St. Patrick's Day Slow Cooker Round-Up

It's almost St. Patrick's Day!

Bring on the Shamrocks!

Adam and I have been married for 100 million years 16 years this upcoming July. Before marrying into an Irish family, I ate corned beef a handful of times, and honestly wasn't all that impressed.

That's because I was wrong. Corned beef is DELICIOUS. And (unless you like it that way), it doesn't need to be soggy and greasy.

There are a few things that I've learned you really must do --- the  "secrets" of corned beef ---

otherwise you'll end up with a super salty and somewhat soggy dinner.

And nobody wants that! ;-)

Secret #1 to perfect corned beef: Rinse it like crazy. Get off as much of the brine as you can before slow cooking. 

Plop it into a colander and let cold water run (but not too long because of the drought and you don't want the water police to come knocking).

Secret #2 to perfect corned beef: Trim away the thick white layer of fat with a sharp knife.

 A lot of times you'll pick out a gorgeous piece of meat in the store, but once you unwrap it you'll find a thick grup band of fat hiding underneath. 

Use a sharp knife or poultry shears to cut it away.

BONUS Secret #3: Don't Drown Your Meat! Click through to read the best ways to make corned beef -- the old-school way of drowning it in lots of water, broth, or beer just doesn't cut it! :-)

These are the two best recipes:

Dijon Corned Beef

 Glazed with honey, brown sugar, and dijon mustard, this is absolutely fantastic corned beef that will wow your family and guests.

Mary Jayne posted on my Facebook page that she cooked 8 corned beef roasts with this recipe for her annual St. Patrick's Day open house and everybody liked it so much she didn't even get any!

Bourbon and Brown Sugar Glazed Corned Beef

Brown sugar and bourbon belong together, and they mix to create a sweet crust to this salty roast -- the meat simmers in the juices and truly becomes fork tender after slow cooking all day.

If you don't have bourbon in the house or prefer to not cook with it, you can use apple juice instead.

Roasted Cabbage and Potatoes

Traditionally, corned beef is boiled on the stovetop all day with cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and celery. 
I like to keep my meat and vegetables separate so the natural flavors stand out on their own.

Irish Potatoes

Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes are cooked in butter, lemon,and dill to create a velvety sauce that coats each and every bite of potato. 
My kids love these potatoes, and I really should make them more often. This is a fantastic side dish.

Shepherd's Pie

If you aren't in the mood for Corned Beef and Potatoes, you can certainly layer in some leftovers and make a delicious Shepherd's Pie. 

The linked recipe calls for ground turkey or beef, but I've made many a Shepherd's Pie in the slow cooker completely vegetarian by using beans and chopped vegetables. 

This is a pretty customizable dish, and a great one for cleaning out the crisper drawer.

Have a VERY HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

Happy Slow Cooking!!

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