How to Make a Saint Patrick's Day Corned Beef Meal

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By lydiablogg
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Make a Saint Patrick's Day Corned Beef Meal

A St. Patrick's Day corned beef meal, sometimes called a New England boiled dinner, is probably one of the easiest of all meals to make. Everything (excluding the soda bread) is cooked in a large pot, crockpot or even in the oven. These directions are for a pot on the stovetop.

You'll first get the corned beef going in the pot, then later add the vegetables. Remember, it doesn't need to be St. Patrick's Day to enjoy this meal!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A rather large pot
Corned Beef
Cabbage
Carrots
Small red potatoes
Optional - Onions
Optional - Caraway seeds
Optional - Electric knife

Step 1

First you must choose which cut of corned beef you would like. Most people prefer the leaner flat cut, but some do actually prefer the fattier point cut. Flat cut is a little pricier. A round cut is also an option -- good if you are calorie cutting, not as tasty due to the low-fat content.
Step 2

Place corned beef into a large pot and generously cover with cold water. Place on stove top and bring to a boil.
Step 3

Optional: Peel and cut off root end of onion and leave whole. Onion will be easier to remove from pot when meal is finished, if onion is not cut into small pieces. Add to pot.
Step 4

Some corned beef comes with a spice packet. This may be dumped into the water, added to the pot in a tea ball or not used at all. You may want to consider adding caraway seeds if your corned beef did not come with a spice packet (see tips).
Step 5

Turn down heat and simmer for approximately 4 hours. (If you are also making soda bread, this would be a good time to do that.) It is not a problem to cook this for longer than the 4 hours.
Step 6

Turn up heat to bring back to a boil. Scrub red potatoes and add to pot (no need to peel).
Step 7

Peel off outer layer of cabbage head and discard. Cut cabbage into quarters and add to pot. Do NOT cut out the core. You will want to leave the core on so that the cabbage does not separate and is easier to pull out of the pot after it is cooked.
Step 8

Cut off each end of carrots and discard. Peel carrots then add to boiling water. Do not yet slice into serving sizes; carrots will be easier to pull out if they are left whole.
Step 9

Turn heat down to a simmer. Simmer vegetables for 30 to 45 minutes or until potatoes and cabbage are soft when poked with a fork.
Step 10

Shut off pot. Pull out beef; set aside to let cool for about 10 minutes. Beef is easier to cut if it is allowed to cool.
Step 11

Pull out the vegetables. Cut the carrots into serving sizes. Cut up and core the cabbage, discarding the core.
Step 12

Angle to cut corned beef

Remove and discard fat from beef. Cut the beef, being careful to cut against the grain at an angle. There is sometimes a picture on the back of the corned beef package that shows what angle to cut the beef.