St. Patirck's Day

[jwhite]

St. Patrick's is coming up and I was wondering if anybody else does meal at home. I've brought the brisket already and it is aging a bit before the brine, I like to corn my own. It' will be served with freshly made soda bread, (I like it slightly sweet with currants and orange zest) Irish butter and cheese, braised cabbage and carrots, and pan roasted potatoes with fennel. I'll follow it up with a bit of Tullamore Dew, for digestive purposes only of course

 

[VR6ofpain]

Mmmm corn beef and cabbage. I might have to talk the wife into making me some soda bread as well.

 

[C Reed]

I can get down with that, If I had the time I would be Corning some beef. I'm defenatly going to make soda bread, and a beef stew both from family recipies. I think most of my St Paddies day efforts will be avoiding the teeming masses of the over indulged.

 

[Jim]

James can you post your corning recipe/technique?

 

[prrfan]

Sounds great! My wife makes a similar menu for St. Patrick's Day.
Peace!
pat

 

[Spivey]

James can you post your corning recipe/technique?

Oh, yes. Please do.

 

[Stubblefield]

I'll third that, I need a good corning recipe.

I'll probably have pizza that night, being Irish I can personally offer up all the proof needed that the Irish can't cook.

 

[Nishnabotna]

I'll fourth that. I've got a brisket in the freezer right now that I could corn for next week instead of buying one.

 

[SpyvSpy]

Corned beef and cabbage of course.

 

[Duamuteffe]

I guess my Dad's making coddle, and enough to freeze for all us kids. I'll have to whip up some soda bread and break out the Guinness.

 

[jwhite]

I get my basic recipe from Charcuterie - by Michael Ruhlman & Brian Polcyn.

The Brine
1 gallon water
2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 tsp. pink salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs. Pickling spice (I make my own)
one 5 pound brisket
another 2 Tbs Pickling spice for the cooking pot later.

combine first 6 ingredients in a large pot and simmer until salt and sugar are dissolved and leave to completely cool. I put the pot on my enclosed porch to chill a bit, once as cool as possible add your brisket and weigh down with a plate or other non reactive weight. Let sit in a cool place for 5 days. Rinse thoroughly and simmer covered in water until fork tender.

Pink salt can be found here It's $2.50 a pound and indispensable for homemade bacon and ham. If you want to try this you can probably still get it in time to brine the brisket. Also if you like- liberally coat the brisket in crushed peppercorns and coriander after brining, and smoke instead of simmer. The best pastrami you ever had

My Pickling spice.
25 bay leaves crumbled
2Tbs peppercorns
3 Tbs mustard seeds
2 Tbs coriander seeds
2 1/2 Tbs crushed hot peppers
2 Tbs allspice berries
1 Tbs juniper berries
1 1/2 Tbs fresh ground nutmeg
2 cinnamon sticks broken/crumbled
2 Tbs whole cloves
1 Tbs ground ginger

 

[Jim]

Thank you James!
Is there any "formula" for the size of the meat/time to brine listed in your source?



I hope Scotto stops by, he has a dry cure recipe that is very interesting.

 

[jwhite]

I don't have a table for corned beef as the process is different than your typical brined meat. Corned beef is actually pickled as opposed to what you would do for say a pork chop or chicken. I've done sizes from about 3 1/2 lbs. to just over 5 lbs. with good results. I wouldn't worry about it if your a pound or so under If your over by much I would double the brine and cut into 5 lb. portions for the first time so you can get a feel for what a full cure looks like on a brisket, than you can make an informed assessment regarding other, larger sizes, if you want to keep the brisket whole. It may be possible to over brine a smaller cut. But as your going for a full pickle I don't think 5 days is enough to be a problem, at least it's not one I've had. The most important thing is that you have enough brine to fully submerge the meat, and that the surface aria to mass ratio of the meat is consistent to allow full penetration over the allotted time. The nice thing about corned beef is that it's pretty hard to make big mistakes. It's cooked in water so if it did get over brined it will loose some of its saltyness, if not fully cured it will still cook up tender and good to eat.

 

[winkydink]

In Massachusetts, where I grew up, Irish corned beef was always greyish. The pink stuff was called Jewish corned beef. I have never seen the grey stuff elsewhere, though there was a place in Grafton, Mass that sold it last time I was back.

 

[ouch]

Round one will be tomorrow.

Let's see-

Rye bread, check.
Potatoes, check.
Cabbage, check.
Corned beef, check.
Mustard, check.
Beer, check.
Corned beef slicer, check.

I'm set!

 

[jwhite]

In Massachusetts, where I grew up, Irish corned beef was always greyish. The pink stuff was called Jewish corned beef. I have never seen the grey stuff elsewhere, though there was a place in Grafton, Mass that sold it last time I was back.

The gray stuff is made without the inclusion of pink salt otherwise the same in my recipe, the pink salt is what preserves and enhances the colour of the meat in hams, bacon, and salami.

Round one will be tomorrow.

Let's see-

Rye bread, check.
Potatoes, check.
Cabbage, check.
Corned beef, check.
Mustard, check.
Beer, check.
Corned beef slicer, check.

I'm set!

Thats one hell of a knife, I want one!

 

[Arkansas]

Buy the best corned beef cut you can, at wherever. Use a crockpot.
Throw in potatoes and baby carrots.
Add whatever else you like. Onions, for instance.
Cook on low for the recommended time.
When it's ready to eat, add cabbage. Let cook for 10 minutes. Cabbage will be oh so crispy.
Eat with home made cornbread.
Add a couple glasses of whole milk.
Don't forget the real butter.
Try not to hurt yourself.