How to prepare corned beef
Corned beef is very easy to prepare. You simply bake corned beef fat side up in a covered pot in a slow oven with a little liquid. A small corned beef is about 3-4 pounds and will feed four people for dinner with a little leftover for corned beef hash. Double the amount if you want to make Rueben sandwiches as well. While there are many recipes calling for rubs, sauces, and other additions, a well-made corned beef is already deliciously seasoned and needs little or nothing to enhance the flavor. Just bake the corned beef in water, or some other liquid as suggested in these instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Remove corned beef from the package (leave any marinating liquid in the package) and place in a baking dish large enough to hold the brisket, preferably one with a cover.
- Pour in water to a depth of about 1/4-inch (about 3/4 cup). Instead of water, you may use an equal amount of apple juice, hard apple cider, or a 12-ounce dark beer such as Deschutes flagship Black Butte Porter or Hale’s Irish Style Nut Brown Ale (a seasonal brew available only February-March).
- Cover the pot with a lid or aluminum foil. Place pot in the oven and bake for 3-5 hours. The corned beef will shrink by almost half and should be very tender when pierced with a fork.
- Remove to a warm platter and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Traditional accompaniments include potatoes, cabbage, and carrots, which can be added to the pot during the last 30-40 minutes, or baked or steamed separately and served with the corned beef. Leftover corned beef is used for Rueben sandwiches (on rye bread with cheese and sauerkraut or cole slaw) and corned beef hash.
Home Made Sauerkraut
1 head of cabbage
1 cup hard apple cider (I recommend Tauton’s Blackthorn Cider) but, any hard apple cider will do
1/4 cup malt vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 & 1/4 Teaspoons salt
1 & 1/2 Teaspoons pepper
Combine all ingredients, mix well and cover and cook over medium heat until soft. Serve on toasted rye bread with corned beef, melted Swiss cheese and 1000 Island dressing.
Notes
-This recipe makes enough sauerkraut for about 6 or so Rueben’s.