Butcher Boy Podcast #5: Corned Beef

St. Paddy’s Day offers up a great reason to grab a corned beef, a cold six pack and sit down to a nice boiled dinner. To understand the greatness of a dish like this, it helps to know a little of the history and making of modern corned beef.

First of all, today’s corned beef is quite different from the original recipe dating back to medieval times. The preserved meat was created out of necessity to keep the meat from spoiling before Maytag came around. Originally the cuts of meat were rubbed and then submerged in large salt crystals in an effort to dehydrate the outside of the meat and ward off the nasties. These salt crystals were about the size of a corn kernel- hence the name. After sitting in a bath of salt for weeks or months, the meat probably wouldn’t taste too great if you just threw it on the grill, hence the boiling or braising. Toss in a few heads of cabbage, some carrots, potatoes and onions (all fresh from the cellar by the way) and you had a nice warm meal.

Over the years, spices and seasoning were introduced to the mix and brought us the modern day corned beef. Of course, ours is made from scratch using brown sugar, salt and spices to cure all natural beef “shoulder clods”- sounds tasty huh? A shoulder clod is basically a boneless cross rib (near the chuck roast) and results in a tasty tender cut after the brining and slow cooking.

I like to get a big pot, fill it partway with warm water and add a few bottles/cans of Guinness and some pickling spice. Add the corned beef and simmer it on the stovetop for about 3 and a half hours. Toss in cut carrots, red potatoes, cabbage and yellow onion then let it go for another 30 minutes or so. Really, you can’t over cook it unless you go WAY too long. You can also put all the ingredients into a big roasting pan, cover it up and braise it in a 300 degree oven for about four hours- but the house won’t smell quite as good.

I also like to fix up a little colcannon (potatoes, cabbage... eh, throw some bacon in there).

Slice the beef, lay out the veggies and throw a spoonful of yellow mustard or horseradish on the plate and your set. So grab a few cold brews, fire up the pot and eat like its 1499….

Erin go Bragh!!

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds russet potatoes
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 leek, rinsed and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup hot milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. white pepper

Preparation:

Peel potatoes and cube. Place in saucepan and cover with chicken stock. Place on high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in large saucepan until crisp and browned, turning often while cooking. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain; crumble. To drippings remaining in saucepan, add olive oil. Cook onion, garlic, and leeks until crisp tender, about 3-5 minutes. Then add cabbage, cover, and cook for 6-10 minutes until cabbage is tender.

When potatoes are cooked, drain and return potatoes to hot pot; shake over low heat for a few minutes to dry. Add butter and mash. Add milk and salt and pepper; beat until combined. Stir in bacon and cabbage mixture. Serve immediately, or place in serving dish and keep warm in 200 degrees F oven for 1 hour. Serves 6-8