St Patrick's Day Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned beef and cabbage is the American-Irish St Patrick's Day meal — technically not Irish (the Irish eat boiled bacon with cabbage; corned beef was adopted by Irish immigrants in America who found beef more available and affordable than the pork of their homeland) but thoroughly established as the celebration food of the diaspora. It is, however, a genuinely delicious preparation: the brisket is brined ('corned') in a salt-and-spice cure for several days, then simmered low and slow with aromatics and vegetables until completely yielding. The 'corn' in corned beef refers to the large salt crystals (corn-sized) historically used for brining. A properly made corned beef and cabbage — with the brisket cooked to fork-tender without being stringy, the vegetables al dente rather than mushy, and the rich, slightly salty broth served alongside — is one of the most satisfying one-pot meals in the American repertoire.