Drunken Corned Beef

There's nothing I love better than a hot pastrami sandwich. Well, strike that. There's nothing I love better at a deli than a hot pastrami sandwich. At a banquet or shmorg, I head straight to the carving stations for fresh, hot slices of pastrami, corned beef, and whatever other delectable meats are being offered. 

Replicating the juicy, tender meats at those fancy carving stations may seem daunting. Not so, says The Kosher Bachelor! Last week I picked up a 3 lb corned beef at my local supermarket, determined to cook it to perfection. The only problem? I had no idea how to actually cook it. I posted on Facebook and got the best response from my college roommate: Step 1: Rent an Irishman. Step 2: Fill with whiskey. Step 3: Place in kitchen. 

Amusing, but not very helpful as I don't know any Irishmen and I don't easily part with my whiskey. So I scoured the Internet for recipes and eventually settled on the one below, which is a mix and match of what I thought were the best ideas from the dozen or so other recipes I read.

Drunken Corned Beef

1 2-5 lb corned beef

1 bottle Guinness beer

Spicy brown mustard

1 tsp chopped garlic

Black pepper

Coat the corned beef in the mustard and place it in a deep pan. Chop up the garlic and rub it into the meat. 

Sprinkle the beef with with black pepper and then pour the beer over it. Cover the dish with foil and cook at 350 degrees for 5-6 hours or until the meat has reached your desired tenderness.

Let the beef stand for 10 minutes and then slice it across the grain. Serve with a spicy mustard, in a sandwich, or on its own. All delicious.  

I would have taken more, better pictures after Shabbat but there was no corned beef left. My guests literally devoured it all. And it took less than 10 minutes of actual preparation to make. Now if only I had someone to stand at a carving station in my dining room to serve it while wearing a chef's hat.