In some ways, St Patrick's day is better than Christmas — no last-minute pressy shopping, no pressure to make the perfect three-course meal for a billion family members, and no duty to visit everybody you know in the space of one week. Instead, we get to stuff ourselves silly with Irish-inspired dinners, drink bizarre-looking green drinks, and go crazy with rainbow and green clothes, shoes, and manis — like this gorgeous St. Paddy's Day nail art! Yep, this holiday is all about the fun. For our feast, we decided to go with the classic corned beef recipe, but turned up a few notches by making our own from scratch. It requires very little hands-on time for the best corned beef dinner (followed by the best leftovers for corned beef hash, Rueben sandwiches, and plenty of other new ways to eat corned beef!).
Ingredients:
Makes enough for 6 plus leftovers
Brining Stage:
- 2 quarts cold water
- 1 cup kosher salt or coarse sea salt
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons saltpeter (optional: This is what gives the corned beef the bright pink color. You can leave it out if you prefer.)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon red peppercorns
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 8 whole cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 5 pounds of beef brisket, lightly trimmed
Instructions:
- Place all of the brining ingredients, except for the brisket, into a pan. Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat. Leave to cool to room temperature, then cool further in the refrigerator until chilled.
- Place the beef brisket in a very large ziplock/freezer plastic bag or in a large sterilized jar (we used a one-gallon jar). Pour in the brining liquid. Remove any air from the bag and place the bag in a container. If using a jar, ensure all of the brisket is completely covered, with nothing sticking out of the liquid (use a small cup or plate to weight it down if required) and place a lid on the jar. Place in the refrigerator for 7 days.
- After 7 days, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse thoroughly under a cold tap to remove excess brine.
Place all of the brining ingredients, except for the brisket, into a pan. Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat. Leave to cool to room temperature, then cool further in the refrigerator until chilled.
Place the beef brisket in a very large ziplock/freezer plastic bag or in a large sterilized jar (we used a one-gallon jar). Pour in the brining liquid. Remove any air from the bag and place the bag in a container. If using a jar, ensure all of the brisket is completely covered, with nothing sticking out of the liquid (use a small cup or plate to weight it down if required), and place a lid on the jar. Place in the refrigerator for seven days.
After seven days, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse thoroughly under a cold tap to remove excess brine. Yeah, we know — it looks kind of gross at this stage!
Cooking Stage:
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup ale or Guinness
- 2 Tablespoons wholegrain mustard
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium beef stock
For the cabbage and gravy
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 Savoy cabbage cut into wedges
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 cup low sodium beef stock
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 5 Tablespoons cold water
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Heat the oil in very large casserole pan. Add the chopped onion and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes until the onion softens, then add in the garlic and cook for a further minute. Stir in the thyme and tomato paste, followed by the ale. Lay the brisket on top, then spread on the mustard and honey. Sprinkle on the pepper and pour the beef stock around the meat. Place in the oven to cook for 3-3 1/2 hours, until tender. Remove the lid for the last hour of cooking to allow to brown on top.
- When the corned beef is around 20 minutes away from being ready, heat the oil for the cabbage in a large skillet. Place the wedges in the oil and brown the cut sides (should take around five minutes). Sprinkle on the salt and pepper, then add in half a cup of the cooking liquid from the corned beef, plus half a cup of boiled water. Simmer for 15 minutes until the cabbage is tender.
- When the corned beef is ready, take out of the oven and place the corned beef on a board to rest while you make the gravy. Strain 1 cup of the cooking liquor through a sieve in a small pan, and add the cup of the low-sodium beef stock (the cooking liquor by itself is too salty for gravy). Heat until just bubbling, then stir in the cornstarch slurry until thickened.
- Slice or shred the corned beef and serve on a large plate with the cabbage and gravy. Serve with carrots and potatoes too if you like.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat the oil in very large casserole pan. Add the chopped onion and cook on a medium heat for five minutes until the onion softens, then add in the garlic and cook for a further minute. Stir in the thyme and tomato paste, followed by the ale. Lay the brisket on top, then spread on the mustard and honey. Sprinkle on the pepper and pour the beef stock around the meat. Place in the oven to cook for 3-3 1/2 hours, until tender.
Remove the lid for the last hour of cooking to allow to brown on top.
When the corned beef is around 20 minutes away from being ready, heat the oil for the cabbage in a large skillet. Place the wedges in the oil and brown the cut sides (should take around five minutes). Sprinkle on the salt and pepper, then add in half a cup of the cooking liquid from the corned beef, plus half a cup of boiled water. Simmer for 15 minutes until the cabbage is tender.
When the corned beef is ready, take out of the oven and place the corned beef on a board to rest while you make the gravy. Strain one cup of the cooking liquor through a sieve in a small pan, and add the cup of the low-sodium beef stock (the cooking liquor by itself is too salty for gravy). Heat until just bubbling, then stir in the cornstarch slurry until thickened.
Slice or shred the corned beef and serve on a large plate with the cabbage and gravy.
Serve with carrots and potatoes too, if you like.
What's your favorite St Paddy's Day recipe? Let us know on Twitter @BritandCo, and follow us on Pinterest for more St Paddy's day ideas!
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Nicky Corbishley
Nicky lives in Cheshire in the UK with her husband Chris and their two children Gracey and Lewis. She spends her days creating, photographing and writing recipes for her blog Kitchen Sanctuary.
