Corned Beef Tacos for St. Patty’s Day

Ah, St. Patrick's Day…green beer, drunken crowds and being pinched. Sounds fun, huh?

I can’t say that I really “do” St. Patrick’s Day. Given the reasons listed above, it has been many, many years since I have ventured out on this evening of debauchery.  I don’t seek out a green article of clothing to wear and I dare someone to pinch me. Green beer does not appeal to me in the least. Beer? Yes. Green beer? No. So maybe I’m a little bit of a Grinch when it comes to St. Paddy’s Day. Hey…he’s green. Maybe I’m more festive than I thought.

But, just like with Valentine’s Day, not making a St. Patrick’s Day dish for the blog is blasphemy. So, when Smart & Final needed a corned beef recipe for their weekly newsletter, I had the perfect excuse.

When I told Andy my plans for this recipe, he was very obviously skeptical. In fact, he was making noises about not being hungry for dinner after he heard what I was making. And I have to admit, when I was stirring together the Guinness sauce, I did have a moment (or two) of uncertainty. But it all worked out in the end. And miraculously, come dinnertime (after a tentative taste), Andy had suddenly found his appetite. If you like corned beef sandwiches, you’ll love these tacos.

In making this dish, I had a few revelations:

• After cooking corned beef, the resulting water is absolutely disgusting. If you’ve never done it, you’re in for a treat.
• Also after cooking corned beef, the fat that needs to be scraped off the meat is equally disgusting. (Don’t get me wrong…I like corned beef, but the getting there is a little dicey.)
• I used to drink Guinness (quite a bit, actually), but it has been a long time since I’ve had one. When I took a sip of the can I opened for this recipe, I understood why my dad always said it was like drinking motor oil. I still like the taste, but I really don’t think I could drink a whole pint. That is some seriously thick beer. (Does that mean I’m getting old?)

Corned Beef Tacos with Creamy Guinness Dipping Sauce

2-2 1/2 pound First Street corned beef brisket

flour tortillas

Guinness dipping sauce:

1 cup Guinness (or other stout beer)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

Coleslaw:

1 1/2 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage

1 1/2 cup thinly sliced green cabbage

1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

For corned beef:

Place corned beef, fatty side up, in a slow cooker and cover with water. Set on low and cook for 10 hours.

Remove corned beef from water and let sit at about 10 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Scrape off fat and discard. Shred remaining meat.

For Guinness dipping sauce:

Heat Guinness in a small saucepan over high heat. Let reduce to 1/3 cup.  Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Let cool.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, yogurt, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk Guinness reduction into mixture until smooth.

For coleslaw:

Mix together cabbage, red onion and jalapeno in a large bowl.

In another bowl, combine mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Pour over cabbage mixture and toss until combined.

To assemble:

Warm tortillas. Spread a spoonful of Guinness dipping sauce down the middle, add shredded corned beef, then top with coleslaw.

Serve with extra dipping sauce on the side.

These flavors all come together perfectly. Salty corned beef, spicy and tangy coleslaw, and slightly bitter but creamy Guinness sauce…it just works. It’s a nice change from a standard corned beef sandwich and would be a fun St. Paddy’s Day party food.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias. All opinions are my own. Recipe created for Smart & Final #sfsmarties.