Corned Beef

In honor of St. Paddy's Day, I made corned beef. (And sauerkraut.)

Yes, mom. Seriously.

I'm not sure it I've ever had corned beef before, and if I have - I don't remember. I usually remember things I like. The same goes for sauerkraut. And Josh is in pretty much the same boat as me.

But I've been much more adventurous in the kitchen lately, so I wanted to try some traditional Irish fare. (We can debate the traditional part later- I'm sure there are crockpots in Ireland.) I can't say that either of us loved this dish, but we both ate it. It was just kind of salty - but I guess corned beef is. I am pretty excited to make Reuben sandwiches with the leftovers though.

Slow Cooked Corned Beef
adapted from allrecipes

2 (3 lb) corned beef briskets with spice packets (I only used 1 brisket)
2 12oz bottles of beer (obviously Guinness or an Irish red would be ideal... but I used Miller Light :/, and only 1 bottle )
2 bay leaves
1/4 c. peppercorns
1 bulb garlic cloves, separated and peeled (I ran out and only used about 5 cloves)
(I also added ~ 16 oz sauerkraut to the crockpot)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Toss everything in the crockpot (but only use 1 spice packet, or in my case 1/2 a spice packet). Add water so that the brisket is covered with liquid. Cook on low ~8 hours.
2. Carefully remove the meat from the pot and let rest for ~10 min. Slice against the grain or shred to serve. I strained the sauerkraut from the rest of the liquid and served alongside the meat. You could use the liquid to cook cabbage, but I discarded it. Enjoy!
REVIEW:
We thought this was ok, but I don't think it has anything to do with the recipe. The meat came out VERY tender. I think we will like it more on sandwiches than just plain like we ate it. I probably wont add the sauerkraut to the crockpot in the future, since I thought it came out saltier than it needed to be. I served this with Irish Soda Bread and Bacon and Cabbage Soup.