In many parts
of the United States it's a given that you'll wear something green on 
March 17th and have a feast of corned beef and cabbage to celebrate St.
Patrick's Day. Most Americans think that tradition came from
Ireland. Wrong. An Irishman is apt to tell you that in Ireland
the day is celebrated quietly, religiously, in church. Period.
Of course, there are canny Irish restaurateurs who will provide corned
beef and cabbage -- for the tourists! -- and eventually the custom may
catch on, especially in Dublin.
However, in the old days in the old country it was "a bacon joint" and cabbage that was the common folk's fare. When the Irish emigrated across the Atlantic "pond" they found beef more easily available, and, possibly taking a tip from their fellow immigrants' Jewish cuisine, used a brisket they could "corn," (preserve with salt) in the way they'd preserved the bacon joint back home, and they cooked that with cabbage and potatoes.
As mid-March approaches supermarkets begin to feature corned beef in either "flat cut" or "point cut." The flat cut (sometimes called first cut or thin cut) is considered the better half of the brisket. The "point cut" is the thicker half and is usually the cheaper cut. Included with the brisket there is usually a small package of pickling spices, which can be added for additional flavor when cooking the beef. If the packet of spices is not included, you can add your own pickling spices or substitute 2 bay leaves and 1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns.
The beef will need to be slow cooked, at least 50 minutes to an hour per pound, and the traditional way is to skim off the fat and add the vegetables to the simmering water as you go along. Here is a traditional recipe
CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE
(traditional)
2 1/2 pound corned beef
brisket
packet of spices or 2
bay leaves and 1 tsp. whole black pepper
4 carrots, quartered
2 medium onions,
cut into wedges
10 to 12 whole, small
new potatoes
1 lb. head of cabbage
Trim fat from brisket and place meat, spices and meat juices (if available) in a 4 to 6 quart Dutch oven, add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for two hours or until meat is almost tender (test with a fork).
Add carrots and onions and bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, wash and halve or quarter the potatoes, and cut the cabbage into six wedges. Add potatoes and cabbage and cook, covered, about 20 minutes or until vegetables and meat are tender.
You can also use a crock pot or slow cooker as follows:
CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE
(crock pot)
4 carrots, quartered
3 lbs. corned beef brisket
2 medium onions, quartered
1 cup water
1/2 small head cabbage,
cut in wedges
Put all ingredients except
cabbage wedges in crock pot in order listed.
Cover and cook on high
heat for 5 to 6 hours or low heat for 8 to 10 hours.
Add cabbage wedges, pushing
them down into liquid and cook an additional 2 to 3 hours.
For my part, I find these
methods soggy and the vegetables a bit greasy.
Some years ago I found
the following recipe in the Los Angeles Times and I have served it often
and it has served me well. The vegetables are cooked separately and
the meat slow-cooks in the oven, wrapped in foil.
J.J.'S FAVORITE CORNED
BEEF RECIPE
3 to 4 lb. corned
beef brisket
Water
2 Tbs. pickling spice
1 onion, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
Place corned beef in a
large bowl, add water to cover and soak 30 minutes. Drain and pat
dry with paper towels to soak up as much surface salt as possible.
Place a large sheet of
heavy-duty foil in a shallow pan and place meat in center of the foil.
Sprinkle with 1/4 cup water, then add spice and arrange onion, celery and
carrot around meat. Fold foil over meat an seal with a double fold
over the top and at ends. Bake at 300 degrees 4 hours or until meat
is tender. Serve with your choice of vegetables.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
With this recipe I like to boil small new potatoes or red potatoes , and serve them tossed in butter and chopped parsley. I like to cut cabbage into wedges and cook it quickly in about 1/2 inch of water for ten minutes or just until cooked through and still slightly crisp.
However you make Corned
Beef and Cabbage, be sure to cut the corned beef "across the grain" (see
the photo above). And serve it with a coarse grain mustard and/or
horseradish sauce made by folding 2 to 3 Tablespoons of horseradish into
1/2 pint of heavy cream, whipped.
INTERESTING
LINKS
Irish
Culture and Customs
Corned
Beef Recipe from Ireland
About
Corned Beef - from U.S. Dept. of Agriculture