Corned Beef Dinner

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, and the first thing that comes to mine (other than beer) is corned beef. Typically, I boil/simmer corned beef, but I decided to bake it this year for a change. Instead of just the flat, I also cooked a point as well. The point is much juicier and fattier than the flat.

To cook, I simply put the two pieces of corned beef into a roasting pan, and added some bay leaves and mustard seeds. I had previously rinsed the beef for a while to removed a bit of the excess saltiness from the brine. I heavily foiled the pan and put it into a preheated 350 degree oven. After about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, I checked the progress of the corned beef. It was tasty, but needed some more time to allow the collagen to break down. I added potates, carrots, and cabbage to the roasting pan at different times so that none would over cook and become mushy. In all, it took a little under 4 hours to finish.

I simply served the corned beef with the braised vegetables, mustard, and a slice of toasted sourdough bread. I found that the sweet honeycup mustard went well with the leaner flat, while stoneground champagne mustard better cut the richness of the point.

The next day's leftovers are just as good as the first day. When the meat is cold, you can see how strikingly different two cuts are. Though both cuts are from the brisket, the flat is extremely lean, while the point is heavily marbled with fat. I enjoy eating the leaner flat when eating the corned beef unadorned, but the point is preferred in other applications such as sandwiches and breakfast hash. We had lots of leftovers, but it seems like they never last long enough.

Speaking of sandwiches......