Perfect Corned Beef Baked in Foil with Braised Vegetables

Well the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day continues at the Jersey Shore. The weather this weekend was picture perfect following the terrible storms of late. There was a large turnout for the annual Seaside Heights, NJ St. Patrick’s Day parade which had been postponed by the storm. The local Irish pubs were also hopping. Since we had Irish stew on the 17th, I still had not made corned beef and cabbage. I can’t imagine the entire month of March going by without having it at least once!

I really don’t like the traditional boiled corned beef and vegetables. In my daughter’s words “it is flubbery!” The vegetables get soggy and get coated with fat – yuck! The boiling hunk of meat is just extremely unappealing to me.

Well a few years back, I began cooking my corned beef in the oven wrapped in foil. Simply soak the corned beef brisket (3-4 lbs.) in a pot of water to remove some of the salt. After a half hour or so rinse the brisket and pat it dry with paper towels. Line a shallow 9x13 baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Pour ¼ cup of water over the brisket and seal the foil tightly around the brisket. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for four hours. Trim the remaining fat and be sure to slice the meat against the grain. This method makes perfect corned beef!

I really like braised vegetables as opposed to boiled ones. The method is so simple but absolutely outstanding. Simply cut a trimmed cabbage into wedges, add a sliced onion, two peeled and sliced carrots, and place in a lightly oiled baking dish. Top with a ¼ cup mild flavored extra virgin olive oil (I used Frantoia) and ¼ cup chicken stock. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and place it in the oven with the corned beef when two hours of cooking time remain. Once the corned beef is out of the oven, raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Uncover the vegetables and continue cooking until lightly browned (approx. 10-15 minutes). I added a capful of balsamic vinegar before returning the vegetables to the oven based on a suggestion found here– great idea - just delicious! I also served potatoes tossed with Irish butter and parsley.  Perfect corned beef and cabbage dinner!