Speed Gibson

I received an e-Mail from Cook's Illustrated with a recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage. Most store-bought corned beef was basically just salty said their experts, and the real thing isn't that much more difficult.

So per instructions, I bought a 5 pound brisket Saturday, dry rubbed it with a blend of kosher salt and various spices, then put it in a large zipper bag. It spent the remaining days in the refrigerator curing, with a large heavy pan with additional weight pressing it down. I flipped it each night.

This afternoon, I cooked it in my grandmother's stockpot for about 3 hours then removed the meat to a warming oven. Thirty more minutes more cooked the vegetables in the broth: potatoes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, small onions, and of course a whole head of cabbage.

I have to say it was wonderful fare for this St. Patrick's Day supper. The meat was flavorful and fork-tender, the vegetables just right. For some reason, I thought this recipe cooked the cabbage with the meat for hours. Here, it was just 15 minutes at the end, the reward being perfect texture - done, flavorful, but not mushy.

And we have half of it still for leftovers.