St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite times of the year. Not for the parties or the beer or because I am Irish. It’s the corned beef. I mean seriously, it’s all about the food, isn’t it? I am not even sure that you can buy corned beef any other time of the year. During the month of March I stock up on all the corned beef that I can fit in my freezer. I make it a few times and I freeze the rest to use in the next few months.
This year, St. Patrick’s day is kind of bittersweet for me. I get to eat all the corned beef I want, which is great. But, I just found out my favorite deli has closed. Siegelman’s Deli has been our go-to corned beef restaurant for years. They sliced up hot, fresh corned beef for you while you waited. Pair that sliced corned beef with a soft, buttery croissant and some onion rings and I was set. But the deli is no more. And to be honest, I still haven’t recovered from the fact that Garibaldi’s has closed. What’s next?
When you make corned beef, I recommend making more than you think you’ll need. For one, it shrinks, but also, it’s so good, you will wish you had leftovers. I used to make the potatoes and the carrots in the pot with my corned beef but recently I’ve started making glazed carrots and roasted potatoes. I personally don’t like the cabbage cooked in the same pot as the meat. I think it stinks up the meat. But Cliff and I compromise and when I take the meat out to rest, I add the cabbage to the same pot. This way I don’t think the meat smells and Cliff still gets the flavor of the corned beef in his cabbage.
Here's what you'll need
Rinse the meat
Throw it in the pot with the seasoning packet
Let it rest
Reserve some of the water
Sláinte!
Ingredients
Corned beef
Directions
Rinse the corned beef and save the seasoning packets. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the brisket(s) in the water and make sure they are submerged. Add the seasoning packets. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down and let the meat simmer for 3 hours. Remove meat and let it rest for at least 15 minutes. I like to reserve some of the water to serve with the meat so that it doesn’t get dry if it sits on the table for awhile.
Note: If it is just Cliff and I eating I will make one 3-pound brisket. This weekend we ate with my family so we made three 3-pound briskets. That was enough for dinners and lots of leftovers.
