Luck o' the Irish Corned Beef & Cabbage

By GratefulSea

I first learned to prepare this dish as New England Boiled Dinner but, over the years, I’ve modified it several times. Today it is an upscaled hybrid recipe based on such varied sources as The Joy of Cooking, The New York Times Cookbook, and CooksCountry.com. Choose a center cut brisket rather than a triangle cut, so the meat will cook more evenly. The choice of vegetables and their amount is totally a matter of personal taste. Serve with mustard or a creamy horseradish sauce; one such recipe is attached. Leftovers make for wonderful grilled sandwiches (on rye, with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and mustard) or homemade corned beef hash.

Ingredients

• 1 (4 to 5 pound) corned beef brisket roast
• 4 cups low-sodium organic chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 4 carrots (2 chopped, two cut crosswise into three large pieces)
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 whole red potatoes, or 4 larger potatoes peeled and quartered
• 1 head green cabbage (about 2 pounds) cut into 4 to 8 wedges– be careful to leave the core intact so the pieces don’t fall apart during the cooking process
• Optional additions: parsnips (peeled, cut into thirds as the carrots), turnips (peeled and quartered), rutabagas (yellow turnips, peeled and sliced), sweet onions (peeled and quartered)
• HORSERADISH SAUCE
• 1-1/2 cups sour cream
• 4-6 Tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• (mix all ingredients together until well blended)

Preparation

Step 1

Place oven rack in the middle of the oven, and pre-heat to 300 degrees.

Place meat in a large dutch oven. Add chopped carrots, chopped celery, one quartered onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice, and thyme, then cover with broth and water.

Cover and place in oven for 4-1/2 to 5 hours, until meat is fork tender. Transfer the meat to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.

Skim the fat off of the liquid in the Dutch oven, then strain the broth into a large bowl through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth, removing all solids. Pour 1 cup of the broth over the meat, and return the rest of it to the pot.

Cover the baking pan tightly with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.

Add 3 Tablespoons of butter to the broth, and bring it to a simmer on the stove top over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, and simmer for about 10 minutes until they begin to soften.

Add carrot pieces, any of the other optional veggies, and cabbage to the pot, and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, then transfer to a serving platter and keep warm while you slice up the meat. Be sure to slice against the grain, aiming for 1/4-inch thick slices.