Tender, savory Corned Beef with baby potatoes, carrots and cabbage...yummmm!
With St. Patty's Day fast approaching, I have had a few people asking me how to use their pre-programmed electric pressure cookers to make corned beef. Quite honestly, there is no button for that. You must set the timer, just like you would with a cooktop model. However, unlike boiling the beef 1 hour per pound in a traditional pot, your 7 pound corned beef will be ready in 1 hour when pressure cooked!
The salted/brined meat we call Corned Beef actually has nothing to do with corn. The term came about because the salt pellets historically used to brine the meat were the size of a kernel of "corn"! Traditionally the large cut of beef was brined for 3 weeks in a mixture of water, salt, sugar, pickling spice, sodium nitrate and garlic. Since most of us do not have 3 weeks to wait...we'll use the store-bought pre-corned variety!
Corned Beef has a tendency to shrink by about 1/3 during the pressure cooking processing, so keep that in mind as you select your size; size matters with corned beef:-). Most pressure cookers can handle at least 7 pounds of meat but be sure to check your manual for size restrictions and keep in mind the additional room you will need for vegetables. There should be at least a 4-inch airspace between the food and the lid.
Ingredients
The amount of the ingredients below varies widely. You decide on what serving size you desire and adjust your quantities accordingly. By using a pressure cooker, the timing is the same, it will just take longer to come to pressure.
1 corned beef with seasoning packet; 3-7 lbs
1 tsp onion salt
1 tsp celery salt
1 Tbs coarse ground mustard
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 bottle of beer; darker is better but it's up to you
small red potatoes; 6-15
peeled baby carrots; not the tiny snack-size (or 1-inch rings of large carrots);.5-1 lb.
cabbage; up to 1 medium head
Prepare the meat by removing the corned beef from the package and rinsing off the surface brine. Lay the corned beef onto a cutting board and sprinkle the onion salt, celery salt, brown sugar and mustard over the meat. Use your hands and massage the seasonings into the meat.
Looking at the pot of your pressure cooker, decide if the meat must be cut down to fit inside. Ideally you will leave the meat whole and either stand it on end "curling" it along the inside edge (fat side out) or just laying it inside the pot flat or arched (fat side up). However, if it is just too large, cut the meat in half or however is necessary to fit!
When the meat is in the pan, sprinkle in the seasoning packet and add the bottle of beer. Fill the pot with cool water until the meat is submerged by 1 inch. Place the pot onto the stove, or into the electric base, attach the lid and set it to air tight.
Set the timer on the electric pressure cooker for 1 hour or for stovetop models, set a timer for 1 hour after pressure has been reached.
Prepare the veggies by washing and peeling the potatoes (if desired), washing, peeling and cutting large carrots into 1-inch rings or just washing the the pre-peeled baby carrots. For the cabbage, pull off and discard any spotted or wilted outer leaves and the cut the cabbage in half lengthwise. Use a sharp knife and cut a "V" shape removing the hard core from the end and extending up into the cabbage. Chop the desired amount of cabbage into large bite-size pieces; do not shred or finely chop! Place all of the veggies into a bowl and cover with a wet paper towel; place into the fridge.
When the hour is up, turn the pressure cooker off and/or remove from heat. Let sit 10 minutes and then carefully release the remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid and remove the meat to a cutting board. Let the liquid remain untouched in the pot.
When cool enough to handle, use a sharp knife and slice away the majority of the fat on the meat; discard.
Using a measuring cup or turkey baster, carefully remove as much fatty oil from the top of the liquid as you can. You want to leave some to season the vegetables so do not use a separator.
Reload the pot first with the potatoes and carrots, then with the meat and top with the cabbage. If you find that you now have too much liquid, use a measuring cup and remove however much you need to have a 4-inch space at the top of the pot. If it is still to full, you will have to remove some of the potatoes!
Replace the lid and reset the electric cooker to 10 minutes. For stovetop models, set your timer for 10 minutes after pressure is reached.
When the time has elapsed, turn the pressure cooker off and let the pressure release naturally.
Carefully open the lid and remove the meat to a cutting board. To serve, cut against the grain and serve with the vegetables and a side of stone ground mustard or prepared horseradish.
Enjoy - Alison - The Kitchen Authority!
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