Boone's Dr. Peppercorned Beef

This is a Southern adaptation of an Irish favorite. Many substitutions have been made here to the standard recipe (most notably, the absence of cabbage), and many more adaptations are welcome. That’s the nature of this springtime dish. This slow cooker recipe will yield a thin, dark, rich Dr. Pepper broth that will inject all 23 of its hidden flavors into the veggies and meat. The resulting broth is a lot like some of the brown-sugar recipes mentioned elsewhere, but the difference here is that you can substitute the Dr. Pepper out for Ginger Ale (for a tangier flavor), Coca-Cola (for the more conservative chef), Sunkist (soda version of the traditional Orange Juice Corned Beef recipe), or beer (limitless varieties of flavor here).

• Ready In: 10 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 3-4
• Yields: 1 Briscuit

Ingredients

• 3  lbs beef brisket (lightly trimmed)
• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil (for initial browning)
• 3  parsnips, peeled (carrots are the obvious substitution here)
• 2  sweet potatoes (red potatoes are fine, but will not flavor the broth)
• 1⁄2 red onion
• 2  liters  Dr. Pepper cola
• 3  tablespoons  Dales seasoning (Worcestershire as alternative)
• 1  tablespoon ground pepper (black or mixed)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1  bay leaf

Directions

1. Over medium-high heat, brown brisket on all sides in large, oiled skillet. Cut parsnips into 2 inch pieces, cut the sweet potatoes into quarters, and roughly chop the half onion. Place parsnips, onion and potatoes in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add the browned brisket on top of veggies. Combine ground peppercorns, rosemary, and thyme, then rub into beef. Pour Dr. Pepper and Dale's around the brisket, cover, and cook on HIGH for 2 hours (until simmering), then on LOW for 7-9 hours.
2. Alternatively, if you want to sleep/work through the entire cooking process, just cook on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours, MEDIUM for 7-8 hours (if your slow cooker has this setting), or on LOW for 9 to 10 hours (Recommended!). Add/subtract time as necessary. You may also want to save parsnips to add with about 1 to 2 hours remaining because they will get mushy after a long time in the pot, but some people prefer to eat them like potatoes anyway, so this is really a matter of preference. They were delicious with all the juices cooked into them, and were still solid enough to be picked up by a knife.