Corned Beef

3 / 14 / 183 / 14 / 18

One Pot, Three Methods

Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, Dutch Oven

Happy St. Patricks Day whether you’re Irish or not!

Corned Beef

Choose your method….

2 pounds corned beef brisket (after trimming)*, flat cut with pickling spices
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
3 cups beef stock, chicken stock is fine as well
1 bottle Guinness beer
2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
4 medium carrots, chopped into 1 or 2” pieces
1 cabbage**, cut into 8 wedges

Trim excess fat from the corned beef brisket. Place corned beef into Instant Pot on the rack. Add onion, stock, and beer. Turn steam release handle on lid to sealing; select manual setting on high pressure for 70 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Allow to naturally release for 15 minutes then quick release any remaining steam until the float valve drops and you can remove the lid. Place the corned beef into an ovenproof casserole dish with a lid and place into the oven to keep warm.

Add the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage to the Instant Pot. Place lid on Instant Pot and close. Make sure the steam release handle is positioned to sealing and select manual on high pressure for 3 minutes. When finished cooking, quick release (using an oven mitt) the steam.

Transfer vegetables to a platter and slice the corned beef against the grain. Serve with a coarse grain Dijon mustard, warm fresh rye bread or rolls.

*Purchase a 3 – 3 ½ pound corned beef if there is a lot of fat that will be trimmed off. The recipe will work with a 3# corned beef as well.

** Instead of cabbage, I like to serve the corned beef with good sauerkraut such as Boars Head.

This recipe can be made using a slow cooker on high for 4-5 hours or low for about 8 hours, adding all the vegetables for the last 45 minutes.

It also can be made stove top in a heavy Dutch oven, bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, cook covered for 2 ½ hours then add the potatoes and carrots and continue cooking for 30 minutes, adding the cabbage after 15 minutes and continue cooking until the vegetables are tender.

Photo: Martha Stewart

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting

3 / 16 / 17

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting

Easily made into a Bundt cake as well.

1 bottle Guinness
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
Baileys Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup butter, room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
Green nonpareils for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Bring Guinness and butter to a simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sour cream. With the mixer running on low slowly add Guinness-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat until just combined. Add flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until combined.

Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely before frosting.

As a Bundt cake, oil the pan well and bake for 40 minutes. Stick a toothpick into the center to make sure the cake is done, cool before taking out of the pan.

In a mixing bowl, add in the cream cheese and butter. Mix until light and fluffy. This will take about 2 minutes.

Add in the powdered sugar and Baileys and mix until incorporated. Turn the mixer on high and beat for another 2 minutes until the frosting is fluffy.

Add the frosting into a piping bag with a straight tip and pipe swirls on the cooled cupcakes.

Add the nonpareils to the frosting.

Photo: Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt

Drunken Corned Beef

3 / 17 / 15

The Irish in All of Us

Not all corned beef recipes are created equal. We’ve all had ‘just’ corned beef and we’ve all had ‘ok’ corned beef. But how many have had that juicy, tender corned beef that melts in your mouth? Well, the difference lies in cooking techniques and a few chosen ingredients.

The brisket (which becomes ‘corned’ beef after pickling), requires long slow cooking to break down the tough working muscle. A crockpot will do nicely or a large, heavy cast iron soup pot. I use my Le Crueset 7 qt. pot for all my braising, stewing and soup making. I like that it can hold lots of veggies to surround the meats and I also like the way it distributes heat evenly. It also can go into the refrigerator (after cooling) and then back onto the stove eliminating several dishwashing chores.

Next, I use only Guinness ale and water to cover the beef with. The dark Guinness gives the corned beef nice flavor and the alcohol tenderizes the roast as it cooks, much like using wine in a beef stew. (Yes, you can use Guinness in your beef stew for even better flavor!)

I add aromatic vegetables to the pot for the initial cooking period, removing them only before I add the vegetables that will be served alongside the meat. I use them to flavor the roast and the broth. Don’t cut them in small pieces or they will be tough to fish out when the time comes. You could also tie them in a cheesecloth (a bouquet garni) and then simply remove it before serving.

You’ll want to cook the meat slowly for a long period of time. Again the crockpot is ideal for this if you have a large enough one. Bring the corned beef and bouquet garni to a boil, skimming any foam that forms on the top. If you leave the foam some may sink down into the liquid and cause the beef to become bitter as it continues to cook. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to a slow simmer and cook for 45 minutes a pound. Hard-boiling will separate the muscle tissue and make the meat dry and stringy. Add the vegetables the last half hour of cooking and the cabbage the last 15 minutes.

For something different use Brussels sprouts instead of cabbage. I like to use the smaller ones cutting them in half so they cook a little faster. Add them at the same time you add the carrots and potatoes. If you don’t like cooked cabbage at all, serve some cole slaw on the side instead.

Drunken Corned Beef

1 corned beef brisket, I like using the 'flat' cut
2 cans Guinness stout
1 quart chicken stock
For cooking and seasoning the beef:
1 large onion, quartered (leave skin on)
1 large carrot, peeled & cut into large chunks
2 celery stalks, cut into chunks
After removing the seasoning vegetables add:
2 large peeled carrots, cut in half and quartered
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 small head of cabbage cut into wedges, cut out the hard center

Place brisket, including package ingredients and vegetables that are cut into large chunks (the seasoning onion, carrot & celery) into a large soup pot. Add the Guinness and the stock to cover the meat, add water if the meat is not covered. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes per pound. Remove the seasoning vegetables and add remaining carrots and potatoes. Simmer about 15 minutes then add cabbage last and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.