisket.

Freezing
You can freeze your corned beef for up to 3 months. Best practice is to let the brisket sit for about ten minutes and slice the whole roast. Then immediately wrap and store in portion sizes that will work best for you. Wrap each portion first in plastic wrap, and then cover in aluminum foil (so you’ll have the right size aluminum foil ready to go for reheating!) and then place in a freezer bag. Store the juices in smaller freezer bags for using later. Defrost in the refrigerator then place your corned beef packets over simmering water in a steamer or double broiler to reheat.

- Chef Kevin Weeks, for ChefsLine
see Chef Kevin’s newly designed cooking blog at Seriously Good

Call us for our Chefs’ Leftover Dish Ideas:
If you’d like some great leftover corned beef dish ideas, feel free to call ChefsLine and talk with our chefs. We’ll all be doing something interesting on Sunday, I’m sure! Call 1-800-977-1224 - your first call is free.