St. Patrick's Day, 2021

Brisket is a tough, inexpensive cut, and slow-cooking at a low temperature--my oven works best at 225 °F (107.2 °C)--tenderizes adequately if I can roast it for at least eight hours.

Corned beef, which has always been made in our kitchen on St. Patrick's Day through the traditional boiling method, is simply seasoned brisket. Slow-roasting should work (at least that's what food bloggers claim).

And so it was that I began prepping the corned beef at 5:30 a.m. The spices from the seasoning packet were rubbed into the fatty half, and each slab was wrapped in aluminum foil.

(We need leftovers for sandwiches tomorrow, I bought two 3½-pound pieces.)

Into the oven at 6 a.m., and the rest of the day is free. That's another advantage of slow-roasting; you don't have to rush back to the kitchen because over-cooking the dish won't ruin it.

I stopped by Starbucks at 6:15 for an extra jolt of caffeine, which will be desperately needed to tackle a couple of tax returns today.

Don't forget to wear something green!