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Are you ready for the wearing of the green? I know I am! St. Paddy’s day is March 17th and Whole Foods Market Team Members are all set to help you serve up that traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage. Now here’s something you may not know: “corned” beef isn’t a cut of meat. It’s a beef brisket that’s been cured or pickled in brine seasoned with “corns”-now called “grains”-of salt.
We have two delicious corned beef options for your table. All of our stores carry a great prepackaged corned beef brisket from Wellshire Farms made exclusively for Whole Foods Market. Also, a number of our meat departments develop their own brine and pickle the briskets right there in the store. Whichever you choose, you are going to come home with a winner.
Here’s what the folks at Wellshire Farms say about their corned beef brisket:
We first began making a Corned Beef Brisket for Whole Foods Market for St. Patrick’s Day in 1996. Wellshire, as a standard, uses only beef that has been raised without the use of antibiotics or growth promoting hormones. Our slow cooked recipe has been
passed down for generations. Other than the beef, ingredients include: water, sea salt, raw sugar, beet powder, spices and garlic. The outside is coated with chopped and crushed bay leaves, mustard seed and allspice, ingredients you would use at home. We use a beet powder to add a natural sweet flavor and it gives a pinkish color to the outward appearance. When you thinly slice our corned beef, you can see the pure, authentic brown color of the beef. As you bite into a slice of Wellshire corned beef, you get a natural clean taste and moist bite, unlike the somewhat rubbery texture of conventional briskets.
You can also ask your local store if they are brining their own briskets this year. We make what is called “gray corned beef.” This is beef brisket or round cut that’s pickled in a salt-based brine. We don’t add any sodium nitrates or nitrites, so the corned beef is gray in color. Since a lot of folks are not used to the gray color, we add some beet powder to make the meat a little pink. Regardless of the color, the flavor is definitely authentic and delicious.
So, now you know where to get the best corned beef for your meal. What’s the best way to cook the traditional corned beef and cabbage dish? Wellshire put together this easy five-step recipe and video.
I like to shake up tradition a little with one of my favorites, Corned Beef and Cabbage Rolls.
Do you have a favorite recipe for St. Patrick’s Day or for corned beef? Let me know so I can give it a try. Erin Go Bragh!
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Slight correction here. Corned Beef & Cabbage is a traditional Irish American meal, not traditional Irish.
To quote Wikipedia:
The consumption of corned beef has become associated with Saint Patrick’s Day. Although corned beef did not originate in Ireland, it has been an integral part of Irish-American culture and is often related to Irish holidays such as Saint Patrick’s Day. In Ireland, the closest traditional dish is Bacon and Cabbage (more akin to Canadian style bacon or ham). Corned beef and cabbage became popular in America after Irish immigrants in the eastern United States used corned beef instead of pork in their traditional dish.
Corned beef was originally used as a substitute for bacon by Irish American immigrants in the late 1800s.[5] Irish immigrants living in New York City’s Lower East Side sought an equivalent in taste and texture to their traditional Irish bacon, and learned about this cheaper alternative to bacon from their Jewish neighbors
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corned_beef#Saint_Patrick.27s_Day
March 6th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
Thanks for pointing that out! We’ve edited the post accordingly.
March 10th, 2010 at 11:16 am
Re: Princton, NJ store
I sampled your NY strip last week, the meat manager told me to taste it as he had just cooked some. I was lamenting the lack of taste in foods nowdays. It was the most tasty meat that I have tasted in over 20 years. I am sold on Whole Foods. Please keep on doing what you do.
Gloria Speller
March 13th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Do you drain off the juices, or add them to the pot?
March 15th, 2010 at 8:02 am
@Robin,
You add the juices to the pot.
Thanks!
March 15th, 2010 at 8:10 am
Ahh peanut butter, peanut butter what a wonderful treat,
I could eat it on a sandwich or rub it on my feet.
Brown and creamy, oooh so dreamy.
An epicurrrian delight.
Gift to me a case or three,
I’ll eat it all tonight.
March 16th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
We have been buying all of your meats for many years and love them all, your Corned Beef Brisket is the best anywhere, including Irish restaurants and again, we have been buying it for years!!! Your company does all of the work and we just boil it to perfection!!! Thank you for delicious meals, that do not require a lot of work for us in the kitchen!!!
Thanks again for your quality and perfect meats with no hormones, antibotics and all grass/grain only feed, worry free meats!!! We truly appreciate your company for a healthier America for all of our families!!!!
Thank you,
Linda
Columbus, Ohio
March 17th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Thanks for corned beef ideas for St. Patrick’s Day. Unfortunately the emeal didn’t come until 6:30PM on 3/17, too late to cook a brisket for this Irish house.
March 17th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Tried the Wellshire corned beef a couple of days ago. Made it in the crock pot with carrots, potatoes, onions and cabbage. It truly was the best tasting, tender and no fat corned beef I have ever had. We all enjoyed it and there was no waste. I will buy it again.
March 18th, 2010 at 4:46 am
Where’s the recipe? I bought this corned beef at WF, expecting to find a recipe on the website. I don’t really want to watch the video–very misleading.
B
March 20th, 2010 at 10:25 am
@Barbara,
Here’s the recipe straight from Theo:
Wellshire’s St Patrick’s Day Boil
Ingredients
1. One Wellshire Corned Beef Brisket
2. 6 Small Red bliss Potatoes
3. 3 Carrots Peeled and chopped
4. 1/2 Head of Green Cabbage, cut into eight pieces
5. 1 Onion, Peeled and cut into four pieces
Directions
1. Place brisket into pot and cover with water.
2. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce down to a simmer, if the brisket is left whole simmer for 45 minutes to an hour per pound.
3. Keep checking for doneness and add more water if needed
4. Upon the last 30 minutes add vegetables to the brisket
5. Cook till tender and when the brisket gives way to a fork going threw easily
Slow Cooker way
1. Place carrots, onion and potatoes in the bottom of a large slow-cooker or crock pot.
2. Place corned beef brisket over vegetables and add enough water to just cover the meat.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for eight to nine hours or until fork goes threw easily. (High will work but you may need to add more liquid as it cooks)
4. Remove the meat and vegetables from the pot and cover with foil to keep warm. Increase heat to high and cook cabbage until softened but still crispy, 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Slice brisket across the grain, serve with vegetables
Thanks!
March 20th, 2010 at 10:30 am