St Paddy’s: Corned Beef Recipe
ADVICE FOR THE FOODLORN
by Tom Steele
Pressure-Cooked Corned Beef and Cabbage
I’ve never had tenderer, juicier home-cooked corned beef than the succulent result of this recipe. Note that corned beef is far more Irish-American fare than Irish. In Ireland, the dish is usually reserved for Easter Sunday dinner. In any case, it’s the perfect dish for this time of year—Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, or, thanks to this recipe, any old weeknight.
You’ll need a five-quart (or larger) pressure cooker. Duromatic Kuhn Rikon is the front runner among safe-if-used-as-directed pressure cookers, well worth seeking out (Broadway Panhandlers carries them in their store and online). While not exactly cheap, this cooker will last you a lifetime or two.
You’ll also need a good 4-5 pound thick-cut slab of corned beef for 4-6 servings. Remember, the meat will shrink considerably, sometimes by over half. And besides, supermarkets have corned beef on sale this time of year, some for as little as $1.99 a pound.
Without a pressure cooker, it takes at least 4 hours to bring corned brisket to its voluptuously tender best. With this recipe, you’ll have dinner on the table in 90 minutes.
1 corned beef brisket, 4-5 pounds, rinsed
1 cup dry white French vermouth
3-4 cups water (nearly to cover)
1 medium onion, peeled, halved, and studded with 6 whole cloves
2 ribs of celery with leaves, cut into thirds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 whole allspice berries
1 teaspoon dried ginger
1 bouquet garni
(a combination of tarragon, thyme, bay leaf, and parsley,
wrapped in two layers of cheesecloth and tied securely)
1 medium-small head of cleaned green cabbage, 2 1/2 -3 lbs.,
cored (but not too aggressively—leave enough to maintain shape)
cut into 6 wedges
12 small (bite-sized) new potatoes
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 head celery root, peeled and cut into 1/2 ’’ dice
Place corned beef in a 5-quart (or larger) pressure cooker. Add vermouth and water and bring to the boil over high heat, skimming foam from the surface for a few minutes.
Add onion, celery, peppercorns, allspice berries, dried ginger, and bouquet garni. Close the pressure cooker and bring pressure to high (15 pounds of pressure—the second red ring on a Duromatic Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker). Adjust heat to keep the pressure high, and cook for 1 hour.
Remove from heat and use quick-release method to open the cooker. Remove meat and vegetables from the cooker. Set aside and keep well covered. Add cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and celery root to the cooker. Remove liquid if the cooker is more than two-thirds full. Close the lid and again bring the pressure to high. Stabilize the high pressure, and cook for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and use quick-release method to open the cooker.
Cut the beef across the grain into very thin slices. Serve with the vegetables, all dribbled with the broth. Horseradish cream would be welcome (freshly grated horseradish stirred with heavy cream or—better—crème fraîche to desired consistency), as would Irish soda bread.
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