St. Patrick’s Day is coming up this weekend. Parades and everything green are current symbols of the celebration. But it wasn’t always that way. St. Patrick’s Day began as a religious feast day in Ireland in observance of the death of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It evolved into worldwide festivals celebrating Irish culture with parades, foods, music, dancing, and a whole lot of green in the 18th century when Irish immigrants in the United States began organizing events to show their Irish pride.
In Ireland, the traditional meal served on St. Patrick’s day was Irish bacon and cabbage, since pork was widely available on the Emerald Isle. When the potato famine hit Ireland, many people left their country for other countries, including the U.S. Irish immigrants in New York City substituted the more readily available corned beef for the Irish bacon they had formerly eaten on the holiday. Corned beef (from their Jewish neighbors) was very similar in texture to the bacon of their homeland. Having Irish roots, my mother used to make corned beef for dinner on St. Patrick’s Day and added an O’ to our Italian last name to celebrate the heritage of her ancestors on St. Patrick’s Day. Our traditional corned beef & cabbage dinner gets a modern twist with this recipe!
Guinness Corned Beef with Currant-Dijon Sauce
Guinness Corned Beef with Currant-Dijon Sauce (adapted from beefitswhatsfordinner.com) Total Recipe Time: 8.5 – 10.5 hours, Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
Corned Beef
- 2-1/2 to 3 pounds boneless Corned Beef Brisket with seasoning packet
- 3 ribs celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 medium onions, cut into quarters
- 2-1/2 cups water, divided
- 12 ounces Guinness beer
- 1 pound green cabbage, cut into thin wedges
- 1 pound red-skinned potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 6 to 8 baby carrots, trimmed or 4 medium carrots, cut crosswise into thirds
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Currant-Dijon Sauce
- 6 ounces red currant jelly
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon style mustard
Instructions:
Place the celery and onions in 4-1/2- to 5-1/2-quart slow cooker. Add the corned beef brisket to the pot. Sprinkle the contents of the seasoning packet over the brisket. Add 2 cups of water and the beer to the pot. Cover the slow cooker and cook the brisket on HIGH for 2 hours. Turn the slow cooker to LOW and cook for an additional 6 – 8 hours or until the brisket is fork-tender. No stirring is necessary during cooking.
Add the beer to the onions & beef in the crock pot.
During the last half hour of cooking the brisket, place the cabbage, potatoes, and carrots in 2-1/2 quart microwave-safe dish. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water to the dish. Cover it and microwave it on HIGH for 15 to 18 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring the vegetables once halfway through the cooking time.
Prep the veggies.
Drain the vegetables. Remove and discard the cores from the cabbage wedges. Add the butter to the microwaved veggies and season them with salt and pepper, as desired. Toss them to coat them, then cover them to keep them warm.
Add seasonings and butter to the cooked veggies.
Prepare the Currant-Dijon Sauce. Place the jelly in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl and microwave it on HIGH for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until the jelly is melted, stirring it once. Whisk in the mustard. Cover the bowl again and microwave it on HIGH for another 30 seconds. Stir the sauce then cover it to keep it warm.
Combine the current jelly with the mustard for the sauce.
Remove the brisket from the slow cooker and carve it diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve the brisket with the vegetables and sauce. Garnish it with parsley, if desired.
Corned beef & cabbage done easy!
This is how Irish-Americans celebrate the feast day! ~ Linda
Guinness Corned Beef with Currant-Dijon Sauce (adapted from beefitswhatsfordinner.com) Total Recipe Time: 8.5 – 10.5 hours, Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
Corned Beef
- 2-1/2 to 3 pounds boneless Corned Beef Brisket with seasoning packet
- 3 ribs celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 medium onions, cut into quarters
- 2-1/2 cups water, divided
- 12 ounces Guinness beer
- 1 pound green cabbage, cut into thin wedges
- 1 pound red-skinned potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 6 to 8 baby carrots, trimmed or 4 medium carrots, cut crosswise into thirds
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Currant-Dijon Sauce
- 6 ounces red currant jelly
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon style mustard
Instructions:
Place celery and onions in 4-1/2- to 5-1/2-quart slow cooker. Add the corned beef brisket to the pot. Sprinkle the contents of the seasoning packet over the brisket. Add 2 cups of water and the beer to the pot. Cover the slow cooker and cook the brisket on HIGH for 2 hours. Turn the slow cooker to LOW and cook for an additional 6 – 8 hours or until the brisket is fork-tender. No stirring is necessary during cooking.
During the last half hour of cooking the brisket, place the cabbage, potatoes, and carrots in 2-1/2 quart microwave-safe dish. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water to the dish. Cover it and microwave it on HIGH for 15 to 18 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring the vegetables once halfway through the cooking time. Drain the vegetables. Remove and discard the cores from the cabbage wedges. Add the butter to the microwaved veggies and season them with salt and pepper, as desired. Toss them to coat them then cover them to keep them warm.
Prepare the Currant-Dijon Sauce. Place the jelly in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl and microwave it on HIGH for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until the jelly is melted, stirring it once. Whisk in the mustard. Cover the bowl again and microwave it on HIGH for another 30 seconds. Stir the sauce then cover it to keep it warm.
Remove the brisket from the slow cooker and carve it diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve the brisket with the vegetables and sauce. Garnish it with parsley, if desired.