Corned Beef

I got to thinking last night - with St Pat's coming up I could do 17 days of Irish recipes. We're not super traditional in our house but St Pat's is one of the few holidays we go all out on. Some years I have even over-decorated our house with shamrocks and Irish flags. It gets us in touch with our heritage especially since we're not that many generations in America on my dad's side (well on my mom's side too but that's her German side, her Irish ancestors have been in America for a long time).
Corned Beef is something that is synonymous with St Patrick's Day. For many years, it was something we tolerated for the holiday but we didn't really like it until I tried this crockpot recipe. There's something about it that makes the meat incrediably tasty. I cook the meat alone starting the night before. In the morning I drain off the water and cook the veggies in that water in another crockpot or on the stove. Then I glaze the beef (sometimes I skip the glaze and we eat it after warming it in the oven).
Glazed Corned Beef
5 pound corned beef
2 bay leaves
Glaze:
3 tbs. melted butter
1 tbsp. prepared mustard
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup ketchup
3 tbsp. vinegar
3 tbsp. water
Place meat in crockpot, cover with water and bay leaves. Cook overnight on low (6-10 hours).
Drain off liquid (can reserve for veggies). In saucepan heat glaze ingredients, stirring until well blended. Pour over meat. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Do be careful - the glazing process can dry out the meat so watch it carefully.