grass-fed corned beef sure is diff'rnt

tonight for dinner we had corned beef from marin sun farms. they raise their cattle on mostly grass, which apparently results in pretty lean beef. i can't speak for every other cut msf has since this is my first time eating any of their beef, but i can say this: pastured corned beef is definitely different than grain-fed corned beef. at least in the [giganto-'cuz-there-are-only-two-of-us] piece that i bought this past saturday at the sf farmer's market. specifically, there was NO fat on it. none, zero, nada, nil, zilch. are you sensing a theme here? if not, feel free to let me know ;)

to be honest, i actually enjoy a little fat on my corned beef; i think it's pretty deeeelish. (ok, you all can stop with the disgusted noises! hello, i'm RIGHT HERE and i can HEAR YOU.) that aside, the beef was pretty darn tasty. it was extremely lean, and the texture was a bit different than i'm used to: it had a little bit more of a...grained...feel to it? i'm not really sure how to describe it. all i can say is this was a *solid* piece of beef. and by that, i don't just mean it tasted "solidly good"; i mean it was *all* beef. (you know how corned beef has that stringy connective tissue or something in it...this piece didn't have any.) i think they may not put insta cure into their brine, 'cuz the meat didn't stay pink, but to be honest, i'm not 100% sure.

i made it "irish style," meaning with cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and...beer. mmmmmmm, beer. i served it with some slices of grilled country bread, which was a nice contrast to the super-tender beef. there were plenty of leftovers, meaning for lunch, i can look forward to a corned beef sandwich! i'll have to find me some organic rye bread, first, though. yum yum yum. recipe below.

(oh CRAP! i just realized i forgot to serve the beef with the sierra nevada stout mustard i bought expressly for this dinner! #$%^!!! $+*@!!! [yes, that's two different 4-letter words] arrrrrgh, i hate it when i do that!!!!

hey, so when you make yours, don't forget to put out the mustard like i just did. and if you happen to make it soon, lmk, 'cuz...i, uh...*just happen to have* some brand-new, never-opened mustard that would go great with it that i would gladly give you.)

Corned Beef & Cabbage
3 lbs corned beef
2 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, cut in half
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 yellow onions, quartered
1 cabbage, cored, cut crosswise and quartered
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups water
1 bottle Sierra Nevada stout

Place everything in slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours until meat is very tender. Discard the bay leaf. Thinly slice beef; divide beef and vegetables into shallow bowls, and ladle broth from slow cooker into each. Serve with a stout mustard and crusty bread. Serves 6.