Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> On Tue 17 Mar 2009 02:03:50p, Pete C. told us...
>
> >
> > Theron wrote:
> >>
> >> "Pete C." > wrote in message
> >> ster.com...
> >> >
> >> > Theron wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> "FERRANTE" > wrote in message
> >> >> ...
> >> >> >I am going to start cooking my two corned beef briskets tonight in
> >> >> >my
> >> >> > new crock pot and I have a question: should I cover the briskets
> >> >> > with water and not use that much? I was thinking that since it
> >> >> > would be slow cooking all night that the steam (heat) would cook
> >> >> > them thoroughly without needing so much water, but I am not sure.
> >> >> > That is where you seasoned cooks come in.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > How much water is needed?
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Thanks,
> >> >> > Mark
> >> >>
> >> >> I've been wondering about baking, or steaming a mildly cured bottom
> >> >> round. If you seared the brisket first[I recommend regardless of
> >> >> what you do], and used a small amount of water, you'd be steaming.
> >> >> You could raise the brisket slightly off the bottom. I'd cover
> >> >> tightly.
> >> >>
> >> >> I just thought. If you did this and the end result was too much salt
> >> >> and/or "too tough" you could just continue on and braise in the
> >> >> usual fashion. The best St. Patrick's day to you,
> >> >> Ed
> >> >
> >> > I always bake my corned beef briskets, I think they come out much
> >> > better than boiling / braising. They bake on a rack in a deep pan
> >> > with a bit of water in the bottom. Oddly enough those directions are
> >> > on the package of the brisket I currently have in the oven. I started
> >> > baking them years ago though.
> >>
> >> Thanks Pete. The Safeway corned beef package I'm about to cook says the
> >> same thing. I've never tried it. Do you brown the brisket first? I've
> >> been browning when I braise and it makes quite a difference. You could
> >> also use beer in your steaming liquid, though I doubt that it would
> >> make any difference.
> >>
> >> Ed,
> >
> > I just take it out of the package, put it on a rack in the pan and
> > sprinkle the seasoning stuff on top. The relatively long time in the
> > oven browns the outside just fine. Leaving the corning / pickling gook
> > also helps glaze it a bit. Water in the bottom of the pan mostly keeps
> > the drippings from burning.
> >
> > I made some very tasty corned beef has this morning with a bit of the
> > brisket I baked last night along with the potatoes and onions I boiled
> > along with some cabbage (I left the cabbage out of the hash).
> >
>
> IMO, how you cook corned beef is directly releated on how you plan to use
> it. I have roasted it with great success and enjoyed it. However, if I
> want a boiled corned beef and cabbage dinner, I want sufficient liquid to
> boil the potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, and turnips. Roasting simply
> doesn't provide for that.

> Of course, the vegetables could be cooked
> separately, but would not be infused with the flavor from the cooking
> liquid of the corned beef.

If you want the flavor in the separate vegetables, just add some
pickling spice mix to the water.

>
> I doubt there's any really bad way to cook corned beef. It just depends on
> what you want. A couple of times when I roasted it, near the end of
> cooking I coated it liberally with a mixture of brown sugar and mustard to
> give it a good spicy/sweet glaze.
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright
>
> "One man's meat is another man's poison"
> - Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.