[majorvices]

OK - how do you do it? I just picked my brisket from the store and am going to cook it in the crock pot tomorrow. Too late for anything else, especially since I am taking the kids out all day tomorrow and will get back just in time to cook my cabbage. But I would love to have a look see at some of ya'll recipes for next time!

[capozzoli]

You have to buy or either make up a batch of curing salt. Make up a brine with the curing salt and a mixture of pickling spice, then soak the brisket for a week or two in the brine.

After it is done curing rinse it and retain the pickling spice for cooking. Some people put it in a bouquet garni bag.

I like making it with potatoes and carrots or other veg as well as the cabbage.

Here is some trivia: Few, if any actual Irish immigrants have ever tasted this terrible dish before coming to the US.

 Interesting.

Its easy to surmise that this dish comes from Ireland on account of its awfulness. Cause most everything from Ireland is awful. But it is American, made even more American by lazy Americans putting it in a crock pot. Blech. 

I think it is funny how some Americans claim to be Irish. Come on. If you were not born in Ireland then you are not Irish. Just like if you were not born in Africa you are not African.

Yeah, Im Italian, Im in the mafia too. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

[majorvices]

LOL. So, you like making it but it is an awful dish? Corned beef and cabbage (f'ing obvious you need potatoes and carrots (and onions and mushrooms and garlic) ... come'on man!!), even in the crock pot, is an AWESOME dish. In fact - I can't wait for tomorrow night. Good stuff, all around. Capp - you need to post some of your homebrew recipes so I can make fun of them. 

[capozzoli]

What home brew recipes? I just throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and boil it.  Ill get better at that though, Like cooking it is an art and takes time.

Im learning from the best.

I like corned beef and cabbage. Its one of those things that is awful..awful good.  Besides, how else would I celebrate my Irish heritage?

Sounds like you have it down, not sure there are any other variations.

Throw in a generous amount of celery seed.

[majorvices]

Celery seed - thats what I'm looking for. Thanks bud! 

[nicneufeld]

smoke it smoke it smoke it!!!!!!!!

Rub that thing down with prodigious amounts of black pepper, along with some coriander and garlic.  Then stick it in the smoker.  It's not a perfect pastrami but it certainly beats the boiled cabbage rendition most corned beef gets subjected to.

Serve with good mustard, pickles, and rye.

[nicneufeld]

Here is some trivia: Few, if any actual Irish immigrants have ever tasted this terrible dish before coming to the US.

I gather it was a gift from the Jews of NY to the Irish American immigrants...leg of lamb and proper Irish back bacon aren't as easy to come by stateside!

[Hokerer]

LOL. So, you like making it but it is an awful dish? Corned beef and cabbage (f'ing obvious you need potatoes and carrots (and onions and mushrooms and garlic) ... come'on man!!), even in the crock pot, is an AWESOME dish. In fact - I can't wait for tomorrow night. Good stuff, all around. Capp - you need to post some of your homebrew recipes so I can make fun of them. 

Lucky me - the wife jumped the gun so I had the corned beef and cabbage for dinner tonight.  Of course made as described above

[majorvices]

I love pastrami but I'm not making that. I'm making corned beer and cabbage in my crock pot. My mom used to make it with canned corned beef and simply boil that with cabbage and some how or another I once thought that was good.

I actually love cabbage and boiled cabbage is pretty good if you don't turn it to mush. What I have been doing is boiling my cabbage separately with some pepper corns and serving in along side.

[narvin]

Corned beef was a major export of County Cork in Ireland through the 1800s.  Here's some more info on the history and pickling process:

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2153/how-do-you-corn-beef


As for people in America claiming to be Irish, I think by that they mean Irish-American.  Many of the ethnic enclaves where immigrants settled had far different culture and traditions than the rest of America, so why not identify with the area where these people came from? 

Frankly, you'll also see differences in the diets and traditions of the immigrants versus the people who stayed in Europe because those who decided to come to America were often poorer or lower class.  So if someone in Europe tells you they've never had some fatty organ-meat dish that your grandmother used to make you, tell them to stick it up their upper-class ass!

[tubercle]

Tubercle used to claim he was Irish. I found out my ancestors came to the New World in 1697 so I believe I can claim to be just a plain ol' American now even though my last name is one of the "O' " types.

 I love cabbage in any form. Boiled with onion is just fine but fried in an iron skillet with bacon grease is heavenly.

[majorvices]

So, along the same lines I was thinking about adding my potatoes and carrots about half way through the total cook time to keep them from getting mushy. I wonder if anyone knows how long small red potatoes take to cook in a slow cooker? 4 hours enough?

[bluesman]

What home brew recipes? I just throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and boil it.  Ill get better at that though, Like cooking it is an art and takes time.

Im learning from the best.

I like corned beef and cabbage. Its one of those things that is awful..awful good.  Besides, how else would I celebrate my Irish heritage?

Sounds like you have it down, not sure there are any other variations.

Throw in a generous amount of celery seed.

This one probably fits into the "peasant food " category.

[bluesman]

smoke it smoke it smoke it!!!!!!!!

Rub that thing down with prodigious amounts of black pepper, along with some coriander and garlic.  Then stick it in the smoker.  It's not a perfect pastrami but it certainly beats the boiled cabbage rendition most corned beef gets subjected to.

Serve with good mustard, pickles, and rye.

+1000

Smoke it!

[majorvices]

Like I said, I'm not smoking one today. And if I was going to fire up the smoker it would be for a Boston Butt.