Goddess Cooks

Corned Beef with Beer Gravy

The Gourmet Goddess

I’m reposting this, because well my God…look at that crust.  And tomorrow is St. Pat’s Day.  And make the Creamy Horseradish-Mustard Sauce today.  It’s a must.  So back to the post…Slow-roasted, brown sugar-crusted corned beef with beer and onion gravy.  Why would you save this just for St. Patrick’s Day?  It’s much too good and so simple to be left to one day a year.  It makes a great Sunday dinner and the house will smell good enough to eat!  There are many ways to cook corned beef:  slow-cooker, steamed, boiled, pressure cooked and slow-roasted.  The Goddess, in an attempt to capture the perfection that can be corned beef, has tried ’em all!  She thinks slow-roasted is the way to go.  Keep in mind, slow-roasting can be done on the grill….

Slow-Roasted Corned Beef

  • Servings: 4-8
  • Difficulty: Easy
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  • 1 (4-4.5 lb) corned beef
  • Cold water
  • 2 teaspoons each whole cloves and whole allspice
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (or maple sugar)
  • 2 tablespoon finely ground coffee beans
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2-3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3-4 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 2 onions, sliced thinly
  • 1 bottle lager or Guinness or beer of your choice
  • 1-2 cups water
  • 2-3 teaspoons arrowroot
  • 1-2 teaspoons cider vinegar (optional)

Thoroughly rinse the corned beef with cold water.  (Discard the included flavor packet included)  In a contained large enough to hold the corned beef (keeping it completely submerged), place the meat and spices; cover with iced water and refrigerate for 24-36 hours, changing the water every 12 hours.

In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, coffee, black pepper and allspice; mix well and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 275°F.  Remove the corned beef from the water and pat dry.  Toss the onion slices into a large shallow roasting pan.  Place the meat, fat side up, on top of the onions. Rub the meat with the mustard and maple syrup.  Sprinkle the sugar/coffee mixture over the meat, keeping as much on the meat as possible.  Some will fall into the pan; that’s fine.  Now, pour the beer around the meat.  Place the pan, uncovered, in the oven and bake for 5-6 hours or until the meat is fork-tender.  Remove the meat from the pan to a platter.  Tent loosely with foil and set aside.

For the gravy:  Remove as much fat as possible from the drippings, but return the drippings to the pan.  Combine the arrowroot with the water; add to the drippings and bring to the boil.  Boil just until the mixture thickens nicely, about 2 minutes.  Taste and if you think the sauce is too sweet, add some of the vinegar.  Serve the meat thinly sliced with some of the gravy.

Slow-Roasted Corned Beef Recipe©Marcia Lahens 2015.  All rights reserved

Don’t omit the soaking.  I find this removes much of the excess saltiness of the meat.  Do make certain you dry the meat well before rubbing in the mustard and maple syrup.  I put the pan in the oven, did the delay start, set it to cook for 6 hours and went off to work.  It was perfectly crusty brown and meltingly tender.  I drained all but about 3-4 teaspoons of the fat, then cooked some small potato wedges in the pan (covered) until they were browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Then, I removed the potatoes

and made the gravy.  I combined the water and arrowroot and brought the whole thing to the boil.  When the gravy thickened, I tasted it and it was a tad too sweet for me (you know, The Goddess is so sweet she doesn’t need additional sugar!), so I add 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar.

The creamy horseradish-mustard sauce balances well with the sweetness of the gravy.  The sauce is simply sour cream, horseradish, Dijon mustard, maple syrup and black pepper.  Combine and serve it with EVERYTHING!!!  It will be great on sandwiches, too.

I made my basic cole slaw, instead of boiled or sautéed cabbage.  It’s cabbage, right?  It is a nice textural balance, it’s on the sweet side, but with a bit of vinegary sharpness.  Either the Summer Sunburst Salad or the Winter Slaw would work equally well.

To do the on a gas grill, (I only use a gas grill, as I don’t have the patience for charcoal…it’s one of The Goddess’s many weaknesses) light 3 or 4 burners, turn off the middle on or two and place the pan over the turned-off burner(s).  Close the top and turn the outside burners to LOW.  Check every 45 minutes to make certain there is sufficient liquid.  Usually the meat cooks in less time on the grill than in the oven, but it will still take some time.  Keep in mind, the hotter it is outside, the faster the grill will cook.  The meat should still be meltingly tender when you finish.  You can cook the potatoes over one of the lighted burners instead of the oven…no hot kitchen!

Dinner was good and there will be leftovers…Quick and Dirty Corned Beef Hash or Reuben sandwiches or soup!

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