Corned Beef and Cabbage

Every St. Patrick's day, Mom made corned beef and cabbage. I am not sure how it came to be that corned beef and cabbage is considered an Irish-American meal, but it is, so enjoy it today.

Around March, corned beef and cabbage can easily be found in any grocery store. Corned beef brisket is a salt-cured beef that is usually sold with a packet of spices and pepper that is used to season the beef while cooking. If your corned beef does not come with the seasoning packet, just use a bay leaf or two and whole black peppercorn. It can be difficult to find corned beef brisket in grocery stores outside of March. I do not know why it is not sold year-round because it makes for a delicious meal. Sure, it is easy to get a corned beef sandwich, but most corned beef sandwiches are not as delicious as this meal.

Corned Beef and Cabbage 

• 2 to 3 pound corned beef brisket
• 2 medium potatoes, quartered
• 3 medium carrots, quartered
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 1 small cabbage, sliced

Trim the fat from meat. Place the meat in a Dutch oven; add spice packet and enough water to cover the meat. Cover and simmer about 2 hours or until almost tender.

Add potatoes, carrots, and onion. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add cabbage and cook 10 to 20 more minutes. Remove meat and vegetables. Slice meat across the grain.

Serve with rye bread and mustard. Enjoy!