Ask A Chicago Chef: Best Corned Beef And Cabbage Recipes

You needn't have ancestors who arrived from the peat bogs of Ireland to crave the taste of corned beef and cabbage more than once a year. Don't you know that there's more than the traditional boiled pot o' meat, potatoes and cabbage? Follow these top Chicago chefs' recipes and perhaps hear the pipes a callin.'

Executive Chef James Samson
Great Street
Renaissance Downtown Hotel
1 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 795-3333
www.marriott.com

Chef James Samson has chopped his way through more than a few renowned kitchens across the country after acing his classically trained education at Florida 's Culinary Institute. As Executive Chef at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel since 2010, he knows how to please a crowd or an intimate table of two with his New American menu. The chef notes that the St. Patty's Day favorite is worth the wait. "Corned beef and cabbage uses few ingredients and is incredibly simple to make," says Samson. "A good rule of thumb is the longer it cooks, the more flavors you will have."

Corned Beef and Cabbage Tacos
Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 pounds beef brisket
• 1 tablespoon pickling spice
• water to cover
• 2 ounces canola or vegetable oil
• 1 large onion (julienne cut)
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• salt to taste
• 1/2 head green cabbage (thinly shredded)
• 1 bunch cilantro (chopped)
• 2 each lime (wedge cut)
• 4 ounces queso fresco (crumbled)
• 12 each soft or hard tortillas (warmed)

Directions

1. In a 3- to 4-quart pot or slow cooker, place brisket fat side up, pickling spice and water to cover
2. Cover and set on stove top; set on low simmer for 4 hours
3. If using a slow cooker, cook on high for 4.5 hours (8 hours on low setting)
4. Remove corned beef and let cool (approx. 30 to 45 minutes); reserve 1/2 cup of braising liquid
5. Slice thin against the grain for a more tender texture
6. In a medium high skillet, add oil and julienne onions, sauté until translucent
7. Add sliced brisket, cumin, garlic powder and stir frequently
8. Add 1/2 cup braising liquid so as not to dry out; set heat to low and continue to cook for 5 min.
9. Set beef aside and season with salt to taste - the reserved liquid will keep beef warm
10. In a mixing bowl, add shredded cabbage, chopped cilantro and crumbled queso fresco
11. Toss gently and squeeze a few wedges of lime juice
12. Build taco with warm tortillas, beef and cabbage slaw
13. Serve with a few lime wedges, a few beers and enjoy

Related: The Best Home Cooked Irish Meals

Sarah Stegner
Prairie Grass Cafe
601 Skokie Blvd.
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 205-4433
www.prairiegrasscafe.com

Just because Sarah Stegner built her reputation at the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago, is a two-time James Beard award-winning chef and represented the US in the prestigious Prix Culinaire International Pierre Taittinger, a multinational cooking competition, does not mean she doesn't know the lowly corned beef. Stegner's vision at her Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook is to bring fine dining culinary technique to casual dining, using the best ingredients. This chef was way ahead of the trend as one of the original founding members of Chicago Green City Market, a nationally recognized model for distributing and promoting local sustainably grown food. Stegner explains that "This simple, straight-forward sandwich adds the crunch of a crisp red cabbage slaw with a bit of sweetness from honey and tang from mustard."

Corned Beef on Buttered Rye Bread with Crunchy Cabbage Slaw By Chef George Bumbaris and Chef Sarah Stegner
Serves 2 people

Ingredients

• 8 ounces lean sliced corned beef per sandwich (1 pound of sliced corned beef for 2)
• 4 slices rye bread
• 2 tablespoons sweet butter
• 1 cup red cabbage thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup julienned carrots
• 1/4 cup sliced celery stalks

To make the vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons sherry vinaigrette
• 1/4 teaspoon grain mustard
• honey to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1. Spread the butter on one side of the rye bread and toast on the one side under the broiler
2. Put the crisp side facing out and put corned beef on the soft side
3. Mix the vinaigrette together
4. Mix the vegetables together and add the vinaigrette
5. Put on top of the sandwich

Related: Best Places To Buy Corned Beef In And Around Chicago

Jacky Runice has been a columnist with the Daily Herald Chicago since grunge music and flannel was the new black. Her fingers and gray matter have been busy as travel editor of Reunions Magazine; penning a column that was syndicated around the nation via Tribune Media Services. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.