Cooking Lesson #590: Slow Cooker Guinness Irish BraiseD Corned Beef

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? Corned beef is made from a cut of meat called brisket. It’s a great piece of meat that can be cooked using several different methods. I love barbecued or smoked brisket, Texas-style. There is also a wonderful Jewish preparation which, if long-braised in tomato and vegetables, creates a wonderful holiday meal.

And then there is my beer-braised preparation with a proprietary Guinness brine that takes on a new dimension of flavor—but then again there is darn little that Guinness doesn’t make better.
 
Brisket used to be an inexpensive cut of meat—it isn’t anymore. What is brisket? It is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of a steer. Beef brisket is one of the nine beef primal cuts. The brisket muscles include the superficial and deep pectorals. As cattle do not have collar bones, these muscles support about 60% of the body weight of standing or moving cattle. This requires a significant amount of connective tissue, so the resulting meat must be cooked correctly over time to make it tender.
 
Why the long cook time? This normally tough cut of meat, due to the collagen fibers that make up the significant connective tissue in the cut, is tenderized when the collagen gelatinizes, resulting in more tender brisket. The fat cap, which is often left attached to the brisket, helps to keep the meat from drying out during the prolonged cooking which is necessary to break down the connective tissue. Water (wine or beer) is necessary for the conversion of collagen to gelatin, which is the hydrolysis product of collagen.
 
In this recipe I combine brisket with onions, bay leaf, veggies, a robust Guinness stout, and molasses. The result is a corned beef that emerges from the slow cooker fork-tender and juicy. It’s full of delicate spice and has a pleasing sweetness. The vegetables are fragrant and richly flavorful, having braised in the hearty broth made by the meat and aromatics.
 
If you’re looking for things to do with the leftover corned beef, try tossing it with shredded potatoes for a great corned beef hash, tucked into a taco with cabbage and avocado, or the classic, layered on a sandwich with a soft cheese and loads of horseradish.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Slow cook time:  10 to 12 hours
Cool time:  5 to 10 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients 
3 to 4 pounds corned beef brisket
6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
6 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 large bay leaves
12 ounces Guinness Extra Stout
3 tablespoons molasses
1 small cabbage, cut in large wedges (optional)
 
Directions

1. Place the prepared potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic and bay leaf in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Trim excess fat from brisket and set it on top of the veggies.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the molasses and beer and pour it over the meat and vegetables.
4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on the low heat setting for 9 to 11 hours until the meat is tender.
5. If you want to include the cabbage, add it one hour before the corned beef is finished so that it can cook through.
6. When the brisket is done, let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes, skim off the topical fat and then cut the brisket into thin slices against the grain.
7. Serve with the vegetables.

ChefSecret:  I use Guinness Stout because it’s dark and chewy and it gives the meal some natural caramelized back notes. If you need a gluten-free option, a dry hard apple cider is a perfect substitute.

Quip of the Day:  “What do you call two ears of corn having a fight?  Corn Beef!”
-------------------------------------------
Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to\].  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

#Entrees #CornedBeefAndCabbage #Brisket #Potatoes #Cabbage #Carrots #StPatricksDay #2023Recipes #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                                                              ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

---