Corned beef and cabbage are most often associated with St. Patrick’s Day in the United States. What is funny is that in Ireland, the traditional food isn’t corned beef, that is an American adaptation. There are two cuts of corned beef, flat cut and point cut. I usually buy one piece of each. Lean corned beef will be a lot drier than the one with loads of fat.
It makes a good sandwich but the flavor is in the fat cut. Another thing to remember with corned beef is shrinkage; there will be a lot so always buy more than you think you need. For a family meal with leftovers, a minimum of five pounds is necessary.
Corned beef cooks well in a slow cooker. Load it in the morning and come home to a delicious meal. My mom, however, has always cooked it in her pressure cooker. So if you are pressed for time, that is a great option.
Traditional Corned Beef
- 5 pounds of corned beef cut into large pieces
- 1 pound of potatoes cut into large chunks
- 1 Large onion cut into chunks
- 3 Tablespoons of pickling spices
- 1 Small head of cabbage
- Pepper to taste
- Water
If you like your cabbage a little crisp, steam it separately just before serving, however, it can be put in with the other ingredients. No salt is added to this recipe since the beef is already so salty.
Put the ingredients in the slow cooker and cover with water. Set on high and cook for 6 or seven hours. Serve with mustard and a good loaf of bread.
Leftovers are one of the best parts of corned beef. Corned beef sandwiches on rye bread with or without cheese and sauerkraut are a delicious option.
Hopefully, there is enough corned beef leftover to make some corned beef hash. You will need:
- 2 cups of cooked corned beef chopped
- 3 cups of cold boiled potatoes chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 2 tablespoons milk
Mix all the ingredients together. Melt some butter with a little olive oil in a frying pan and add the hash. Warm until the potatoes start to get nice and brown. Serve with fried eggs either on the side or you may break the eggs on top and cook them together with the hash.
If you want to make red flannel hash add 1 1/2 cups canned beets chopped fine.
Corned beef is a delicious and versatile meat that is as good the second day as it was the first. It isn’t just for St. Patrick’s Day, it is comfort food at any time of the year.
Are you one of those people who think corned beef is only for St. Patrick’s Day? Be prepared to change your thinking, corned beef is a perfect meal to serve when you want to treat your family to a homemade meal but don’t have time to slave over a hot stove. You can place all the ingredients into your slow cooker and go off to work knowing that you will come home to a delicious hot meal. Slow cooker corned beef is easy, delicious and economical.
What you need:
A five-quart or larger slow cooker depending on the number of people you need to feed.
Five pounds of corned beef will feed five or more people.
1 large cabbage
1 large onion
5 large potatoes
5 large carrots
3 large parsnips
5 small blue turnips
2 tablespoons of pickling spice
Start with the corned beef, remove from packaging and if the pieces are large, at least cut them in half. Place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Wash the potatoes and cut into three pieces each and add to pot. The type of potato is not that important, red bliss or Maine potatoes are good. Cut off the tops of the carrots, scrap if needed and cut into three pieces each and add, remove the tips as well if it doesn’t look good. The same for the parsnips. Cut off the tops and bottoms of the turnips and then cut in half.
Add water to the slow cooker, enough to cover all the ingredients and then add the pickling spice. Remove the core of the cabbage, slice into four pieces and place on top, press down to wet the cabbage and then add the cover. Place on high and cook for seven or eight hours.
When you arrive at home, remove the ingredients from the slow cooker onto a large platter. Slice the corned beef for serving. If you like a soup, you can add some kale and macaroni to the broth and use it as a starter dish. In the more Portuguese way, adding a little Linguica (this is a Portuguese sausage) or another sausage to the broth with canned kidney beans makes it even heartier.
This is an easy, inexpensive and delicious way to feed yourself and your family with a minimum of effort on your part. You can add some bread or biscuits, a salad if you like and a dessert and you have everything you need, all in that one pot. This recipe will feed five or more hearty appetites. What could be easier than slow cooker corned beef?
