Corned beef and all the Fixings

Corned beef and cabbage is one of my absolute favorite meals. What we think of as Irish fare, corned beef and cabbage is a special feast for some people who only cook it for a St Patrick's Day dinner, but both St. Paddy's Day celebrations and corned beef, are actually American inventions, and also known as the traditional New England Boiled Dinner. A corned beef -- and the correct term is indeed "corned beef", not "corn beef" -- requires moist cooking, so it's perfect for the pressure cooker.

A corned beef is beef that has been pickled or cured. The word "corn" comes from an Old English usage that refers to a process that dry-cured meat in the days before refrigeration by packing them in coarse salt pellets, or “corns” of salt. "Corn" describes the size and shape of the coarse rock salt that is traditionally used for brining because it resembled a kernel of grain. If you live in the UK, this would be a Corned Silverside or "salt beef".

In the United States, instead of a dry salt cure, a corned beef is typically a brisket, rump or round roast that is pickled or brined in salt water, but the name "corned beef" is still used. Corned beef gets its distinctive flavor from picking spices, peppercorns and bay leaves, but other spices may vary regionally by the manufacturer. The brisket can be the Flat or Plank Cut that is leaner and has the distinctive grain we see in the slices. The Point Cut is a rounder, thicker cut with more fat in it and may be a little more expensive. Either cut will shrink by about a third during cooking. Be sure to add additional quantities if you plan to have leftover corned beef to use in recipes like stovies, bully beef stew, Ruben sandwiches, or hash.

A corned beef usually comes with its own packet of pickling spices, if not you can buy a commercial mix or blend your own. I usually add more more herbs and spices to add a deeper flavor to the meat and vegetables that are cooked in the broth. Place the whole shrink-wrapped brisket in a large colander in the sink, then cut it open and remove the packaging. Rinse the meat thoroughly to remove the salty brine. The salt brine draws out the blood in the meat. Do not use the brine in the package to cook with.

Cooked in a regular pot, a corned beef will need about 4 hours before its tender enough to eat. In the pressure cooker, this is reduced to about 50 to 60 minutes for meat that is fork tender. Corned beef can be cooked a day in advance, refrigerated, and reheated by steaming in the pressure cooker for about 6-8 minutes. Rather than interupt the cooking process to add the vegetables, I prefer to fully cook the brisket in Guinness stout to add flavor, and because it sure goes good with corned beef sandwiches the next day.

I put all the root vegetables in a large steamer basket that goes into the broth to add flavor, but I place the cabbage wedges on top so they will steam. This way I know the meat is tender and the vegetables are cooked, but not too soft or mushy from overcooking. If you have a large enough pressure cooker, some people take a shortcut and try to combine the vegatables with the meat by interupting the cooking process about 5 minutes before the meat is done. This makes the vegatables very soft, but that's a matter of preference.

You can stretch your food dollar by buying a smaller corned beef and adding a wider assortment of root vegetables. Consider using rutabagas, turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes and onions, all of these are delicious and the leftovers can be mixed and mashed for a new dish, Dutch Whip... anyone want the recipe? Or make potato farl, colcannon, Irish champ.



Corned beef and all the Fixings

Step One: The Meat
A corned beef brisket with the spice packet, choose either a flat or point cut, allowing at least 1/3 lb, or a more generous 1/2 lb, per serving
3 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried whole oregano
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon whole caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
16 ounces of a stout or a full-flavored beer, or other flavoring liquid such as beef broth, fruit or vegetable juices, coffee, white wine

Discard the packing brine and rinse the meat well, trimming off any visible fat. Lay the meat with the fattiest side up on the cooking rack in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Add spices from the included packet, all the herbs and spices, the flavoring liquid, and enough cold water to just cover the meat.

Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 55 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Test for doneness; the meat should be "fork-tender", a fork goes through it like its soft butter, but overcooking results in a dry, stringy brisket. If you can easily pull up a sliver of meat with a fork, it is a good indication of doneness. A corned beef will have a natural pinkish-red color after cooking. This does not mean it isn't done. Nitrite is used in the curing process and this fixes the pigment in the meat and gives it the distinctive color. The internal temperature should be at least 160°F. If necessary, return to pressure for an additional 10 minutes and repeat the natural release.

When it's ready, transfer the meat to a cutting board and cover it with foil and a folded towel and let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. This allows the meat to absorb its natural liquids, and it will continue to cook itself at the same time.

Step Two: The Vegetables

Include at least 1lb of assorted vegetables per serving, increase as you like to add variety, stretch your budget, and for planned leftovers. Choose from a variety of root vegetables like carrots and parsnips, red or white boiling potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, boiling or yellow onions. Cut the pieces to a similar size -- I like hefty 2 inch chunks -- so they cook uniformly.

Use any variety of cabbage cut into thick 2-3 inch wedges, or use Brussels sprouts instead.

You can also add any type of cut hard winter squash, sweet potatoes, or any other veggies your family likes.

Skim off the fat from the broth. Placed the cut root vegetables in the cooker with just enough broth to cover. Discard the excess broth. If your pressure cooker is large enough, add the cabbage wedges or whole Brussels sprouts on top of the cut root vegetables. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 4 minutes. Remove from heat and use the quick or cold water release method before opening the lid.

Alternatively, steam the cabbage or the whole Brussels sprouts separately using a second pressure cooker with the cooking rack or steamer basket and the minimum amount of water. You can also steam cabbage wedges or halved Brussels sprouts in a colander or a collapsible steaming basket in a covered regular pot in about 15 minutes.


Step Three: Plating

To carve, slice the meat across the grain, otherwise it will be just about impossible to cut and difficult to chew. Cut brisket in thin slices and arrange them on a warmed platter. Using a slotted spoon, remove vegetables from pressure cooker and put the root vegetables and cabbage in separate serving bowls. Ladle some of the remaining rich broth into a bowl to be passed at the table and spoon a few tablespoons over the corned beef and veggies as desired. Include the condiments of your choice, a grainy mustard, horseradish, or vinegar is usually a pretty good choice. I also add a loaf of good bakery rye bread, Irish Soda bread or dark pumpernickel to serve with the meal, and for planned leftovers to make sandwiches.

Refrigerate leftover brisket and vegetables separately, and use within 3 to 4 days. The corned beef can be frozen for about 2 to 3 months.