Old Fashioned Corned Beef for St Patrick's Day
Corny old Beef is my first true love
How I love corned beef!
It was a rare treat when I was a child for we grew up on lamb. Our diet was lamb, mutton and more lamb, broken only by fish on Fridays and poultry at Christmas.
And always corned beef on St Patrick's Day!
That's why I like to make a welcoming meal of corned beef myself. Nostalgia is certainly part of it, but it's an easy enough meal to make, looks enticing and always goes down well with everyone.
What's the Best Way to Cook Corned Beef?
My Nanna cooked Corned Beef with golden syrup, My Aunt Kathleen used beer in her recipe, my Mum was heavy with the brown sugar and served her corned beef with parsley sauce.
I stick mine in the Slow Cooker or roast it to later slice up thickly for sandwiches.
Doesn't matter how you cook it but, just in case you feel like a change, here are a few recipes for old-fashioned corned beef.
Get a nice piece of Corned Beef
Look for a good colour and texture
Just like Isabella Beeton said in 
Look for a lean piece with a line of fat. (Trim any fat you wish).
Now this is a nice piece of corned beef in the photo - firm, good colour.
The salt content is variable depending on where you buy your corned beef. I like to soak a piece of corned beef in clear water for an hour, then rinse off before I start to cook it but my beef may be saltier than yours.
Corned Beef with Cabbage
Corned Beef with Golden Syrup
Just like my grandmother made
Ingredients
A large piece of corned silverside (a large piece is about 5lbs, very roughly 1.5kg)
8 whole cloves
1 brown onion, peeled, root intact
1 tablespoon golden syrup
4 large carrots, chopped
Method
Place silverside into a large pot and cover with cold water.
Press the cloves into the onion and add
Bring to boil over low heat.
Skim fat from surface
Simmer for 30 minutes
Add the Golden Syrup and carrots. Cook for 1 - 1/2 hours.
Serve with mashed potatoes.
Roast Corned Beef in the Oven
Finish with Glaze
Method
Place a brisket on rack in roasting pan with just enough water to touch the top of the rack. Cover tightly.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Bake 1 hour and a half.
Add any vegetables, like carrots and cabbage, and cook for a further hour.
The Glaze
Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Put the meat and vegetables to one side and drain off liquid.
Mix 1 cup brown sugar with small amount of currant jelly and shred on top of brisket, return brisket to oven for 1/2 hour
The Gentle Art of Slow Food - A slow cooker is more than frozen beef and canned soup
What could be more convenient, safe, and economical than cooking with an appliance you can leave unattended for hours and that doesn't heat your whole kitchen?
Slow Cooking Basics for Safety in the Kitchen
Slow cookers are enjoying a return of popularity .. for very good reasons. A long cooking time lets you start the evening meal before leaving for work. Less washing up too!
Corned Beef with Sugar and Vinegar
Ingredients
A large whole piece of corned silverside
2 bay leaves
6 black peppercorns
1 large brown onion, quartered
1 large carrot, chopped coarsely
1 tablespoon brown malt vinegar
¼ cup (50g) firmly packed brown sugar
Method
Place everything in a large heavy-based pot, bring to the boil gently
Simmer for about 3 hours.
Test the corned beef occasionally to see if it's reached your desired chewability.
Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Crockpot
Slow Cook the perfect corned beef brisket
Ingredients
4 carrots, quartered
large piece of corned beef brisket
2 medium onions, quartered
1/2 small head cabbage, cut into wedges
Method
Put the carrots and the onions in the slow cooker.
Put the brisket over the top.
Pour in a cup or so of water.
Cover and cook on high heat for 5 to 6 hours or low heat for 8 to 10 hours.
Add the wedges of cabbage to cook for the last 2 hours
The term "corned" is an old one referring to the curing of beef with grains of salt, once called corns of salt.
During the Napoleonic wars the British army was fed solely on cans of corned beef from Ireland.
Corned Beef Sandwiches
Get your corned beef hit the next day
1. On dark rye bread, arrange a layer of Swiss cheese, a few slices of hot corned beef, and drained sauerkraut. Spread with your favorite mustard and top with another slice of dark rye.
2. To make 10 to 12 sandwiches. Mix 2 tbsp. mayonnaise and one 1 tbsp. mustard, and spread on bread slice. Add sliced onion, chopped celery and a slice of Old English cheese. Put some corned beef on this, add another slice of bread, wrap in foil and heat in oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
3. Spread 2 slices of rye bread lightly with mayonnaise. Put a layer of sauerkraut over one slice, then top with a slice of corned beef then a slice of Swiss cheese. Top with the second slice, mayonnaise side down. Butter outside of Reuben Sandwich lightly with soft butter and toast on a griddle or grill, turning to brown evenly.
How about you?
What do you think of Corned Beef?
Each and every comment, corny or otherwise, is very welcome. You don't have to be St Patrick to leave yours
© 2009 Susanna Duffy
