Sparks from the Kitchen

I invited my Mom and Grandma over for dinner this past Saturday for a St. Patrick’s Day feast.  We play a mean game of Scrabble and drink a lot of wine at our get togethers-they’re always really fun. Our delicious dinner below. We had the, corned beef,  double roasted potatoes and sformato of carrots along with wine and bread. It was delicious! I will post the recipies for the carrots and potatoes separately.  They will be listed under the ‘holiday’ tab to the right.

All too often corned beef is served after it’s been boiled to death and the fat sticks to it in a most revolting way. Unfortunately the carrots, potatoes and cabbage that people throw in with it rarely stay crispy or retain any of their original flavor-they are merely vegetables that taste like corned beef and are mushy.  Ew. Really. It turns my stomach just thinking about it.  That’s why I made the potatoes and carrots separately.

 Well I say no more!!! Corned beef can be absolutely delicious if prepared properly. The corned beef recipe makes corned beef the way I always wanted it to be-not mushy, not fatty and after being in the oven the tips of the top layer of meat are actually a bit crispy.  And the recipe is really pretty darn easy! The sauce that goes with it has a clean, slightly sweet, tangy, briny taste that allows you to alleviate the need for additional mustard all together if you want to (but I still had a blob on the side-I can’t get enough mustard). It reheats beautifully.

Stout Corned Beef in the Slow Cooker

Ingredients:

For the Brisket

•  2.5-3lb flat cut corned beef brisket with seasoning packet
• 1 pint Murphy’s stout
• 1 scallion, sliced thick
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 2 pinches fennel seeds
• Splash of cider vinegar
• A few peppercorns

 For the Glaze

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2-3 tbsp grainy mustard
• 1&1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions 

1. Remove brisket from wrapping and rinse. Pat dry and place in slow cooker with the fat side down.
2. Add everything for the brisket above to the slow cooker on top of the beef, set it on low and cook for 6-7 hours.
3. When it’s cooked and the meat can be easily separated by pushing through it with a wooden spoon remove the brisket and set it aside. Remove all of the fat that you can and discard.
4. Preheat oven to 400F.
5. Strain the liquid in the slow cooker and discard the remnants. Place the strained liquid in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.  Allow to boil and then simmer a while to reduce slightly.
6. Place the brisket into a shallow baking dish, pour enough liquid over to cover it half to ¾ of the way and bake for 15-20 minutes.
7.  Serve immediately.