Corned Beef Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema

I love corned beef. I wait all year to make this deliciously salty beef for St. Patrick's day. Usually, I prepare it the same way each year, by slow cooker or by boiling it. This year I decided to roast it. I was a little worried about it burning or drying out but it came out amazing. I rubbed the fatty side of the corned beef with a generous amount latin spices, covered it with foil and crossed my fingers as it slow roasted for 2.5 hours. The whole house smelled amazing and it tasted even better. I could have sliced it up right then and there and it would have been a yummy dinner, but I wanted to experiment and try to make it one of my favorite foods...Tacos.
These tacos are all about preparation. The work is in the chopping of vegetables and preparing sauces, spicing and cooking the meat. Because corned beef takes so long to cook, this recipe is a great day ahead meal. I made the corned beef a day ahead and refrigerated it overnight but you can also prepare it all in one day. The pickled onions can also be made the same day but are great to make ahead of time as well. I try to keep a jar of these in my fridge because they are amazing to have on hand to throw into sandwiches, burgers, salads, or in this case to make a delicious topping for tacos.

Corned Beef Tacos with Pickled Onions and Radishes with Cilantro Lime Crema

2-3 lb Corned Beef Roast 
1/2 head of cabbage, thinly sliced
Pickled Onion and Radishes(see below)
Cilantro Lime Crema (see below)  
Small corn tortillas
Jalapenos, minced (optional) 
Cooking Spray
 
Rub
2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. smoked paprika
1 t. Peppadew Piquante Pepper & Cilantro Seasoning (substitute with 1/2 t. dried cilantro and 1/2 t. onion powder, 1/4 t. lemon pepper)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Generously coat the fat side of the roast with spice rub. Spray roasting pan with cooking spray and place roast in pan, fat side up. Cover with aluminum foil and roast for 2.5 hours. Time will vary depending on size of the roast. Check tenderness after two hours and adjust roasting time accordingly. Remove from oven and let rest before cutting or let cool and refrigerate overnight. Chop meat into small pieces or shred.

 
I made the corned beef a day ahead. The next day, I chopped it up and heated it through in a skillet. Note: I had to fight the urge to trim the fat from the corned beef like I usually do. But, in this case, do not trim off the fatty layer of the corned beef. Chop the whole roast up including the fatty side containing the spice rub. This ensures the spices from the rub incorporates into the rest of the meat and makes it super delicious! Not low calorie, but delicious.

Cilantro Lime Crema
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 lime, zest and juice
1/2 t garlic powder

1 T Best Foods mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients in a mini food processor. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Pickled Onions and Radish Relish 

1/2 cup pickled red onions, chopped (recipe)
1 cup radishes, jullienned
1 bunch of cilantro, minced
Squeeze of lime 
2 jalapenos, minced

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to use.


Other Corned Beef recipes to try:

Corned Beef Rolls                                                    Corned Beef, Cabbage and Leek Soup

 

Corned Beef, Cabbage and Leek Soup

Have you ever had smoked corned beef? I hadn't until this weekend. Our friends had a St. Patrick's day party and they served this amazing smoked corned beef. All I can say is..."Wow! and double Wow!" I told my husband after eating my second plate of this delicious meat, that we have to invest in a smoker and make pounds and pounds of smoked corned beef. It was hands down the best tasting corned beef ever! My new mission in life is to get a smoker and once I do, look out for future blogs on smoked meats. I can't wait. :) Smoked corned beef aside, if you want a delicious and different way to serve the traditional corned beef and cabbage, try your hand at this full flavored soup. It has all the St. Patrick's Day ingredients: corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes in a delicious broth flavored with leeks, yellow peppers and garlic. I love this soup because it's rustic with the traditional ingredients but remains elegant because of the simple but complex tasting broth. It's simply amazing! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

  
Corned Beef, Cabbage and Leek Soup (adapted recipe from Skinnytaste)


1 lb corned beef brisket, cooked, cooled and chopped into small cubes
2 cups reserved braising liquid from corned beef

2 t olive oil
2 cups carrots,sliced*
4 cups leeks, sliced
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
3 cloves garlic
6 cups chicken broth
3 bay leaves
1 red potato, chopped 
1/2 T Italian Herb Seasoning
1/4 cup parsley
salt and pepper(to taste)

Cook corned beef and reserve 2 cups of the braising liquid. Cool and chop corned beef into small bite-sized cubes.
In a large dutch oven, saute carrots, leeks, yellow pepper, cabbage and garlic in olive oil until tender soft approximately 10 minutes. Add chicken broth and the two cups of reserved braising liquid, bay leaves, corned beef and heat to a boil for 20 minutes. Add potato, Italian Herb seasoning, parsley and pepper and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. Top with additional fresh parsley and serve. 
*Note: I had a bag of frozen Parisian carrots from Trader Joe's that I used instead of peeling and slicing carrots and they were great in this. Velvety texture and a great shape that added interest to the look of the soup. Plus they were a great time saver. 

For another recipe with Corned Beef, try Corned Beef Rolls