Corned Beef with Guinness Au Jus...and MORE!

Hello fellow freaks!  I have several recipes this week for our Irish Feeding the Freaks Festival of Food.  Yes, I am quite aware that St. Patrick’s Day was on March 17, and it is now well past that date.  However, I had a penchant for making a corned beef brisket this year, and have not made one before.  I also had plans to visit my Irish granny and aunties the weekend of St. Patties and wanted some sage advice before I proceeded.  

After much in-depth questioning, I followed the guidance of the liquor store clerk (from whom I purchased my Guinness) on the marinating, heard about an SOB friendly sautéed cabbage and egg noodles from one of the aunties(it had bacon in it), was lucky enough to partake and remember the delights that honeyed carrots have to behold from Cuzzy Clare Bear, took bits and pieces of this and that from here and there, and created something that I hope you enjoy next year.  I personally take great pride in my Guinness Au Jus.  It is something that a little Leprechaun whispered into my ear, and it very annoyingly would not leave no matter what other ideas I came up with.  I am glad I stuck with it, as I feel it is really extraordinary, and it helped convert more than a couple corned beef “haters” into “lovers”.  Granted, those people have memories of the dreaded boiled corned beef, cabbage, carrot and potato dinner…*shudder*….  So here we go…read on for Mama Lanette’s St. Patty’s Day (and the day after) Recipes!

Corned Beef with Guinness Au Jus (AKA Candied Corned Beef)

(I did not take any photos of this, as it is pretty simple and just thrown into the crock pot.  However, I am always welcome to questions or advice, so if you need assistance or have questions, please ask!  Okay, fine, I forgot to take photos of this part, but still…it was really easy, but if you need help, please ask.  I seriously don’t mind, and I love helping people get their cooking mojo on.)

2-3 pound corned beef brisket

1 can or bottle Guinness Stout

Seasoning packet that comes with the corned beef brisket

2 Bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced small

Remove corned beef from packaging and pat dry with paper towel.  Place into a plastic zipper bag and sprinkle with contents of seasoning packet.  Pour Guinness into bag.  Let marinate anywhere from four hours to overnight. 

Add entire contents of bag into crockpot.  Add Bay leaves, garlic and onion.  Set crock pot on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-6 hours.

Remove corned beef from crock pot and place on plate.  Loosely tent foil over brisket to keep warm, allowing to stand for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.    Cut the brisket into 1/2 inch thick pieces diagonally across the grain. 

While brisket is resting, prepare Guinness Au Jus:

Juices from crockpot, strained

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate

Salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients into a sauce pan.  Stir well until brown sugar and apple juice concentrate are dissolved.  Turn stove onto high and bring ingredients to a boil.  Reduce heat, but keep mixture at a rolling boil.  Cook until reduced by half.  Serve as a dipping sauce or spooned over corned beef.  The au jus should be thin in consistency and not gravy like. 

Tip:  Store leftover corned beef in a container with au jus.  Use the leftovers for a Reuben sandwich that will blow your mind (hence, the candied corned beef). This is the first time I have made this, and the SOB was NOT looking forward to his first corned beef and cabbage dinner.  He really, really, really, really was not.  Let me tell you this, we have no leftovers.  We had literally enough to make two Reuben sandwiches the following evening (see photo below).  Not only that, I was racing around the Twin Cities on March 21 looking for corned beef so I can make another one for him because he loved it SO much, he looked at me and asked in a childlike voice, “will you make this again?”  How can a freak who loves to cook say no to that?  That is the ultimate compliment, in my opinion; expecting “it was okay” and getting “make me more!” is what makes us cooks rock and roll! 

Irish Cabbage and Noodles

4 ounces egg noodles

½ pound bacon, chopped (bacon was originally my only selling point for this entire meal)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium head cabbage, shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to package instructions.  Sauté bacon.  Using a slotted spoon, set bacon aside, reserving drippings in the pan.   Sauté onion in bacon drippings until tender.  Add cabbage and cook until warmed through.  Add bacon and noodles.  Toss to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cook to heat through.  If this is too rich tasting for you, add 1 tablespoon red wine or apple cider vinegar.  It will brighten it up amazingly well.

 

Honeyed Carrots

1 12 ounce bag baby sweet carrots

¼ cup parsley, minced

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Place carrots into a sauce pan and barely cover with water.  Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer.  Cover and cook until crisp tender, approximately 10 minutes.  Begin checking them at 5 minutes, and every couple minutes thereafter, as the size and cut of the carrots determines the cooking time.

*If using regular carrots, peel and cut into dimes, or julienne, or do whatever you want.  Just pay attention to them while they are cooking in the water.  You don’t want to overcook them during this part, as if they finish during the water cook, they will be overly mushy by the time they are done with the honey and butter. 

When carrots are cooked, drain excess water and add butter and honey. When thickened to a syrupy consistency, add parsley, salt, and pepper.  Serve and enjoy.

Reuben Sandwich

Sliced rye bread

Corned beef

Swiss cheese, deli sliced

Sauerkraut, strained of liquids

1000 Island Dressing

Butter or Olive Oil

Close your eyes and picture making a grilled ham and cheese…butter or oil the outside of the rye bread.  On the inside, very lightly spread a smear of the 1000 Island dressing (or forgo it, many people do…there is no 1000 Island dressing shame here, people).  Stack the Swiss cheese, corned beef, sauerkraut, and more Swiss cheese.  Cook on medium-low to medium heat until all buttery, crispy, and meltiluscious.  If you soaked your leftover corned beef in the Guinness Au Jus, reheat and use it as a delightful dipping sauce!  These are messy sandwiches, so careful and gentle attention in preparation is your best friend.