Corned Beef & Cabbage

Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe courtesy of Mark Higgins’ mom 🙂

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pounds o’ corned beef
• 4 whole cloves
• 4 whole peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove o’ garlic
• 1 whole onion
• 2 stalks o’ celery, sliced
• 1 medium cabbage

Wash the beef to get all the slime and blood off it and put it in a large kettle. (Yes I said kettle, this is my mom’s recipe). OK, just put it in a big pot. Cover it up with cold water. Add all of the ingredients except the cabbage and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Take a large spoon and skim the top of the water to remove any of the fat that may have rendered out. Now grab a Guinness or Harp and go watch some TV for 3 or 4 hours or until the corned beef is tender. Add hot water as needed so it doesn’t boil away.

At about 3 hours into the simmer, cut your cabbage in half, then each half into quarters. Add the cabbage in and cook for about 30 minutes or so. If you want to you can put some peeled potatoes in the water for the last 15 minutes and have mashed potatoes on the side.

If you buy the prepackaged corned beef, most come with a packet of blended spices. It’s quick, easy and delicious if you just follow the directions on the package.

Want to speed this recipe up? Try it in a pressure cooker!