Corned Beef and Cabbage

Celebrate St. Paddy’s Day with this traditional meal.

2-3 lb corned beef brisket, drained, rinsed and trimmed of large visible fat
3 bay leaves
1 16-oz can red ale, or any beer/ale/stout
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 cinnamon sticks
12 peppercorns
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters
3 whole cloves
4-6 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 head green cabbage, cored and cut into 6 wedges
4-6 medium red potatoes, quartered

Dry Rub

1⁄3 c brown sugar
1⁄4 t ground cloves
1⁄2 t ground ginger
1⁄2 t mustard powder
1⁄4 t celery salt

Horseradish Sauce

1 T unsalted butter
2 T all-purpose flour
1 T red wine vinegar
1⁄2 c sour cream
2 T Dijon mustard
1-3 T prepared horseradish, to taste
Chopped parsley for garnish

Discard brining liquid and any spice packs etc that may come with your brisket. Rinse brisket and cut off large, visible fat. Place brisket in a large (6 qt) Dutch oven and cover with water. Add bay leaves, beer, red pepper flakes, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, garlic, onions, and cloves.

Bring to a boil, then lower heat and gently boil until meat is fork-tender, 3-5 hours depending on the size of your brisket.

Check the pot frequently, lowering heat as the liquid boils off. In the last 1⁄2 hour of cooking time, add the carrots, cabbage, and potatoes and cook until fork-tender. Drain vegetables and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325. Remove brisket from the cooking liquid and strain, reserving the pieces of onion and cloves of garlic. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid for sauce and discard the rest. Place brisket on a sheet pan lined with parchment. Arrange vegetables around the meat.

Make dry rub by combining all ingredients in a small bowl. Rub over the meat surface and sprinkle remaining rub over vegetables. Roast about 20 minutes.

To make sauce, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook over medium heat, until bubbling, about a minute. Whisk in reserved cooking liquid and vinegar. Cook, stirring until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in sour cream, mustard, and horseradish.

Taste for salt and pepper, adding if necessary.

Arrange brisket on a platter with vegetables. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with horseradish sauce.