Skip the desert-dry, flavorless, shoe-leather fail! Wanna dig into corned beef and cabbage
that'll rock your taste buds into doing an Irish jig? Sláinte! This one's on us!
might steer toward lean cuts of meat no matter what. And for cuts that are naturally tender,
this makes sense! Thick layers or veins of fat can look downright unappetizing as well
as unhealthy. But as we know now, not all fat is bad. Well, at least from a culinary perspective.
Corned beef is traditionally made from brisket; a large, tough cut of meat that
relies on its fatty composition to give it that unbeatable flavor. It also keeps the meat moist
and tender as it cooks. While most diners don't typically go for extra fat in their corned beef,
choosing the leanest possible option will result in disappointed taste buds. Sanford Herskovitz,
a.k.a. "Mister Brisket," told Cleveland.com,
"What you want is a well-trimmed corned beef. When
you have a really lean corned beef, you might as well eat cardboard."
"Ew."
And as butcher Kris Kreiger tells the outlet, much of the visible fat on uncooked beef will
render out after cooking. So no need to worry about fatty bits in the final product. He says,
"In meat, you're paying for that marbling. A lot
of that fat melts away, and it makes it nice and juicy."
Still see a little too much fat for your preference,
after cooking? Just simply trim it off before serving.
Unless you're routinely
cooking for a family, the massive chunks of prepackaged corned beef in your butcher's
refrigerator can look overwhelmingly big … and seem like far more than a household
of three or four people could possibly eat in one sitting. While leftovers are clutch
for sandwiches and hash, how much corned beef can your family realistically enjoy?
Well, it's a mistake to think all those big cuts are intended to feed a crowd.
Much of what you find in the market today has been pumped with brine as part of the
curing process. Since a fair share of the brine drains out as the corned beef cooks,
your cut will shrink significantly after cooking — typically by 25 to 40 percent. So
when you're walking the aisles, keep in mind that you'll probably need more meat than you think.
Even though corned
beef originally grew in popularity among Irish immigrants because it was delicious and cheap,
that affordability is unfortunately no longer the case. For most of us these days,
this dish has become a celebration meal rather than a standby. And since you want it to be a
crowd-pleaser, it's worth investing a little more in a good piece of meat.
"Corned beef? Yeah, if you're offering."
Cheaper brands are inexpensive for a reason. Some are cured with little consideration for
flavor and may be overly salty or otherwise bland tasting. If you really want to cook
a meal that packs a flavorful punch, take the time to do a little research on popular
brands. Or ask your friends or a respected butcher about what kind they would recommend.
A next level — and maybe even better — choice is to seek out a local butcher who makes corned
beef on-site. They will likely have put some serious thought and craftsmanship into the
choice of spices and curing method used. Or, if you have time to plan ahead and want to
guarantee your corned beef tastes exactly the way you want it, make your own by curing a
brisket in a spiced brine. You'll need to leave about 10 days for it to cure in the fridge. You
don't have to be a pro to do it, and you'll earn some serious bragging rights among your friends.
When each element of this iconic meal is
prepared with care, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. At the heart of the dish is, of
course, the corned beef. The vegetables — like cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and turnips
or rutabagas — provide a sweet foil to the salty meat. Tying it all together is the broth in which
everything is cooked. And when it's done right, there should be a beautiful balance of flavors.
But what you don't want when you taste-test the braising liquid,
is a mouthful of salt. Corned beef is loaded with salt since it's soaked in brine as it
cures. And while all that salt is required early in the process, it will be overwhelming as part
of your final dish. Before cooking your beef, it's a good practice to rinse it thoroughly.
And no need to worry that doing this will result in bland-tasting meat or braising
liquid. There will be more than enough savory flavor to make the meat and veg really pop.
The game day strategy
here is a simple one: Keep the meat moist as it cooks. That way, it will taste perfectly
juicy when it's done. This is exactly why the traditional method of simmering the corned beef
and cabbage in a pot of water on the stove has worked well for generations of cooks.
It's low-maintenance — and just requires checking it occasionally to ensure the
water hasn't evaporated. Plus it utilizes tools you'll probably already have in your kitchen.
Still, if you're used to prepping other cuts of meat by pan-searing or roasting them,
the idea of submerging a large, expensive cut of beef in a pot of water might seem a little…old
school. Trust tradition! We promise, it works. You're not going for that crusty,
caramelized exterior of a roast or steak. But if you're patient,
you'll get deliciously fork-tender flavorful meat — as long as you keep the beef fully submerged.
"I'm cooking dinner right now."
Same rules apply if you're using an Instant Pot or slow cooker.
If you open a vacuum-sealed
portion of corned beef and find a lil packet of peppercorns and spices, it's not there
by accident. This is what's gonna take your cooking from pretty good to freakin' awesome.
The pouch holds an extra dose of the pickling spices used to cure the beef and it's there
to add extra flavor to your meat as it cooks. Just sprinkle the contents of the packet into
your pot or slow cooker when you add the meat and water. And those spices will do the rest!
If your cut doesn't come with its own packet of spices, don't freak out. You can absolutely make
your very own spice blend. And yes, it's easy. Recipes vary, but typically feature cinnamon
sticks, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, allspice berries, dill, fennel, and mustard seeds.
And usually some cloves, ginger, and bay leaves as well. Some home chefs even add extra punch to
their cooking liquid by adding in a bit of beer. Which, of course, would have to be a Guinness.
When you want to nail
a proper plate of corned beef and cabbage, timing is everything. Brisket is a large,
tough cut of meat, so it requires a long, slow, and careful cooking process to ensure tenderness,
while the fat fully renders out. This means that even though it's all pretty simple to prepare,
this is definitely not a last-minute, throw-together meal. The stovetop version
will take at least a couple of hours, while a slow cooker will require six or more hours.
But hang on, low and slow! It's also possible to overcook your meat. And if that happens,
it will crumble when cut. This isn't a fatal flaw though, since the crumbly bits would
still be rockin' in a corned beef hash. But to prevent overcooking, check your meat after a
couple of hours. You'll know it's ready when it is tender enough to pierce easily with a fork.
While the cooking process
for this dish is largely hands-off, some of us more impatient cooks might try to rush it
by cooking the beef at a higher temperature. While this may cook the beef in less time,
you're gonna be tucking into a dry, tough, and very sad chunk of meat.
"That would be bad."
The reason for this is because of the inherent toughness of the brisket cut. Only time and
patience can tenderize all that muscle tissue. For best results, the cooking liquid for your corned
beef and cabbage should never boil but remain straight chillin' at a steady simmer instead.
Leave ample time to perfectly heat your dish. And if it looks like your calendar
will be packed on St. Patrick's Day — maybe while throwing a few
back with friends — you can also cook the entire meal ahead of time.
Since the meat is clearly the star
of a corned beef and cabbage dish, this means that all too often, the vegetables are treated as an
afterthought. But we can do better! Besides adding much needed color and flavor, they are responsible
for transforming the dish from a plain hunk of boiled meat into a celebration-worthy meal.
"Super fancy. Fancy vegetables. Fancy sauces."
Yes, it's part of the name, but you don't have to limit yourself
to cabbage. Carrots and potatoes are also traditional, but other winning additions
are turnips and rutabagas. Just chop your veggies into big chunks of roughly equal
sizes. Uniform shapes guarantee that your veggies cook at a similar rate.
But don't stint on the cabbage! It gets its sweet
flavor from the broth. Cut your cabbage in half lengthwise through the stem,
then cut each half into wedges leaving the stem to keep everything intact during cooking.
Corned beef and cabbage has a
reputation as a set-it-and-forget-it kind of dish; just dump everything into a pot, turn on the heat,
and wait for it. But just like the beef requires some extra thought and attention,
so does the cooking time for the vegetables. It's pretty common for cooks to throw all the veg into
the pot at the same time. And that can be at one of two bad spots: At the beginning of the long
cook which will result in mush, or near the end when they might not ever get fully cooked at all.
While the beef may take several hours to cook, your vegetables definitely won't.
But all you need to do is give the meat a head start. Chopped root vegetables only
take about 15 minutes to cook, so they should be added close to the end of the cooking time.
Cabbage takes even less time — around five minutes — so it should be added in last.
Some cooks prefer to do the vegetables in batches in the cooking broth after the cooked beef has
been removed. This allows more control over each ingredient, so you can cook it all to perfection.
Corned beef and cabbage is designed for
a party. And that means you're gonna be serving this puppy up in style. Ideally, slices should
be even and hold together well when cut, without being tough or stringy looking. This isn't hard to
do — but it's easy to mindlessly rush your knife work and end up with a mess of frayed pieces.
Leave the shredding to Eddie Van Halen. You'll need a cutting board big enough for the entire
portion of meat and a long sharp carving knife. If there's visible fat, feel free to go ahead and
remove it. Next, take a minute to look closely and determine the direction of the meat grain. You'll
want to cut against the grain, so each slice looks its best and boasts an appealing mouthfeel.
As you've probably figured out by now, corned beef
and cabbage is a comforting and humble dish with an iconic heritage. But none of that means it's
easy to make. Seemingly tiny details in timing and cooking temperature can make the difference
between a meh or a marvelous meal. While it doesn't require a whole lot of hands-on effort,
the process requires patience and attention — and that doesn't end when you turn off the stove.
"Wait. What?"
Of course, it all smells amazing, you're starving,
and everybody wants to eat! But one last step can make a huge difference: letting the meat
rest before you slice into it. This small bit of time allows the cut to reabsorb its juices,
retaining tenderness rather than leaking out onto your cutting board. This will
not only give you better-looking slices but they'll be far better tasting too.
You've put in the time, you've mastered your old world Irish meat craft — and now
you can dig into your very own Instant Pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.