Crock Pot Corned Beef and Brussel Sprouts with Guiness

I had planned on posting my corned beef recipe sooner but this weekend was pretty much a wash for me. I came up with a game plan for Jackson's new big boy room. He's going to be 3 going on 28 at the end of May so I figured he needed a new big bed. That we're going to build. No more crib converted to a toddler bed. That also means new bedding and a new room design.

So I completely wasted almost an entire day loafing around and looking on the net for inspiration and ideas. I'm getting more excited by the minute and I cannot wait to get started! Many posts soon to come on all the projects for his room...

Cory and I actually had a night out this weekend! That's rarer than a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow! So yeah I didn't do much of anything one whole day...it was nice.

Back to what this post is actually about, corned beef and cabbage er I mean brussel sprouts. Why brussel sprouts you ask, well let me tell you about how much I love these little green vegetables and how they are the perfect compliment to corned beef.

I first discovered brussel sprouts a couple summers ago when my bestie Mel and I were gathering food for one of our grilling nights. Neither of us had ever had brussel sprouts (don't be jealous, my mom made me eat more than my fair share of veges) and we're always up for trying something new. So we seasoned those little green guys, threw some butter in and wrapped them in foil. Now I'm forever a brussel sprout lover. If you've never tried them, go do it, you won't regret it, I promise.

Brussel sprouts with corned beef was actually mentioned to me by Mel. I've only cooked corned beef a couple of times, always for St Patrick's Day. The first time I made it, I sautéed cabbage on the stove with some mustard seeds because I didn't want soggy, stinky cabbage. It was pretty good but I wanted to just throw everything in the crockpot and forget about it. Then, thank goodness, Mel told me how she used brussel sprouts, since they're like little cabbages.

Yes, yes they are like little cabbages. Except they are firmer and could withstand hours of cooking without turning into soggy, wet socks. Genius. So now this is how I make my corned beef, in my best cooking buddy, the crockpot (I could go on and on about my love for the crockpot), with brussel sprouts and (of course) Guiness.

Without further ado here is my recipe:

Corned Beef and Brussel Sprouts with Guiness

• 3-4 lbs corned beef brisket
• 4 medium potatoes chopped
• 1medium onion chopped
• 1 bay leaf 
• half a can of Guiness
• 1 garlic clove chopped
• 1 pound of brussel sprouts

Directions:

1. Place brussel sprouts, potatoes, onions and garlic in crock pot.

2.Trim excess fat from brisket.

3. Put meat on top of veges with bay leaf on top.

4. Pour beer over all.

5.Cover and cook on LOW heat setting 8-10 hours.

6.Let brisket rest for 5-10 minutes and then slice brisket thinly across grain.

7. Serve with vegetables.

I will admit, I did not trim the excess fat from the brisket. I'm lazy, what can I say. I also always cut up onions and freeze them so I almost always have a stash on hand. Again, lazy...or a clever timesaver?

Here's a couple of pictures of me preparing the corned beef brisket.

I always use the packet of spices included in the brisket. Sometimes it's in a packet but this year the brisket was marinating in the spices so I had no choice.

 Here she is, ready for the long haul. Now I can just sit back and relax while dinner cooks...I wish.

8 1/2 hours later, it's time for dinner!

Jackson absolutely loved the corned beef!! Cory couldn't cut it fast enough for him to sneak it off the plate.

There ya have it. Hope it's not too late for you all to try out my corned beef recipe. Well I guess not everyone only makes corned beef on St Patrick's Day. Enjoy!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

xoxo

Sherri