Corned Beef

Even though we are only a "wee" bit Irish on my mom's side (she's a 1/4, I'm an 1/8) she always made corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. Since our monthly dinner club was meeting on the 17th and it was my turn to host, how could I not make the theme 'Irish'? Yes, I know, the Irish aren't exactly known for their fine cuisine, but you'd be surprised how washing the food down with a few Guinness really enhances the flavor.

The two things I always hated about corned beef was the fattiness, and the saltiness. A little fat is ok for flavor, but big chunks of it that you have to hack away at to get to the meat? Yah, no thanks. And being kept up all night due to a vicious cycle of drinking water due to insane thirst only to have to pee it out an our later...not much fun. I decided corning my own beef was the only way around these dilemmas and I have to say it was worth it. Even better, it wasn't even hard.

Due to my inability to read directions completely the first (or even second) time, I failed to notice this recipe calls for curing the meat for 5-7 days. Not a good thing to realize at 2pm on Friday the 16th. Luckily, it didn't matter; the brisket still had a wonderful flavor.

The recipe called for a point cut, but I used a flat cut because they are leaner. I am glad I did, because I still had to trim off a ton of excess fat (sorry for the visual).

Unfortunately I did not take pictures (too hard when you're trying to coordinate a dinner for guests). Oh, and the leftover corned beef made excellent Reuben sandwiches. I'm too embarrassed to tell you how many I ate. Ok, we ate them for dinner the next night, lunch the next day, and then dinner again the next night. I'd be eating one right now if there were any meat left, but sadly it is all gone.

Corned Beef
1/2 C kosher salt
1 T black peppercorns, cracked
3/4 T ground allspice
1 T dried thyme
1/2 T paprika
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1 beef brisket, fresh, 4-6 lbs, flat cut, trimmed of excess fat (leave a bit attached for better texture and flavor), rinsed and patted dry (6lbs fed 7 adults plus leftovers)

1. Mix salt and seasonings in a small bowl
2. Spear brisket about 30 times with a meat fork. Rub each side with salt mixture; place in a 2 gallon size zipperlock bag, forcing out as much air as possible. Place in a pan large enough to hold it (like a jelly roll pan), cover with second, similar size pan, and weight with 2 bricks or heavy cans of similar weight. Refrigerate 5-7 days, turning once a day.
3. When ready to cook brisket, rinse and pat dry. Place brisket in a large stockpot and cover with water to 1-2 inches above meat. Bring water to a boil and then reduce to simmer; cover and cook 4-5 hours, skimming scum off the top as it cooks. Add chopped veggies of choice (onions, carrots, parsnips) and heads of cabbage cut into 4 wedges the last 15 minutes of cook time and cook until tender. Cut meat across the grain and serve on a platter with veggies placed around the sides. Serve the cabbage wedges in separate bowls topped with malt vinegar.

**if you need to keep the meat warm while you attend to other things, place the cut meat on a platter with 1 cup of the cooking broth spread on top; cover with tin foil and place in oven set to 200.

Leftover Reuben Sandwiches

1 loaf good rye bread
Thousand Island Dressing
1 can sour kraut
2 slices of sliced swiss cheese per sandwich
leftover corned beef--amount to your liking
butter to spread on bread

To make 2 sandwiches:

1. Place a non stick pan on medium high heat.
2. Butter two slices of bread, and put them butter side down in the pan. Place 2 slices of swiss cheese on top of each piece of bread and cook until mostly melted (you may have to put the lid on the pan to help this process along)
3. Meanwhile, lightly heat up the meat for the sandwiches in the microwave for 20-30 seconds
3. When cheese is mostly melted, place about 1/4 C of sour kraut on top of the bread, drained of juice.
4. Top with meat and a second piece of buttered bread, butter side up.
5. Flip sandwich over and cook until the bread is golden and crispy
6. When sandwich is finished cooking, put the Thousand Island dressing on the inside of the sandwich to your liking as you would any condiment.