phood adventures

corned beef a la i-slept-in-late

on friday night i decided to make something to help me with this cold weather. while at the grocery store i decided to make some corned beef and cabbage.

according to wikipedia, corned beef is:

Corned beef is beef that is first pickled in brine and then cooked by boiling. Usually, cuts of meat are used that feature long muscle grain, such as the brisket.


The name corned beef is due to a coarse salt being used in the pickling. Corn originally meant grain, as in a small particle of something, and referred to the corns of salt.


Corned beef is often purchased at delicatessens. Perhaps the most famous sandwich made with it is the Reuben sandwich, consisting of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing on rye bread and served hot.

so at the store i bought a 3.5lb chunk of grey corned beef (now, before people start making icky sounds, grey corned beef just means that the meat keeps its natural color after being in the salt and isn’t red with the addition of nitrates). i also got some carrots, onions, garlick, and a small head of cabbage. when i got home, i got the ingredients together and got the crockpot ready as well.

most of the websites i had seen said that you had to cook the corned beef at low for at least 12 hours, halfway through the cooking time one would have to add the cabbage. the vegetables that could be added varied on each website, so i just took the average of them all. also, the websites all said to use 3lbs or so of corned beef, but i only added half of that amount since i’m the only who is going to eat the dish.

i cut three carrots into 2” segments, quartered the onions, smashed the garlick cloves, and a teaspoon or so of peppercorns. about 2 cups of water were also added. and they were ignored for many hours.

i woke up pretty late the next morning and had to improvise with the cabbage. i cut the head into quarters, put three of those quarters into a pan with a cup of the broth from the crockpot. i then let it simmer for 30 minutes, until the cabbage was nice and soft. after that was done, i then added all of that to the crockpot and served myself.

next time i will NOT sleep in.