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Corned Beef

It’s almost that time of year, when Corned Beef is on everybody’s grocery list. We have a local grocery that brines their own and packs the spices for you to use when you cook it. There is, however, no reason anybody can’t put those spices together and make an incredible corned beef. I have quit using them and now just use these.

3 ½ lb corned beef
½ tsp. marjoram
½ tsp dried thyme
1 T whole peppercorns
½ tsp mustard seed
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic smashed & peeled
A pinch (or to taste) crushed red pepper flakes
12 oz dark Irish Ale
2 qts. Low Sodium Beef Stock (use just enough to cover meat)
4 carrots, peeled & cut into chunks
2 stalks celery cut into chunks
1 large onion peeled & quartered
½ head cabbage (cooked separately for the non believers)

Put the corned beef and all spices and vegetables except for the cabbage in a crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours then add the cabbage. Cook an additional 2-3 hours. You can cook the cabbage separately, but don’t try putting it in at the beginning. It just doesn’t hold up.

You can also cook this on high for 4 hours, adding the cabbage for only the last hour.

Guaranteed to wow!

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Beef

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Hungarian Goulash

I got this recipe from my Mom. It was always one of my favorites, except for a very short time when pregnancy made it unappetizing. It’s back to normal standing in our house, and nearly everyone loves it. I have included crock pot instructions for those who prefer not to babysit the stove.

Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs stew beef

4 slices bacon

2 medium onions

1 to 1/2 cups low sodium beef stock or enough to mostly cover beef

2 TBS paprika

salt & pepper to taste

Season beef with salt and pepper. Brown beef in a non-stick pan without adding any oil (Mom’s recipe instructions said “in its own fat”). Remove from pan and set aside. Fry bacon in the same pan until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towel to drain, reserve grease. Lower heat and saute onions in the bacon fat until soft.

Put browned beef in the crock pot, sprinkle on 1 tbs flour & stir to coat beef, add crumbled bacon, onions, paprika and enough beef stock to mostly but not completely cover stew meat in crock pot. Add 1/2 cup red wine to the pan used to brown the meat & cook the bacon & onions on medium high heat to deglaze pan. Scrape up any brown bits and put the contents into the crock pot. Stir and taste to adjust salt and pepper to your preference.

Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for about 4 hours, until meat is tender.

Serve over noodles.

If you want to cook it on the stove, Use the stock pot for all of the browning (not so worried about the non-stick part this way), moving ingredients out and in as necessary, deglaze it with the red wine then dump all ingredients back into the pot and cook covered on a low simmer for about 2 or 2 1/2 hours.