Many people say this time of year, “I don’t like corned beef and cabbage.” Others say, “New England boil dinners are disgusting.” The same people love ordering a Rueben Sandwich at their favorite deli or restaurant.
I grew up eating boiled corned beef and cabbage. My adopted mother is Irish, and this was her biggie every year. I liked it and looked forward to it. I put a shitload of butter on the waterlogged potatoes and cabbage that I smashed with my fork. Even though the corned beef is salty, the potatoes and cabbage were bland and needed salt and pepper. The beef always fell apart, and we ended up with fatty chunks of meat. I’ve had boiled corned beef out, and it is basically served the same way.
A few years ago, I upped my corned beef and cabbage game. Instead of the typical boil dinner, I now roast my corned beef and make either colcannon or other delicious dishes with cabbage, potatoes, and onions.
The meat is the easiest thing to make in the world!!! Just rinse off your corned beef and pat it dry. Top the fatty side with pickling spice and a couple of cloves of minced garlic. The little packet of pickling spice they give you with your corned beef is not enough and, most times, not very fresh. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful store called the Market Wagon in Bennington, VT. They sell dried herbs and spices in bulk. I can promise you their spices and herbs are very fresh; they have the date they weighed and packed it on. Bulk herbs and spices are available at many health food stores and online, which are much better than dollar store spices.
Pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees. Next, wrap the corned beef tightly in aluminum foil and place it in a Pyrex dish—Bake at 350-degrees an hour for every pound of your beef. Mine was 3 lbs, so I baked for 3 hours. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely!!! Do not unwrap. I like to make mine ahead and will throw it into the refrigerator for a day or two.
When you are ready to use your corned beef, unwrap and trim off the fat cap and pickling spice on top. I always save the juices that are in the pyrex dish after I unwrap the corned beef. Slice it against the grain they tell you. If you aren’t comfortable slicing meat, slicing the corned beef when it is cool makes it very easy to learn how to slice properly.
Since the meat is cool, you can actually pick it up and see which way the grain or the beef lines are going. You are going to slice in the opposite direction or against the grain. Having a sharp carving knife is also key to slicing any meat. I like my corned beef sliced thinly on an angle. Please don’t be afraid or intimidated; I take my time when I am slicing up a piece of meat that I cooked and cooled longingly.
Now you can have your corned beef as part of a St. Patrick’s Day meal or just for Rueben Sandwiches. They sell corned beef all year, and it doesn’t have to be eaten only once a year or at a deli. After the corned beef is sliced, it’s time to reheat it. This is what all Jewish delicatessens do with their corned beef and pastrami. Basically, you are steaming the meat by slowly heating it in the braising liquid. Just put your sliced beef into a saute pan and add the juices to the pan. Cover with a lid and simmer gently until the beef is hot. If you forget and throw away the braising liquid, use water or low sodium beef broth.
Colcannon is something I never heard of until a few years ago. What can I say, except this is a big game-changer? The best part of boiled corned beef and cabbage was the leftovers the next day, fried up in a cast iron pan. So why eat the flavorless boiled stuff, to begin with? Why wait until the next day to have the cabbage and potatoes the way you like them?
To make colcannon I start by making a batch of homemade mashed potatoes. Next, I slice up some onions and cabbage. I start with the onions cooking them slowly in a little bit of butter in a cast-iron pan until they are soft and translucent.
Next, add the sliced cabbage to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the onions and cabbage are caramelized and golden brown. Remove from the pan and mix with the mashed potatoes. The last time I made colcannon, I spread it out in a Pyrex dish, topped it with sharp cheddar, and baked it until the cheese was melted and golden brown. Holy Mother of Jesus was that good! Do that last line with an Irish accent!!! 😆☘️
Some other side dishes that I have made with my corned beef dinner are Parsnip Puree, Carmalized Onions and Cabbage, Cornmeal Crust Three Cheese Onion Tart, Shaved, and Caramelized Brussel Sprouts. All of them were delicious and there are many more recipes I want to try making with my corned beef.
Before you throw your corned beef into a stockpot or crockpot, please consider roasting it. If you still want boiled potatoes and cabbage, you can do that separately. If you want to try something new, go for it. Remember there aren’t any rules, you can make whatever you want or like.
If you aren’t Irish and don’t give a rats ass about St. Patrick’s Day, then roast up some corned beef and make yourself a delicious Rueben Sandwich, Ruben Eggrolls, Ruben Casserole, or have a little corned beef on rye with a schmear of mustard.
