This post contains advice and recipes about poaching/boiling corned beef found and extracted from various places.
For poaching 5 lbs of Corned Beef
From Aaron Rocchino who owns The Local Butcher Shop in Berkeley, California as found on ChowHound.
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 teaspoons coriander seed
- 10 allspice berries
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seed
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
- 1/2 medium carrot
- 1/2 small yellow onion
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 fresh bay leaves
To poach the corned beef:
1. After the 12 days are up, lift the beef out of the brining liquid and transfer it to a pot large enough to hold the meat without too much crowding, but not so large that it gets lost. An oval Dutch oven is perfect; a large stainless steel pasta pot with a heavy bottom will work just fine. Discard the brining liquid, including the aromatics.
2. Add enough cold water to the pot to cover the meat by 1 to 2 inches and set over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves, coriander, allspice, mustard, cloves, cinnamon, carrot, onion, thyme, and bay leaves.
3. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and keep monitoring it: You want the surface of the liquid to tremble very gently in a few places—if you see big, vigorous bubbles, reduce the heat even further. Simmer the corned beef, uncovered, until the internal temperature registers 160°F on a meat thermometer, about 3 to 4 hours. (For brisket, cook until the internal temperature registers between 180°F and 185°F.)
4. Remove the pot from the heat, leaving the corned beef in its broth to cool down gently to a warm temperature, about 1 hour. Remove from the liquid and slice. Strain the broth, and either serve it on the side in warmed bowls like consommé or serve the corned beef slices in warmed shallow bowls and ladle some of the broth over the meat. You can poach a head of green cabbage, cored and cut into 6 wedges, in the strained broth until it’s tender–about 10 to 15 minutes.
For How to Cook:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/corned-beef-and-cabbage-recipe
Recipe for prep and history:
http://www.epicurious.com/holidays-events/the-ultimate-corned-beef-and-cabbage-article
From Comments at Eppicurious.com – Put in a large saucepan and just cover with cool water. Add 1 bay leaf per pound, discard the spices that came with the meat, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add 1 bottle of your favorite beer. Simmer on low and add water as needed just to keep meat covered, keep lid askew and simmer for about 1 hour per pound. If adding veggies, add peeled and coarsely cut carrots and whole red potatoes about a half hour before done. 15 minutes before done, add quartered cabbage wedges. Drain and serve with a good whole grain mustard and horseradish and of course, some melted Irish butter, such as Kerry Gold on the veggie.
