Ale Braised Corned Beef With Horseradish Gravy, Swedish Style

San Marcos Sunshine's Note:

Trust a Swede with your corned beef? Today, everyone is Irish! I prefer using a corned round...less fat, it slices nicer and isn't stringy. If you brine your own meat, I've been told even a tri tip roast works well, a popular cut of beef in the West. The gravy puts this recipe over the top!

• Total Time: 5 hrs
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 4 hrs 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 3 -4 lbs corned beef brisket (I use corned round, not brisket)
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 diced carrots
• 3 carrots, quartered lenthwise
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 cups ale (I use Killians Irish Red)
• 1 -2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 small head of cabbage, cut into 6 wedges (about 2 pounds)

Horseradish Gravy

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 -4 tablespoons prepared horseradish, squeezed dry (reserve juice)
• 1 cup corned beef, cooking liquid
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons chives

Directions:

1. Heat nonstick Dutch oven over high heat. Sprinkle meat with pepper and brown in oil on all sides, about 6 minutes. Remove meat & set aside.
2. Lower heat to medium and add diced onion,diced carrots, celery, brown sugar and thyme to pot drippings. Cook stirring until soft, about 7 minutes. Lower heat, add ale and mustard and cook 1-2 minutes, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot.
3. Return meat to pot, cover and cook over low heat about 3-1/2 hours. Keep heat just below simmer. Don't let it boil.
4. Add cabbage, remaining sliced carrots, quartered onions and continue cooking covered until vegetables and meat are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove meat and let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Remove cabbage and large vegetable pieces with a slotted spoon and place on serving platter and keep warm. Reserve pan juices for gravy.
5. Horseradish Gravy:.
6. Strain and skim fat from pan juices. In pot over medium heat, combine 1 cup strained pan juices with milk, horseradish, mustard, thyme and pepper. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 T. reserved horseradish liquid. (Use water or more cooking liquid if not enough juice remained.).
7. Stir cornstarch slurry into pan mixture and cook, stirring until mixture boils and thickens slightly, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley or chives. Serve gravy with sliced meat and vegetables.
8. Kiss me, I'm Swedish & Happy "Svenskarnas Dag".

Reviews

[ccferne]

I've been making this recipe almost every year since 2000 or 2001, when my friend Sandy found it in "Women's World." We made it together, then decided to keep the recipe a secret. When I started posting all my recipes on line (this one would've remained in the 'private' category), I was happy not to have to type it in, but sad that it wasn't a secret anymore. But hey! I'm the first person in four years to have reviewed it, so it's not exactly common knowledge. My suspicion is that most people just don't want to take the trouble. Steve and I have brined our own corned beef, but the supermarket stuff works fine. I'm cooking it up for tomorrow night's potluck, with a group of people who toured Ireland together in 2007, and am expecting rave reviews.