Alton Brown Fan Girl

Last month, Hubs and I found time to sneak away to catch Alton Brown's Live Tour. While I am not a fan of the competition shows that he hosts, I have always loved Alton's quirky style and his Good Eats productions with the Food Network. He has a special way of entertaining while educating, and the stand-up, food experimentation, and music of his show did not disappoint. I urge you to consider taking it in if the tour reaches your area.

Anyway, on this Alton Brown Fan Girl high, it was only natural that I gravitated to his Corned Beef recipe when looking to prepare my own from scratch for St. Patrick's Day. We have a few briskets in the freezer from the beef we have butchered, and instead of the purchased product, I thought it might be worthwhile to make our own. I was not wrong.

I did follow the recipe and brine the brisket for 10 days (rotating in the brine daily) in a large Rubbermaid in our fridge. Today, after rinsing, I brought the beef to a boil with the vegetables and reduced to a simmer for the entire afternoon...roughly from 1pm to 5:30pm. Periodically, I checked the water level, and did once add a little more liquid to keep it above the meat for the braise. Our corned beef was flavorful, and so very tender. Hubs declared it the best he had ever eaten. Seriously, it was Good Eats.

To make your own, check out the recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/corned-beef-recipe.html