W4DW-Kat's Corned Beef

With St. Patrick's Day this weekend it is a safe bet in my house that we will be having Corned Beef more than once this month.  Why?  Because I can find the corned beef briskets in the meat case that I can cook myself for a What's For Dinner Wednesday and I have this amazing recipe that make it...

My good friend Kat is owner and operator of a cute little restaurant in the small town of Jackson, Minnesota just off of Interstate 90.  She has recently expanded the hours of Kat's Hog Heaven to the evening, added a bar and is now serving steak, so if you are ever in the area it is definitely worth the stop.

When she and her husband, Bill, were our neighbors in Kansas I loved it when we were invited over for dinner!  She is one of the best cooks I know.  When her daughter graduated from high school, she made Ruebens and I knew I needed the recipe for her corned beef.  I like Corned Beef, but I LOVE her version.

She starts by rinsing the corned beef and putting it in a baking dish with the seasoning packet that comes with the brisket.

She then adds plenty of water.  She says you need enough to help cook out the salt that the corned beef has been brining in.

Kat always cooks with lots of garlic (which I love by the way...Farmer Randy doesn't love my breath afterwards, but he is getting used to it).  She adds 5 whole cloves of garlic and yes they should have been peeled before I took the picture. 

 Here's the step that surprised me, she said to cook it with apple...

 and carrots!

 Cover with foil or the casserole lid and bake in the oven at 350*F.  You will have to judge based on the size of the Corned Beef Brisket you get as to how long it will take.  You want to bake until it is tender.  I stick a fork in it and twist to see if is tender yet.  It should take 2-4 hours.

Next, she removes the vegetables and discards the water.  The brisket is put back into the baking dish.  She mixes 1 tablespoon of honey 1 tablespoon of hot mustard, and a pressed clove of garlic  together to make a glaze over the Corned Beef.  Then return it to the oven for an additional 30 minutes.  This almost caramelizes the glaze over the Corned Beef and makes it oh..so..good!

If you are ever in southern Minnesota, be sure to stop by Kat's Hog Heaven and tell her that Nicole says Hi!  Everything on the menu is made by hand in house (except the ketchup on the table for your hand cut french fries).  You can check them out on Facebook here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

-A Kansas Farm Mom