As I sit writing this on Thursday, St. Patrick’s Day, I am thinking about my corned beef bubbling away in the slow cooker. I have never made a corned beef in a slow cooker. For that matter I have never made a corned beef at all. (Hopefully my Irish ancestors are not reading this and setting a curse upon my blarney.
I usually get my corned beef made for me by me mum, or me friend’s mum, but alas things change and if I want a brisket I am going to have to cook it myself. So I am.
I got up a wee bit early this fine Irish day and opened a beer. Yes, I am Irish but it’s not what you are thinking. I put it in me crock to cook the beast.
One bottle of beer, some onion and some peppercorns, a wee sprig of thyme for good measure and many a dram of water to cover. I turned it to high and went to work.
At high noon, or maybe high one o’clock I returned to check on the simmering brew and added some carrots and potatoes, more onion. Covered it up and ate my very non-Irish lunch of leftover spaghetti.
Apology Number 2 to my ancestors. I hope the divil doesn’t take my last shilling.
When I get home I hope to have a fine Irish meal waiting for me. I might have to have a wee dram of some fine Irish whiskey to go with that, too.
Too be continued …
Day after. The corned beef was good. Unfortunately not as good as I remember my mother making. And nowhere near as good as my friend’s mother, Mavis. Mavis’s corn beef was always the best and always will be. I can never match that.
If I do it in the slow cooker again I will cook the vegetables separately as I think they took on too much salt.
I did see a chef on TV yesterday who said in Ireland they do not do a corned beef, they roast a leg of lamb.
Oh well, I think this American tradition is here to stay and that’s OK with me.
Slainte!
—Lucy
Wow! Nice Irish accent!!!!! I’m green with envy.
Last week I cooked a store-bought corned beef brisket in my pressure cooker. After about 40 minutes it was falling apart tender. Cooked all the veggies separately. Used the pressure cooker liquid to make a nice sauce that went over all.
As for Irish whiskey, after years of being a bourbon snob, I have switched to my fine collection of Irish whiskies.
A wee dram after dinner hits the spot.
Happy belated St. Patrick’s Day.
— LOU