Guinness-Braised Beef Brisket

This is how we roll around Casa del Wraith on St. Paddy's Day.  It's crockpot cooking, so it's easy--just toss it all together, set it and forget it.

2 cups water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 12oz. bottle of Guinness stout
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried dill
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can low-salt beef broth
6 black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 (3-pound) cured corned beef brisket, trimmed*


Combine first 11 ingredients in a large electric slow cooker, stirring
until well blended; top with beef. Cover and cook on HIGH 8 hours or
until beef is tender. Remove beef; cut diagonally across grain into
1/4-inch slices. Discard broth mixture.

The great thing about this dish is that, if you find a good deal on brisket, it's dead cheap.  OK, you might have to buy a whole six of Guinness, but that means you'll just have to drink the other five yourself.  Boo hoo.  So eat hearty, be merry and wear something green today.


*  Briskets usually come with a spice packet.  Remember to make sure it doesn't go into the crockpot with the beef.  DAMHIK.

On Whisk(e)y

Brigid waxes poetic about the greatest of all distilled spirits...

The picture was taken north of Big Bro's place in January. The moon was building, the air was quiet, the earth a motionless sphere in cooling space. We stepped outside and breathed in the cold, across which the faint scent of a fire touched our palates with smoke. Above, the night streamed in thick indigo threads, beyond which lay myriad points of crystal lights. It was a good night for a small glass of whisky.

Whiskey vs. whisky? The difference between whiskey and whisky seems simple but it's not. Whisky typically denotes Scotch or Canadian versions and whiskey denotes the Irish and American beverages. Although both spellings are of Celtic origin, there are substantial differences between the countries products, include the selection of grains, number of distillations, the maturation period and the type of still and barrels used. Each country's style has its own unique characteristics to savor and there are some further divided into sub categories like bourbon.

Irish vs. Scotch? Unlike Scotch, the malted barley in Irish whiskey is dried in enclosed kilns, not over peat fires, and lacks that distinct smokiness of Scotch whiskies. Irish whiskeys maintain the natural flavor of the barley, fragrant, with a unique roundness of body. It's an enjoyable drink indeed, but not the beverage of this cold winter evening.

A good, smooth, complex Scotch can be your saving grace on a cold, dark night.