This traditional Irish recipe is a breeze to make. Serve a brisket for St. Patrick's Day or any time you want a tender beef dinner. Leftover ideas included.
Corned Beef is traditionally served for St. Patrick's Day dinner, but this tasty recipe is a crowd pleaser for any weeknight meal. The meat is already seasoned, and cooking it at a slow simmer keeps it tender. Put favorite vegetables in to cook along with the meat, and you'll have a one-pot meal that's not only delicious, but easy to clean up after as well.
Corned Beef Brisket
There are beef briskets available that have not been seasoned, but for traditional flavor, you want a brisket that specifically says "corned". There's no actual corn involved, but the beef is cured in a seasoned brine. Corn refers to the small grains of salt. Some of them come with a spice packet to add to the cooking liquid, which makes your job even easier. The meat comes in a package that is usually a bit of a mess, so try opening it in the sink, and rinse the meat before putting it in the pot.
Vegetables
This Irish dinner is traditionally served with cabbage, but not everyone is a cabbage lover. This recipe uses potatoes, carrots and onions, but feel free to add in chunks of cabbage if you like.
Cooking Times
Most briskets take about three hours to cook, so plan ahead. You can also make this dish in a slow cooker, which is a great way to make a time-consuming meal on a weeknight.
Recipe Variation
Shorten the cooking time by one hour. Remove the brisket and cover it with a mixture of equal parts brown sugar and grainy mustard, then finish baking it in a 350-degree oven for one hour. Keep vegetables warm.
Leftovers
Leftover corned beef is excellent in sandwiches. Slice thin, serve on rye toast, spread with honey mustard and topped with cole slaw. Or serve slices of leftover beef on a tray with cheese and crackers and a small dish of mustard for a delicious snack.
Corned Beef Brisket Recipe
- 1 Corned Beef Brisket
- 4 large potatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 1 16-oz bag peeled baby carrots
Directions:
- Open the brisket package carefully and rinse the meat.
- Set it in a large Dutch oven and cover with cold water.
- Add seasoning packet if one came with the brisket.
- Scrub potatoes and quarter.
- Peel the onion and cut it into chunks.
- Add potatoes, onions and carrots to the pot.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about three hours or until tender.
- Remove meat and slice. Serve vegetables alongside.
About 4 servings.
