Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
I feel like I can already guess what some of you guys may be thinking…she is going to teach me how to stuff day-old corned beef into a tortilla and make it something new, big deal. Well…
…not exactly.
It is funny because as I was literally in the middle of taking pictures of this recipe, I thought to myself, “Why didn’t I just make this into a how to use your “day old” corned beef into a re-purposed taco recipe” Answer: I admit it’s partially because I didn’t think about it but also, boring!
Cooking the meat is the best way to start utilizing the essential oils and that folks, is why you are here!
I myself learned a lot about corned beef these last few days. As some of you may already know, corned beef has nothing to do with corn. (Haha, Josh just learned that this week and I might have gotten a laugh in…or two.) The word actually comes from the term “corn of salt” which makes sense because back in “ye olde days” the beef was covered in large rock salt kernels to help preserve the meat. Pretty interesting right?
There are basically two steps to cooking corned beef: the brining stage and the cooking stage. I bought a brisket that had already been soaked in a brine and covered in spices so I was able to skip the 10-day soaking process (whew!) but if you buy a regular brisket make sure you research how to brine that baby because you probably don’t want to skip that step. The seasoning during the cooking process is also not to be overlooked in terms of flavor. A lot of flavorful goodies can be added to make the meat wonderfully delicious!
For the simmering broth, I decided to add in the ginger, black pepper, and cinnamon bark essential oil. Cinnamon oil is always much easier to use than the actual cinnamon sticks and you get a much better flavor. (especially since most of our cinnamon sticks have been lying around for a while, am I right?) Black pepper will be in almost all my red meat recipes because it just is a match made in essential oil heaven. I added in bay leaves, juniper berries, clove, pickling spices, garlic, carrot, celery, and onions all topped off with a Guinness stout and brown sugar, simmered for 3 hours! The whole house was permeated with the smell of sweet fragrant meat simmering in beer. Yum!
As for the rest of the tacos I tried to make the flavors very simple because the corned beef is the star of the show here. I fried up some potatoes and whipped up a quick cabbage slaw because…well duh, this is an Irish meal. You still have to have cabbage and potatoes in some form right?
Horseradish is one of my favorite additions to any corned beef meal so I mixed together some prepared horseradish (Bubbies brand is really good) with some Greek yogurt and voila! Simple and easy. Sometimes when you have great ingredients you don’t need a lot to make a meal
drool-worthy.
For the final touch, I added on top some micro greens because they look like tiny little shamrocks! Don’t they? I just felt like I had to.
And there you have it, simple! Corned beef, potatoes, slaw, horseradish cream, and little tiny shamrocks to pull it all together. And just make sure you buy yourself an extra Irish stout at the store too because you will need an extra one to go with these tacos! I hope you have loads of fun this Saint Paddy’s Day! 🍺
Corned Beef Tacos with Horseradish Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- Beef brisket, about 4-5 lbs
- 8 juniper berries
- 8 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 tablespoons pickling spice
- 1 large carrot, cut in large pieces
- 1 rib of celery, cut unto large pieces
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 22 fluid oz Guinness stout
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 drop doTERRA ginger essential oil*
- 1 drop doTERRA black pepper essential oil*
- 1 drop doTERRA cinnamon bark essential oil*
CABBAGE SLAW
- 1/2 small white cabbage, shredded
- 1/4 small red cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 yellow onion, thin sliced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 drops doTERRA black pepper essential oil
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 lemon, juiced
FRIED POTATOES
- 6 potatoes, small cubes (I used red potatoes)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- salt + pepper
HORSERADISH CREAM + EXTRA TOPPINGS
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- Water
- Salt + Pepper
- Limes
- Micro-greens (optional)
- Irish Cheddar (optional)
Instructions
- Take the brisket out of the package and give it quick rinse just to get off the extra blood. Place the brisket in a large dutch oven and cover with bay leaves, juniper berries, cloves, smashed garlic, pickling spices, and the chopped vegetables. Set aside. In a large saucepan add the stout, brown sugar, salt and water and bring to low simmer on medium heat. Continue to stir until all the sugar and salt is dissolved. Pour the stout, sugar and salt mix all over the beef brisket until it is completely covered. If it does not cover the meat than just add a little bit of extra water to top it off. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil.
- Once the pot boils than lower the heat to medium low and bring it to a simmer. At this point add the essential oils and give the liquid a quick stir. (See Recipe Notes) Let it continue to simmer with the lid on for about 3 hours or until the meat is tender. When done, take the meat out and let rest for about 15 minutes. Shred the beef with two forks and toss with the little bit of the sauce and keep the meat warm until ready to serve.
- While the corned beef cooks you can make the horseradish cream and slaw. I like to make it pretty soon after so the flavors have time to meld together while the corned beef is cooking.
- For the horseradish cream mix together the Greek yogurt and horseradish together. You can keep it this way or add a little bit of water to thin it out if you like a thinner sauce.(See Recipe Notes) Add salt and pepper to taste. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
- For the slaw, place the cabbage and onion into large bowl. Into a small bowl to make the dressing mix together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, black pepper essential oil, lemon, salt and pepper. Toss the dressing into the cabbage mixture and let sit in the fridge until ready to serve.
- To serve: spread a little bit of the horseradish cream onto a warm tortilla. Top with shredded corn beef, fried potatoes, slaw, and micro-greens (little shamrocks) and top with extra horseradish cream and lime juice if desired. Then….dig in!
FOR THE FRIED POTATOES
- To start off I will say that I did not peel my potatoes, I love potato skins but you certainly are welcome to. Cut the potatoes into even small cubes. Preheat a large stainless steel pan over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot add the oil. Add the potatoes, and let cook a few minutes before stirring. (see Recipe Notes) Once the potatoes start to develop a nice golden crust you can give them a stir now and again. Turn the heat down a bit to make sure the potatoes have time to cook through before they get too crusty. (Burn!) When the potatoes are done turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Notes
- I like to leave the horseradish cream a little thick just so I can spread some on the bottom of my tortilla, but definitely make it a little thinner if you want to just drizzle it on the tacos.
- Adding the essential oils after the boiling process better helps preserve the natural benefits of the oil. Avoid adding them to high heat most of the time.
- If you do not have essential oils, instead throw in 2 cinnamon sticks, a few slices of ginger, and a few teaspoons of black pepper instead.
- I like to give my potatoes a quick pat with a towel before I put them into the pan because the moisture makes it not give the potatoes a good crust. Same reason we season the potatoes at the end of the cooking process so as to not draw out moisture.
- I start the potatoes for these tacos just after I shredded the meat and it is warming. Then everything is hot and ready to go.
