Your Guinness Would Go Well With A Plate Of Corned Beef And Cabbage

Terry Condon, general manager of Gallagher's Steak House stopped by to share with us their recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage with special ingredient -- Guinness! Condon hails from County Cork, Ireland.

Gallagher's Steak House was established in 1927 and is located at 228 West 52nd Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. Gallagher's is a popular stop before and after the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. For more information, visit www.gallaghersnysteakhouse.com and for reservations, call (212) 245-5336.

Here's their advice for preparing the perfect plate of corned beef and cabbage this St. Patrick's Day:

1. Do not undercook or overcook the corned beef, simmer for one hour per pound - less than that it will be tough, more than that it will shrink to nothing -- so that the meat is tender.

2. Cabbage should go in only for the last half hour of cooking, otherwise it will be a soggy mess.

3. A great loaf of Irish Soda Bread -- fresh from a local bakery or better yet homemade -- completes the meal, rather than rye bread which you can have any time of the year.

4. Extra root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and celery add to the flavors and accompaniments. Don't limit it to just cabbage to give the meal some variety.

5. Don't trim the meat until after it's cooked. That protects it from shrinkage and adds flavor. Corned beef is a fatty meat but great "marbling" means great flavor and quality.

Corned Beef and Cabbage
Corned beef and cabbage is a simple, one pot meal that consists of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, and can be prepared in a savory broth. You can serve a dozen hungry guests or plan on leftovers.
Approximate Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: Up to 3 hours, depending on the size and amount of corned beef.

Ingredients
1-3/4 pounds onions, divided use
2-1/2 pounds carrots, divided use
3 pounds cabbage, rinsed
2-1/2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed
6 pounds corned beef brisket or round
2 bottles of Guinness
1 cup malt vinegar
Spices (often contained in package when purchasing corned beef)
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon dill seed
1/2 tablespoon whole allspice
2 bay leaves

Preparation
1. Heavy-duty pot, large, for 4 gallons, for a large quantity recipe.

2. Divide onions and carrots and chop enough to fill 1 cup of each, reserving the rest.

3. Place the corned beef in the stockpot.

4. Add the chopped onions, carrots, malt vinegar stout beer ,mustard seeds ,coriander seeds, black peppercorns , dill < seeds, whole allspice , and bay leaves. Add enough water to cover the corned beef, and stir to combine.

5. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer about 3 hours until meat is fork-tender. While the corned beef is cooking, cut the reserved onions into eight wedges and the carrots into 2-inch chunks. (Larger carrots should be halved first.) Slice each head of cabbage < into 8 wedges.

6. Add onions, carrots, red potatoes, to the cooked corned beef, with the cabbage on top. Cover and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about one hour, until potatoes and cabbage are fork-tender.

7. To serve, cut corned beef against the grain into thin slices and accompany with the cooked vegetables. Dijon mustard and/or coarse-grained mustard complement the corned beef as optional condiments.

For more information on Gallagher's Steak House, visit www.gallaghersnysteakhouse.com. And for more on Guinness and their campaign to make St. Patrick's Day an official US holiday, visit www.guinness.com and www.proposition317.com.

To learn more about St. Patrick's Day, visit www.wpix.com/holiday.