Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe: The best St. Patrick's Day meals from Alton Brown and the Food Network

Here at Zap2it, we're tv-holics, and when we say we eat, sleep, and breathe television, we mean it. Particularly the eating part. So you can't blame us for getting all of our best holiday recipes from our favorite Food Network Chefs! This St. Patrick's Day, celebrate with a traditional meal that's easy to prepare even if you don't necessarily have the Luck of the Irish.

Here's a recipe for corned beef and cabbage straight from celebrity chef Alton Brown. It's a long process, but it comes out perfect in the end. We suggest drinking green beer while you wait. For ten days. We also suggest not following our suggestions, because we might be drunk right now. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ingredients

* 2 to 2 1/2 pound Corned-Beef Brisket*, recipe follows

* 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

* 1 teaspoon ground allspice

* 2 bay leaves

* 2 teaspoons kosher salt

* 1/2 pound diced carrots, approximately 4 small

* 1/2 pound diced onions, approximately 2 small

* 1 pound potatoes, peeled and chopped, approximately 3 medium

* 1/4 pound diced celery, approximately 2 stalks

* 1 small head cabbage, chopped, approximately 2 pounds

Directions

*Cook's note: Brisket should be prepared through the brining stage, but not cooked.

Place the corned beef, pepper, allspice, bay leaves and salt into a large 8-quart pot along with 3-quarts of water. Cover and set over high heat. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to low and cook, at a low simmer for 2 1/2 hours.

After 2 1/2 hours add the carrots, onions, potatoes and celery. Return to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the cabbage and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes and cabbage are tender. Remove the bay leaves and serve immediately.

Corned Beef:

* 2 quarts water

* 1 cup kosher salt

* 1/2 cup brown sugar

* 2 tablespoons saltpeter

* 1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces

* 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

* 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

* 8 whole cloves

* 8 whole allspice berries

* 12 whole juniper berries

* 2 bay leaves, crumbled

* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

* 2 pounds ice

* 1 (4 to 5 pound) beef brisket, trimmed

* 1 small onion, quartered

* 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped

* 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

Place the water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, saltpeter, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice has melted. If necessary, place the brine into the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees F. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip top bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine.

After 10 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water. Place the brisket into a pot just large enough to hold the meat, add the onion, carrot and celery and cover with water by 1-inch. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender. Remove from the pot and thinly slice across the grain.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: approximately 3 hours

Inactive Prep Time: 10 days

By the way, if you don't have 10 days to make the perfect meal, The Food Network has plenty of other Irish fare you can feed your family with a little less prep time. And then there's always the beer.