If you want to make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, you’re already too late! Sheesh. I went to investigate some recipes and saw that most call for brining the meat for 8 days. We’ve got 4. My brisket is very small (about 2 pounds), since it’s just for G and me, but this is a great meal to feed a bunch of people—like a family with 6 kids perhaps? I wanted to get this post up quickly, in case you’d like to go to the market today and get your supplies. This recipe looks long and involved but it’s actually pretty simple. I just made the pickling spices and the brine and got my meat squared away in about 12 minutes. There are hurricane warnings and flood alerts in effect today in Sullivan Country, but for some reason we’re still determined to hit the road for a pilgrimage north to Delicacies of the Delaware—a fantastic smokehouse where we like to stock up on wonderful things from time to time. Hopefully we won’t float away…

HOMEMADE IRISH CORNED BEEF & VEGETABLES

Adapted from Bon Appetit

serves 4-6

BRINE
6 cups water
2 cups lager beer
11/2 cups coarse kosher salt
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup pickling spices (recipe below)
1 6- to 8-pound flat-cut beef brisket, trimmed, with some fat remaining

PICKLING SPICES

2 cinnamon sticks, broken

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 teaspoon whole allspice

1 teaspoon juniper berries

1 teaspoon crumbled whole mace

1 teaspoon dill seeds

4 dried bay leaves

1 small piece dried ginger

Pour 6 cups water and beer into large deep roasting pan. Add coarse salt; stir until dissolved. Add sugar; stir until dissolved. Mix in pickling spices. Pierce brisket all over with tip of small sharp knife. Submerge brisket in liquid, then top with heavy platter to weigh down. Cover and refrigerate 4 days.

Remove brisket from brine. Stir liquid to blend. Return brisket to brine; top with heavy platter. Cover; refrigerate 4 days. Remove brisket from brine. Rinse with cold running water. Wrap corned beef in plastic, cover with foil, and refrigerate.

CORNED BEEF & VEGETABLES
1 12-ounce bottle Guinness stout
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 whole allspice
1 dried chile de árbol, broken in half

Cheesecloth
3 medium turnips or rutabagas, peeled, quartered
8 unpeeled medium white-skinned or red-skinned potatoes (about 3 pounds)
6 medium carrots, peeled
4 medium onions, peeled, halved through root ends
2 medium parsnips, peeled, cut into 2-inch lengths
1 2-pound head of cabbage, quartered

Place corned beef in a very large, wide pot. Add stout and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Wrap cheesecloth around bay leaves, coriander seeds, allspice, and chile, enclosing completely, and tie with kitchen string to secure. Add spice bag to pot with beef. Bring just to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 1/4 hours. Transfer beef to large baking sheet.

Add turnips and all remaining vegetables to liquid in pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently until all vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to baking sheet with beef. Return beef to pot and rewarm 5 minutes. Discard spice bag.

Cut beef against grain into 1/4-inch thick slices. Arrange beef and vegetables on platter. Serve with Horseradish Cream and Guinness Mustard (recipes follow).

HORSERADISH CREAM

1 cup sour cream or crème fraiche

6 tablespoons prepared white horseradish (about 4 ounces)

1 tablespoon finely chopped dill pickle

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or green onion tops

Whisk all ingredients in small bowl to blend. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead.)

GUINNESS MUSTARD

1/2 cup coarse-grained Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons regular Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons Guinness stout or other stout or porter

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 teaspoon golden brown sugar

Whisk all ingredients in small bowl to blend. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead.)