The very best Corned Beef ever

Those of you who have been blogging as long as I have, know only too well the friendships that develop with other bloggers.  Sometimes you are fortunate to actually meet a blogger and sometimes you just get to know each other through our mutual writings.  Often I am asked why I blog by people who do not read blogs.  I give a simple explanation, but they just don't get it.  You have to be part of this community to understand the camaraderie that develops through writing and sharing ideas and recipes.

One blogger I  befriended some time ago is Ann, who writes Thibeault's Table.  Ann lives in British Columbia, writes a blog and still works full time.  Everyone of her recipes that I have tried have proved to be perfect.  She also always takes the time to answer questions about her baking or recipes.

So when Ann posted that she roasted/baked her corned beef and would never prepare it any other way again, I knew I had to try it.  Yes, once again, Ann was right on.

I had a 3 pound corned beef with an envelope of pickling spices enclosed in the packing.  I rinsed the corned beef and placed it on heavy duty tinfoil.  I sprinkled the pickling spices on top and lots of freshly ground pepper (per Ann's suggestion).  I wrapped it tightly and then placed this package on top of another sheet of tinfoil.  Again, I wrapped it tightly and for a third time, placed it on a sheet of tinfoil.  I sealed it tightly, placed the package in a roasting pain, set the oven to 250 degrees F and started my timer.  Ann suggested 6 hours of slow roasting.

As typical, I got a little anxious and opted for 5 hours.  Certainly, the corned beef tasted beautiful, but another hour would certainly enhance the quality of this beef.  Glazing was not necessary, because the flavor was perfect.   I also roasted some carrots and rutabagas alongside in another roaster and boiled some cabbage on the stove top.   This meal was perfect.  I am planning to picking up at least one more Corned beef and will prepare this again soon.  And yes, this time I am going for the 6 hour slow roast.  The meat was tender, but firm, not much shrinkage as usual and now I can hardly wait to enjoy Reubens with the remainder.

Thank you, Ann.  And in case I have not told you before, I would eat in your kitchen any day.

Four days late but still excellent!!

The Norwegian and the German are about four days behind the Irish, but we did have our Corned Beef and Cabbage today. I have to say, in the 40+ years that I have cooked corned beef, this was the best one ever!! We picked it up at Costco and the brand is Mosey's. It was delicious, lean and easy to slice. 40+ years...that is quite a testament, but very true!!

We also served Cathy's Colcannon. She posted it on her blog "Wives with Knives." It was delicious and made me wonder why I had never tried it before. Thank you, Cathy!

The wine picked out by the Trout was a Murphy-Goode 2007 Zinfandel. It was excellent. Fred on "Bigger Than Your Head" wrote about this same wine. I love reading the flavors that tasters find in a wine. If I may quote, "At 15.4 percent alcohol, it packs a heady hit as well as the sweetness that a high alcohol often conveys. Black current and blueberry flavors, with a hint of fleshy boysenberry, are threaded with briers and brambles, polished tannins and dusty granite, and sweet, spiced plums. The wine slides through your mouth like plush velvet woven with iron fillings. " When you have all these fruits and minerals named for you, you can slowly enjoy a sip of wine and actually taste them all. This wine was a lovely treat.