While most people go out for St. Patrick’s Day, I usually choose to stay in and cook my own corned beef.

O’Hares Grille and Pub in Rio Rancho serves traditional corned beef if cooking isn’t really your thing.

For those who prefer the stove, the following article is the recipe my family uses.

First off, you can get pre-brined corned beef at any grocery store  to avoid the long brining process. Because of the brine, the beef tends to be very salty to the taste. It is recommended that you soak the beef in water for a short while before cooking to get rid of some of that salty taste. Corned beef is a brisket, so it can be very fatty as well. I like to leave some fat on, but usually a good trimming is in order.

Once you have done these two things, you can cook it.

Corned beef can be made in a number of ways. You can boil it, oven-bake it, use an instant pot/crock pot or smoke it. My family prefers to smoke it because it is usually more tender that way.

To smoke your corned beef, place it on the smoker for about an hour for some low and slow heat at about 250-275 degrees. After about an hour, wrap the brisket in some aluminum foil and place it back on the grill or smoker for another hour. Once the second hour is up, take it off the smoker and wrap it in a blanket to rest; the longer you keep it wrapped, the more tender it becomes. We wrapped ours for about 40 minutes.

Internal temperature, depending on the size of the cut, should be between 198-210 degrees. Then, cut it into slivers.

It goes best with potatoes and cabbage, which you can either boil or oven bake.

Here is a video of the whole process including brining and smoking: https://www.thespruceeats.com/smoked-corned-beef-recipe-333825

Pre-brined corned beef can be found at Rio Rancho Meats, Albertsons, Walmart, Sam’s Club and Costco.