Roasted Corned Beef With A Bourbon Molasses Glaze Recipe 445

Steps:

• Corning the beef (optional): Lay the brisket on a flat surface. Feel where the fat is thickest, and use a sharp knife to trim off about half of the fat. Discard the fat. Square the meat off by trimming the edges so it cures and cooks evenly. You should be left with a brisket that's about 4-5 pounds. (Note: This recipe calls for half of a whole brisket. Save the trimmed meat for another recipe, such as Edward Lee's Korean-Style Texas Chili.)
• Place the trimmed brisket into a non-reactive container. Pour in enough cold water to cover by one inch. Add paprika, brown sugar, bay leaves, allspice, peppercorns, granulated garlic, pickling spice, and Prague powder. Use your hand to stir the ingredients into the water, and gently move the brisket around in the liquid to help dissolve the sugar. Let the meat rest fat side up in the curing mixture. Cover container with the lid and refrigerate, 7-8 days.
• Corned beef: Pour broth into a stockpot; add cinnamon, mustard seed, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Pull the corned beef brisket out of the curing solution and rinse with cold water. (Note: Alternatively, start by rinsing pickling spices off a 4- to 5-lb. store-bought corned beef.) Place the corned beef into the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until spoon-tender, or to an internal temperature of 175 F, about 2-3 hours. (Alternatively, you can place the meat in a 275 degrees F oven for the same length of time.)
• Preheat broiler. Remove corned beef from cooking liquid, pat dry on a dish towel, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. If you're cooking the nose portion of the brisket, trim off the top for even glazing. Combine molasses, mustard powder, bourbon, and brown sugar in a bowl to make the glaze; stir until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour ⅓ of the glaze on top of the corned beef, distributing evenly. Place the corned beef 6 inches under broiler for about 1 minute. Remove and pour on half the remaining glaze. Place under the broiler for 30-40 seconds. Remove and pour the rest of the glaze onto the corned beef and broil another 30-40 seconds.
• Assembly: Remove corned beef from oven and let rest on a cutting board while preparing the buns, about 10 minutes (reserving the drippings in the pan). In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat until it's foaming. Add 1-2 buns, cut side down, and cook until light brown and toasted, 30 seconds. Continue with remaining butter and buns until all are toasted. Meanwhile, make Thousand Island dressing: Combine mayonnaise, relish, and chili sauce in a bowl; season to taste with salt and stir. Slice corned beef at an angle, against the grain. Place on a serving platter and drizzle with reserved drippings from the pan. To make a sandwich, layer corned beef on griddled buns and top with a dollop of dressing.

Steps:

• Brisket: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Vegetables: In a large bowl, lightly coat the carrots, potatoes and onion with olive oil and season with coarse salt and pepper (about 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper). Gently toss to coat, and place on a baking sheet, evenly spread apart. Set aside. Cabbage: Cut each head of cabbage in half, then quarters and remove the core and stem. Set aside. Unwrap the brisket and place it fat side up inside the baking dish. If it came with a spice packet, sprinkle it over the top, then sprinkle on the black pepper and rub it in. Cover the dish with heavy aluminum foil* and place it in the oven for 2 hours, then uncover and generously brush the glaze all over the brisket. Continue baking for 45 minutes, to an hour. *I used a large baking dish with a glass cover. Check the brisket by inserting a fork in the meat. If it goes in easily, it's ready; if it meets with resistance, bake for another 30 minutes---or up to an hour in some cases! If the brisket is tough, it hasn't cooked long enough! Once the brisket is fork-tender, remove it from the oven and let it rest, covered loosely in foil. Turn the oven heat up to 350°F for the roasted vegetables and place them into the oven for about 20 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking. Check for tenderness with a fork, as the potatoes will take the longest to cook. Towards the end of the brisket roasting time, make the balsamic reduction for the cabbage: Combine the balsamic and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir it together and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer until the mixture is reduced by half and thick. Set it aside. Note: I skipped this step by buying a ready made balsamic glaze. Next, make the cabbage: Cut the cabbage into 8 wedges. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the cabbage. Sear it on both sides until the cabbage gets as much color as possible, about 1 minute per side. Use a spatula to transfer the cabbage to a rack placed over a baking sheet. Sprinkle the cabbage pieces with salt and pepper. Pour the Guinness (or beer) into the bottom of the pan, then carefully transfer the pan to the oven. Bake the cabbage for 20 minutes, or until tender and deeper brown. Slice (or shred) the rested beef on a cutting board (it should be very, very tender and almost falling apart.) Then place it on a large platter alongside the cabbage wedges and the vegetables. Take generous spoons of the balsamic reduction and drizzle it all over the cabbage slices. Serve the corned beef next to the cabbage and roasted vegetables and enjoy!