Shortcut Corned Beef and Cabbage

By carolync

My favorite way to do corned beef and cabbage is a shortcut, using canned corned beef and my basic fried cabbage recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound of bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, halved and sliced
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
• 1 large head of cabbage, core removed and cut into wedges or large chunks
• 1/2 cup of chicken stock, more or less
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste, optional
• 1 can corned beef (not hash!)
• Hot pepper flakes, optional

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 50mins
Adapted from deepsouthdish.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a large stockpot, render the bacon until cooked, but not crisp. Add in the onion and toss, cooking an additional couple of minutes. To that, add the butter and the chunks of cabbage. Season with salt - not too much, remember the bacon is going to provide some salt - then add pepper and Cajun seasoning. Add just enough chicken stock to add a little moisture - the cabbage will release some water as it cooks. Stir to coat the cabbage well, cover and slow simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until it reaches the desired consistency, and giving it a stir every once in awhile to break up the cabbage. Add a bit more of the chicken stock only if needed.

Open the can of corned beef very carefully. Some brands are harder to open than others. Run a butter knife all around the edges of the corned beef to break it away from the can and pop it out in one piece. Break up the corned beef to small pieces and add it to the pot. Give it all a gentle stir; taste and adjust seasonings. Cover the pot again and warm the corned beef (it's already fully cooked, so ya just wanna warm 'er up!). The cabbage should pretty much be ready at this point, but depending on how you like it, continue cooking it to your preference. Sprinkle with a bit of hot pepper flakes.