Erin Go Bragh - Ireland Forever! Slow-Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Whew, it's been awhile since I've blogged. So much has been going on that I just haven't had time to post anything worthy. I've been taking photos of everything I've baked and cooked, so someday the update will be awesome. Perhaps two or three posts at a time, but let's not push it.

It is traditional in our home to serve Corned Beef and Cabbage on St Paddy's day, and a few times after if we manage to get a good sale on the brisket. Last year I bought brisket flats for $.99 pound. Last night I went to the store to buy them, they had 15 or so points and a few decent flats. $2.49 and 2.99 a pound respectively. I nearly died! I purchased two flats in order to have enough to feed the family and walked away sulking. They also had no cabbage what-so-ever. I had to make a second stop to get the greens for our meal. What is this world coming to? I used to buy 10 briskets at a time and freeze them, and cabbage was in abundance. Hmmmm.

Anyway.

This recipe is one I found in a slow-cooker cookbook, and is by far the best ever recipe I have personally tasted. The apple cider vinegar really makes it wonderful.

printable recipe

Slow-Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
adapted from The Best Slow Cooker Cookbook Ever by Natalie Haughton

The slow cooker is the perfect way to go for this traditional dish, since it must
bubble away unintended for hours in any event. Be sure to serve with crusty
bread and pass Dijon mustard and Horseradish on the side.


Makes 6 to 8 servings

4 cups hot water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 large or 2 medium onions, cut into
wedges
1 (3-pound) corned beef round or
brisket packaged with spices
8 small white or yellow potatoes,
scrubbed and cut into quarters
1 head of green cabbage (about 1 1/2 pounds),
cored and cut into 10 wedges

1. In a 6-quart electric slow cooker, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, pepper
and onions, mixing well. Placed the corned beef in the misture. Scatter the potatoes
over the top and along the sides.

2. Cover and cook on the high heat setting 4 hours. Remove the lid and scatter the
cabbage wedges over the top. Cover and continue cooking on high 3 to 4 hours longer,
or until the beef is tender. To serve, carve the beef into slices and serve
with the cabbage and potatoes, with some of the cooking liquid spooned on top of the
beef to keep it moist.


Note: I add carrots during the first cooking, the color and flavor are very complimentary. I also don't add the cabbage until the final hour. I prefer mine tender crisp as opposed to soggy and limp!

The Photo above is during the first cooking stage, sans Cabbage. My camera makes everything look funky with strange colors. It looks like everything is swimming in a pool of blood! LOL someday I'll have a real camera and take real pictures!

Saturday Rant

Seriously the past few weeks have been quite odd. I swear there has been full moon since mid July! Tomorrow needs to be an ordinary Sunday. Or I may just fly off the face of the earth in an ear-piercing tail-spin.

Today has been one of those days. I woke up hungry as the dickens (what does that mean anyway?). I had a Corned beef brisket in the fridge from Thursday. I promptly put it in the crock pot at 7 am, waking every living soul in our home. They were not happy but I was cooking! A few hours later I remembered we had also purchased a pig butt - I was craving Carnitas on Friday. Sooooooo, why not do it all?

I didn't have the Cabbage I needed for the Corned Beef, so I sent son #4 to the store to procure that for me. I began the Carnitas because I heard it was a really long drawn out process and I figured the CB&C would be ready by noon. Hubby came home from work and I realized I needed Cilantro for the Carnitas - so I sent son #3 to the store for that. After all, HE let the herb garden die while the rest of us were on family vacation, which he refused to attend. Teenagers are too cool for that or some such nonsense. Something is amiss with the Crock Pot, so here we are at 2pm and the CB&C still isn't done. Shoe leather.

I have to admit, the scents of both meals are tantalizing! Reminds me of when we owned the Diner. With less bullsh*t. Chef Tess Bakeresse has a really cool Crock Pot on her website, I'll have to check it out again and get a new one for myself. One cannot live without a Crock Pot, whether it be hot or cold outside/inside, it is an indispensable kitchen item.

So here I sit, waiting patiently for something to happen. My poor stomach thinks my throat has been slit and why the heck isn't anything coming down here? It smells the aromas of multitudes of yummies, but still nothing is happening. Oh yeah, I put the Sourdough on to rise this morning too, and it is just sitting there looking like a pale rendition of the 1960's BLOB. If something doesn't happen quick, I may just need to go to bed until morning and start anew. Am I the only one this happens to? Or just the only one pathetic enough to blog about it? Mothers with 5+ children should be exempt from this, no?

Oh well, tomorrow I will post photos of the end result of the two main dish Saturday, providing I can make the camera function for me. Gosh, it's good to be humbly and fumbly.