Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!  The day were everyone gets to be Irish.  It's also a day to try out some really awesome Irish food.  Today I'm going doing a series of post of Irish recipes as well as throw in a post or two just on Irish cooking and a wee bit of history there of, too.  I'll kick things off with a recipe for a classic.  Corned beef and cabbage.

This is a favorite in this house hold.  We make it almost every month.  While corned beef and cabbage is a classic, it looks like it may just be a variation of another dish from Ireland, Bacon and Cabbage.  Now, for those of you that don't know, Ireland has two types of bacon.  The one the Americans are most familiar with is called rashers there.  No, Bacon and Cabbage uses Back Bacon which is more like a ham.  It's cured, but may not be smoked.

Anyways, here's a recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredients

    * 1 pound kosher salt
    * 2 gallons water, divided
    * 8 pounds beef brisket
    * 6 bay leaves
    * 8 black peppercorns
    * 1 onion, chopped
    * 1 medium head cabbage, quartered
    * 1 pound carrots, sliced
    * 1 turnip, chopped
    * 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
    * 8 potatoes - peeled and cubed

Directions

   1. In a large stainless steel or cast iron pot, combine the salt, water and
brisket. Cover and let sit for 7 days in the refrigerator. (Note: brisket must
be completely submerged, so double the salt and water if necessary.)
   2. After 7 days, drain the brine and add 1 gallon fresh water, bay leaves and
peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low/medium low, and simmer for 3 to
3 1/2 hours.
   3. During the last 45 minutes of cooking, add the onion, cabbage, carrots,
turnip, cilantro, and potatoes. Continue simmering until all vegetables are
tender.