Lean and lovin' it: Bacon-braised cabbage beefs up St. Patrick's Day dinner

You don't have to be Irish to love corned beef and cabbage. Add a side of boiled potatoes and you've got a sensational combination.

My I grew up next to Skokie, home to some of the best corned beef west of Manhattan, yet my mom (not a drop of Irish in her) never made it. When I was on my own after college and teaching myself to cook, I made my first attempt at corned beef.

I picked up a corned beef brisket at the supermarket that included a seasoning packet. Following the package's directions I added water to a pot, stirred in the seasoning packet, added the brisket, brought the water to a boil and proceeded to simmer my corned beef brisket for 3 hours.

The meat shrunk and turned-out tough, stringy, salty and surprisingly dry, even though it had simmered in liquid. It was awful. And that's being kind.

Over time I learned from a variety of sources how to make great corned beef. It starts with corning your own beef brisket. Yet because corning (salt curing and seasoning) can take five to 17 days (depending on the method you follow), it doesn't always fit with my schedule.

So I pay close attention to selection, seasoning and cooking temperature.

I search for corned beef briskets from cattle raised without the use of antibiotics or growth promoting hormones and processed without nitrates or nitrites. I'm going to pay more for that brisket, I want it to turn out right and so will you. Start your brisket on the stove top just to get the braising liquid hot; not boiling. If the liquid boils (my rookie mistake), the meat's protein will tighten and the meat will become tough and chewy. Finish the braising in a 300-degree oven to keep the liquid at a gentle simmer.

Instead of water, cook the meat in a 50/50 mixture (about 1 quart each) of organic chicken broth and spring water, seasoning it with your own spice mixture not the packet that might come with the meat. I like a blend of bay leaves, yellow mustard seed, black pepper, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, coriander and fresh garlic.

Braise the brisket for 3 to 4½ hours, or until a fork slips into it easily. Once the braised corned beef rests, it's important to slice it across the grain, like a flank steak, to keep it tender. Your brisket will not be pink like a nitrate-treated, supermarket corned beef; it'll be beige. If you want, you can trim the fat to limit calories.

While the meat rests, consider taking another 20 minutes to cook potatoes in the corned beef's remaining braising liquid.

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Try this recipe: Here's my favorite way to cook cabbage. It's tasty, easy to prepare and low in calories and fat, even though it has bacon.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write him at don@theleanwizard.com.