Slow-Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

No more embarrassing, dirty house pictures!  Did you by chance check out the after pictures?  You should!  Everything has been put back to normal and life as we know it is moving on in the right direction.

Now for a recipe.

Slow-Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Yield: 6 servings

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Ingredients:

• 1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 3 carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 1/2 pound small red potatoes, halved if large - I didn't have any and I wished I did
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 3 - 4 pound corned beef brisket, plus pickling spices
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 -2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 12 ounces dark beer - Guinness should do the trick
• 1/2 head of cabbage, cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 apple, sliced
• grainy mustard, for serving

Instructions:

1. In a 5 - 6 quart slow-cooker, place celery, carrots, onion, potatoes, and thyme.  Place corned beef, fat side up on top of vegetables.
2. In a small bowl, mix together your pickling spices, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 cup brown sugar , 1 - 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.  Pour over the corned beef.
3. Pour in the beer.  Cover and cook on high until corned beef is tender, 4 1/2 hours (or 8 1/2 hours on low).  Arrange cabbage and apple over corned beef, cover and continue to cook until cabbage is tender, 45 minutes (or 1 1/2 hours on low).  Thinly slice corned beef against the grain and serve with vegetables, cooking liquid and grainy mustard.

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Servings: 1

Calories:  845

Total Fat: 52.4

Carbohydrates: 34.9 mg.

Sodium:  3177 mg.

Protein:  52.6 g.

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Are you as shocked as I am by the amount of calories in this dish?  Corned beef alone has around 680 calories.  Yikes!  It's a good thing I'm not really a fan of corned beef and if you are a fan, it's a good thing St. Patrick's Day is only once a year!

Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?  Is there a special dish you make to celebrate?