Grandma’s Irish Corned Beef

This classic recipe for Grandma’s Irish Corned Beef has all the spicy flavors and tender deliciousness of this St Patrick’s Day favorite!

I know, we are still a week away from St Patrick’s day and here I am with the main course, my Irish mama’s version that I affectionately call Grandma’s Irish Corned Beef, but I have an excellent reason.

This is my mama, aka Grandma, on a past St. Patrick’s Day.

She will tell you that you MUST start looking for your perfect piece (or in her case, many pieces) of corned beef ahead of time, because the good ones go fast.

She is the Empress of making our St Pat’s corned beef supper, but this year I am on my own (don’t worry, I did a test run last year and it all came out splendidly), so here is what she taught me.

What is corned beef?

Corned beef is a beef brisket that has been salt-cured, usually in a brine mixture. You CAN do this yourself, but your friendly neighborhood supermarket almost definitely has an already brined piece for you at this time of year.

You want to get a piece that is at least 3-4 pounds, because it’s going to shrink when it cooks.

My mama advises getting one pound per person, but I’m pretty sure that is because she knows we love and adore the leftovers. More on that later.

Second, you want a piece that has some fat on it because that gives it flavor, but not too much, and not too much gristle.

Once you have nabbed your perfect piece of corned beef, it’s time to cook it up.

How do you cook corned beef so it’s tender?

You start a day or two before by mixing up a conglomeration of cloves and cinnamon and allspice and nutmeg, patting your brisket dry, and then patting those spices all over it.

Pop it in a zippered plastic bag and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

When it’s time to cook it, put some chopped onions and carrots and parsley in a large pot and tenderly place the brisket on top.

Pour in enough water to cover it, bring it to a simmer, cover the pot and let it cook low and slow for 2 to 3 hours, depending on the size of your brisket.

PRO TIP: Briskets can vary a lot in cooking time depending on their shape and thickness.  It’s always best to cook up your corned beef in the morning (or even the day before) to give yourself lots of wiggle room in case it decides to take its own sweet Irish time!

Check it every 30 minutes and if your brisket decides to float above the water, turn it over every time you check.

Once your corned beef is nice and tender, let it rest for about 10 minutes and then slice it up!

We like ours with colcannon (which includes cabbage) and carrots and my mama’s brown bread, with trifle for dessert please.

And if there is leftover corned beef (in our house we plan for leftover corned beef) then you can make one of the Southern husband’s favorite recipes of all time, Irish Eggs Benedict!

Now go corned beef shopping before someone else nabs the best piece!

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