Brisket is the name of a particular “cut” of beef, which tells you what part of the cow it came from.  Corned Beef is is a cut of meat (brisket) that has been cured (or pickled) in a seasoned brine.  For this recipe you will need to purchase a corned beef brisket. 

Cow Drawing Source: Wikipedia

Buying and cooking big pieces of meat like a roast or even a whole chicken can seem daunting if you have never done it before.

You may also be thinking: “That’s way too much meat for me to cook at once.” But cooking large pieces of meat or a whole chicken can, in the long run, be a huge time saver. Leftovers can be used for tomorrow’s dinner, or you can freeze them for future use.

Flat Cut Brisket

Corned beef brisket, (also known as salt beef if you live in the UK) is great when served with potatoes and your favorite vegetable. (Some people cook everything in the same pot. The beef cooking water gets really fatty and I think it's better to cook the potatoes and vegetables separtely.) Be sure to buy some rye bread as well, because the leftovers make GREAT sandwiches.

This recipe is REALLY simple. All you need to do to cook a corned beef brisket are three things:

1. Put the corned beef brisket in a large pot
2. Cover it with water
3. Bring it to a boil then simmer for 3-5 hours

When buying a brisket you can choose between a point cut and a flat (or plank) cut.

The point cut is a rounder, thicker cut with more fat on it then the flat cut.

This photo of the leaner flat cut shows off the grain of the meat beautifully. This is really important when it comes time to cut the brisket. It MUST be cut across the grain or it will be just about impossible to chew!

Briskets come shrink-wrapped. It’s best to cut open the shrink wrap packaging in your (CLEAN!) sink. Although this flat cut brisket had very little juice in it, the point cut package was filled with brine which you don’t want all over your counter tops! Rinse the meat off with cool running water.

The point cut I bought came with its own packet of spices. (It didn’t say what spices, but they did smell really good!)

Since the flat cut didn’t come with its own spices, I decided to add about 10 peppercorns and about 1/8 teaspoon of cloves to the flat cut.

Each of these briskets weighs about 3 pounds. That should be enough to feed about 4-6 people.

When cooking large pieces of meat you have to make sure you are choosing the correct cooking method that is appropriate to the cut of meat.

Corn beef brisket requires long, slow, moist cooking, either on the stove top or in the oven. (How to Cook Like Your Grandmother has an excellent photo-tutorial on cooking corned beef in the oven.)   I’ll show you the stove-top version.

Set the brisket in a large heavy pot with a lid.

Cover the brisket with water.

Cover the pot and bring it to a boil.

Then reduce the heat to simmer and let simmer about 4 hours.

By then it should be really tender. The meat will have also shrunk by about a third!

Point Cut - Cooked

Plank/Flat Cut - Cooked

Again, remember that when you are slicing the brisket, be sure to slice the meat across the grain! 

If you cook your brisket the day before you are planning on eating it, it will be much easier to cut perfect slices.  After slicing your corned beef brisket it will then reheat beautifully in the microwave.

Cutting Point Cut

Cutting Flat Cut

At the grocery store, while buying my corned beef brisket, I met a college student planning to cook a St Patrick’s Day feast for 15 of his friends.

Sean Carr, a 20 year old civil engineering student at Northeastern University, cooks his corn beef brisket in a covered roasting pan with 2 inches of water at 325 degrees for 5-5.5 hours.

If you are cooking several briskets for a party, this is actually a very clever way to do it. I would add that you should lay the meat in the pan with the fattiest side up. Set the pan on middle rack in the oven. Carefully pour boiling water around the briskets and seal the pan with a tin foil cover.

Sean said his briskets “came out tender, juicy and delicious!”! He also said, “Most college students survive on Mac and Cheese and Ramen (noodles), but I do my best to break away from that mold”. Good for you, Sean! Maybe between you and startcooking.com your roommates will learn to cook by the time you all graduate!

Cheers!

P.S.: Looking for more  meat recipes?  My beef stew is a great stew for beginner cooks to make!

You can view and print this recipe here.

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Most of us depend on rice, pasta and potatoes as side-dish standbys.

However, there’s a world of other interesting grains out there to explore: couscous, quinoa, barley and bulghur, for example. They provide that carbohydrate kick with a twist, and a different texture or flavor is always worth a try. This guide will explain the differences between various grains, and try to inspire you to try something new.

Bulghur

Bulghur, a form of wheat, is the base of taboule salad.

A Middle-Eastern staple and the base of taboule salad, Bulghur refers to wheat kernels that have been boiled, dried and crushed. It is available in fine, medium and coarse grinds.

How to cook it: Put one cup of bulghur in a small pot with one and a half cups of water. Bring to a boil and then cover and turn heat down to a low setting. Cook for 15 minutes.

How to use it: Bulghur is good in salads, pilafs and meat and vegetable dishes.

Couscous

The spongy texture of couscous goes well with stews and saucy dishes.

Native to North African countries, couscous is a grain that’s often served with meat and vegetable stews. Its soft, spongy texture really absorbs sauce or liquid. Couscous granules come from semolina, which is the form of wheat that goes into making pasta. The great thing about couscous is that it takes six minutes to cook. Here’s startcooking.com's tutorial on How to Make Couscous.

Quinoa

Quinoa is great in savory dishes and as an alternative to oatmeal.
Photo courtesy of Susan at Feasts and Fotos.

A grain native to the Andes, quinoa grains are actually the seeds of a leafy plant. Quinoa has a distinctive crunchy texture, and a slightly nutty flavor. In terms of nutrition, quinoa is rich in protein and it’s gluten-free. Look for quinoa in health food stores.

How to cook it: Bring one part of quinoa and two parts of liquid to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the grains are transparent.

How to use it: Quinoa is great as a warm side dish, mixed with seasonings and beans. It’s also good in salads, like this Quinoa and Black Bean Salad. For those looking for a change from oatmeal, here’s a recipe for Quinoa Porridge.

Barley (also known as groats)

Barley can be used as a base for many side dishes, including Pea Barley Risotto.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Lynch at Closet Cooking.

This grain, which comes from the grass family, is well known for its high fiber and health benefits. It’s important to remember to buy whole barley (or hulled barley), as opposed to pearl barley, which has been processed and is not considered to be whole grain.  Barley is well-known as an addition to soups and stews, but its chewy texture also makes it a great side dish.

How to Cook it: Use 2.5 to 3 cups of water per cup of hulled barley. Bring the water to a boil, then add the barley, cover the pot, reduce heat to low and cook for about 1.5 hours.

This Beef, Leek and Barley Soup from Smitten Kitchen, delicious!

Grandma's Grain Recipe, makes a big batch of mixed, cooked grains that you can use to make hot cereal, or as a savory side dish.

Rice

Brown rice is chewier, nuttier and healthier than white rice.

Startcooking has tutorials on making white rice, brown rice and fried rice on the stove. It’s also possible to bake rice in the oven, as this recipe for Oven-baked Brown and wild Rice demonstrates. Keep in mind that brown rice is the healthiest choice.

Wild Rice

This is actually a kind of seed, rather than a grain. It’s got a hearty, chewy texture and is even healthier than brown rice, containing lots of protein, calcium, iron and potassium.

How to cook it: Cook one cup of wild rice with three cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for 35 to 55 minutes (or until the water is absorbed).

How to Use it: Wild rice makes an excellent warm side dish, and is also delicious in cold salads. Pioneer Woman serves up an excellent tutorial for Fresh Corn With Wild Rice – a side dish she recommends for Thanksgiving.

What are Whole Grains?

Eating grains in their whole grain form (as opposed to their processed form) has been shown to have a host of health benefits. Studies report that regular consumption of whole grains reduces risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and obesity. Refining processes typically remove 25 per cent of the typical grain's protein and many other nutrients are lost.

Tips on Cooking Grains

• Although most grains will have cooking instructions on the package, here’s a handy guide to grain cooking times.
• Toasting grains before cooking will make them more flavorful. To toast the grains, spread them out in an even layer in a frying pan and heat for a few minutes. Stir them so that they don’t burn.
• Grains can be cooked in water or broth, or a combination of the two.
• Cooked grains keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
• You can freeze any leftovers to use later.

Enjoy!

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Chicken Marsala is the name given to chicken cutlets topped with a gravy made from Marsala wine (which comes from Italy.) This recipe is also chock full of mushrooms! I used a combination of Shitake mushrooms….

…and Baby Bella mushrooms.

For the Marsala Sauce you will need:

• 1 pound of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 Tablespoon of butter
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 Tablespoons of flour
• 1/2 cup of Marsala
• 3/4 cup of chicken stock

To make the chicken cutlets you will need the following ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 cup of dry seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 cup of flour (to dredge the chicken)
• 1 1/2 pounds of thin sliced boneless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Step 1

Wash and slice the mushrooms. 
Crush the garlic. 
Measure out all remaining ingredients needed for both the chicken cutlets and the Marsala sauce.

Step 2

Cook the chicken cutlets according to my video on how to make Chicken Cutlets.

As you’ll see on the video, boneless chicken breasts need to be first coated (dredged) in flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs.

Once you have finished coating the chicken, be sure to THROW AWAY any leftover flour, egg, and bread crumbs. Raw chicken is filled with bacteria which makes the leftovers unusable.

Step 3

When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and put it on a dish. Cover the dish with tin foil to keep the chicken warm.

Step 4

Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in the same pan you cooked the chicken in.

Add 1 clove of crushed garlic….

…and the cleaned and sliced mushrooms, and cook for 1 minute over medium heat.

Stir in 2 Tablespoons of flour and cook for another 30 seconds.

Add 3/4 cup of chicken stock…

…and 1/2 cup of Marsala.

Stir until thickened and…

…continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.

Add some salt and pepper to taste and pour the sauce over the cooked chicken.

Enjoy!

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