How Do You Make Corned Beef And Cabbage

The old Irish one-pot is a time-honored St. Patrick’s Day tradition that will fill up your stomach, and warm you up on that chilly March evening, but how do you make corned beef and cabbage? It’s actually one of the simpler recipes to master, and there are various ways to cook this delicious twist on traditional meat and potatoes. This recipe entails two different ways to prepare the feast: with a slow cook crock-pot, or stove top.

To make corned beef and cabbage you will need:

• 1 (3 to 4 lb.) corned beef brisket and spice packet
• 8 small red potatoes
• 1 lb. of carrots (baby carrots are easier to use, but peeled and diced regular carrots work just as well)
• 1 bottle of dark beer (stouts or porters work well, but cater to your personal taste)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 to 4 whole peppercorns
• 1 head of cabbage, cut into 4 wedges
• 1 large onion, cut into 4 wedges
• 3 tbsp. of spicy brown mustard
• 6 to 8 cups of water (enough to submerge the corned beef)
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

1. If you are using a slow cooker, turn it to high. If you are cooking this on the stove, you won’t have to turn the heat on until the roast is prepared.
2. Cover all sides of the roast in spicy brown mustard. Cut three slits into the meat and place each garlic clove inside the roast.
3. For the stove top method, use a medium size pot. You will need something that is just large enough to fit the entire roast, but no larger. Pour the beer into the pot, add the roast and cover with water until the roast is just barley submerged. For the slow-cooker recipe, place the cut of corned beef in your slow cooker, add the bottle of beer, and cover the roast with water until it is slightly submerged.
4. For both methods, add the seasoning packet that came with the corned beef, as well as an additional three to four whole peppercorns, and a bay leaf. Add the onion to the pot, placing one wedge on each side of the roast.
5. For your crock-pot, cover and simmer on medium heat for about four hours. If you are using the stove stop method to prepare corned beef and cabbage, cover and cook on medium-high heat until the liquid begins to boil. Reduce to medium heat and cook for about two hours.
6. After four hours on the slow-cooker or two hours on the stove, add the potatoes and carrots reduce to low and let simmer. With a slow-cooker, simmer for an additional 3 hours. On the stove, simmer for another hour.
7. Add the cabbage. Depending on the doneness of the cabbage, cook for an additional two hours on the slow-cooker, and an hour on the stove.
8. Using a slotted spoon remove the cabbage from the pot and lay it on a large serving dish.
9. Remove the corned beef and place it on top of the cabbage and slice across the grain of the meat. Surround the corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots.
10. Ladle some of the juice in the pot over the roast, and if you wish, season with salt, pepper, and additional mustard.

• A slow-cooker is a great way to prepare a succulent and tender corned beef and cabbage. It’s a wonderful method for those people who may need to leave the house for a few hours during the preparation. The downside to using the crock-pot is that it will literally take all day to prepare the dish.
• With our stove top method, the cook time is cut nearly in half. The downside here is that you will have to check on roast frequently, and it may not be as tender when finished. However, if you have the time to wait, and don’t own a slow cooker, turn the stove on low after the liquid has boiled and cook the corned beef and cabbage for a few hours longer than the recipe calls for. This will make it more tender. Just keep in mind, whenever you cook on the stove, you need to constantly check the progress, and never leave the house.