Cooking Corned Beef
Irish immigrants have been cooking corned beef for many generations now. Often this type of meat accompanies boiled cabbage in order to create an authentic Irish meal.
Originally, this type of meat was cured using coarse salts that were once known as “corn” (hence, the name of the meat). Today, this portion of meat is often cured by various means, though salt is still a popular option. To begin cooking corned beef, you will first have to wash the meat in order to rid it of any excess salt. Then, place the meat inside of a kettle of boiling water. Boil the meat until it is completely tender (this usually takes about four hours).
If you are going to create an authentic meal, you should begin preparing the cabbage by quartering it now. Also, cut up two carrots, two parsnips, two turnips, and ten potatoes. Approximately one hour before the meat is thoroughly cooked, open up the kettle and skim some of the fat off the top. Add this fat to another kettle, and then place the vegetables inside of the fat along with a bit of boiling water. Allow the vegetables to cook until tender (some people cook the cabbage separately, though this is not necessary).
Many Irish will make this meal on St. Patrick’s Day to commemorate the old country. While you may have leftovers from this hearty meal, you should not throw them away. Instead, mash up all the leftovers together with a potato masher, place them inside of a frying pan with a lot of butter, and fry everything until the dish is crisp on the outsides. This leftover dish called “hash” has been the traditional follow-up breakfast for those Irish that celebrate St. Patrick’s Day for many years. This way, those hours that you spent cooking corned beef will not have been in vain.
Now that you know how to make a proper Irish boiled dinner, you can prepare this meal again and again. This large meal will easily feed a growing family, and the leftover hash is sure to please all that try it.
There is really nothing to cooking corned beef authentically, though there are some more complex recipes out there if you wish to try something modern. From the Irish days of old to today, this meal is still a favorite throughout the world.