Corned Beef and Cabbage

It's March--time for the wearin' o' the green. Time for St. Patrick's Day parade. Time for green fountains and newspaper articles about the new parade marshal and time for spring break! What would March be without the traditional St. Patrick's Day meal, corned beef and cabbage?

It would be just plain dull, that's what.

I got this recipe from my good friend Viviane, and as I continue writing this blog, I realize just how many recipes I get from my good friend Viviane. If it weren't for her, we'd starve to death!

Viviane told me this meal was easy to make, but for some reason I was skeptical. But then again, corned beef has always perplexed me, so maybe I was transferring my corned beef confusion into my corned beef cooking confidence.

What exactly is corned beef anyway? Don't get me wrong; I always knew it was a beef brisket, but where did the corn part come in? After some critical thinking, I inferred that the "corn" part referred to pepper corns used to season the meat. I was not far off. After researching the topic, I learned that corn refers to the course corns of salt used in the brine which seasons the beef.

Apparently, corned beef often comes canned. But mine came wrapped in plastic from the butcher's counter at the Publix. According to Viviane's instructions, I cooked said beef in the slow cooker, thereby adding one more recipe to my list of crock pot meals. The instructions on the package said to cook the brisket in the package juices. I poured them in, but I also followed Viviane's advice and poured in a can of beer. Viviane's never been specific about the brand of beer to use. Today I used Pabst Blue Ribbon.

This morning, before I left for work, I lined my slow cooker with Reynold's slow cooker liners. Then I added the brisket, its little pouch of peppercorns and seasonings, its juices, and the PBR. Then I turned the cooker on low and left the house.

This afternoon when I got home, I cut up a head of cabbage and tossed it in a stainless steel pot with olive oil and a clove of minced garlic. Cabbage tossed in olive oil is just heavenly. You must try it some time.

And that was dinner. I also heated up some leftover squash for those who wanted some. Turns out I was the only one who wanted some (No, I did not butcher Squash Oscar). Everyone else chose to focus on the corned beef and cabbage, and I must say, results were positive. By the end of dinner there wasn't enough left worth saving. Stephen liked it (But he always says that when I cook dinner. He's kind of smart that way). Davis liked it, but added that he could really taste the beer flavor. Lawson ate it. I've stopped asking Lawson if he likes dinner. If it's not covered in chocolate, the answer will be no.