Get your Paddy’s started with creatively done corned beef & cabbage
Corned beef and cabbage is considered an Irish classic, to be sure, but interestingly — not in Ireland.
No, this fragrant dish — known to permeate many a New York City tenement back in the day — comes courtesy of the nearly 1.5 million known to have come from Ireland to the States in the back half of the 1800s. In fact, according to the Tenement Museum, it was a wave so formidable that by 1910, there were more people of Irish heritage in New York than in Dublin’s entire populace.
And once here, living amid their Jewish counterparts in New York’s simmering melting pot, they found that corned beef was far more affordable than the bacon they were used to and, in name at least, a bit of a throwback, as Irish corned beef (markedly different than the stuff we think of as corned beef today) was the meat most often eaten by their grandparents. In Ireland, an age ago, this type of salted beef was quite prevalent.
Not in New York, though, where, according to a piece by Smithsonian, most Irish immigrants sourced theirs from kosher butchers. Jewish and Irish immigrants lived closely alongside one another and had more in common than one might think, including their oppression-prompted diaspora and the potent prejudice both endured in their new homeland. Connections were made in close quarters among strangers in a strange land. And food, as it so often is, was among the catalysts.
The changes didn’t stop at the menu, however.
St. Patrick’s Day was, at its outset, a religious observation. In fact, alcohol consumption was prohibited on St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland until 1970. But America’s new Irish citizens played a role in changing these traditions, as well, turning the holiday into a celebration of their heritage. One during which a semi-splurgy but still affordable protein gleaned from their Jewish neighbors was served alongside cabbage and potatoes.
Now, a century-plus later, Americans are still enjoying corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day and at Brock’s Florida BBQ, owner Jason Brock is making this Irish-American classic just a little more American by shoving those briskets into his smoker.
This weekend, Friday through Sunday, he’ll be serving a limited number of plates featuring slow-smoked corned beef brisket alongside fried, maple syrup-glazed Brussels sprouts and beer-braised cabbage and sausage. Because, you know, one meat is never enough when you’re a barbecue guy.
Best Barbecue: 2024 Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards
“I started doing it a couple of years ago for a St. Patrick’s Day event at Ivanhoe Brewing,” Brock says.
Now a permanent fixture at Oviedo’s new Food Factory Food Hall, folks will have a full bar’s worth of options to enjoy — plus shade and tables and space — as they partake of this heavy duty plate.
The oak-smoked meat pairs nicely with Brock’s citrus mustard sauce, “but I think it’s great all by itself,” Brock offers. They’re toying with the idea of a sandwich, too, but they’re waiting until Friday to call an audible.
“The vibe is always fun for this holiday,” Brock opines. He enjoys working amid so many happy revelers. “Plus these events are always a good opportunity to test out new things you’ve been thinking about and step out of your comfort zone a little bit.”
The Food Factory brings new restaurants and a gathering place to Oviedo
Brock has been open just about a month in the new digs and has enjoyed the process of new folks finding him, as well as seeing familiar faces from back when the food truck was rolling around town. He’s bound to nab a few more this weekend with the special, which takes a smidge longer in the smoker since the briskets sit in the brine for a considerable amount of time before they hit the fire.
“Come see us!” says Brock.
Brock’s Florida BBQ: Located inside The Food Factory — order at the bar; 888 City Walk Lane in Oviedo, foviedo.com; instagram.com/brocksfloridabarbecue
Looking for some additional non-traditional takes? Check these out.
Reuben Burger, Duffy’s Sports Grill
Duffy’s Sports Grill‘s Taste of Ireland promotion is running now through April 8, featuring a range of fun, holiday-inspired options, including the Shamrock Pie, featuring chocolate mint ice cream, Oreo cookie crust and chocolate fudge, but this is the Reuben Burger, a 1/2 pound certified Angus beef patty, onto which shaved corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Duffy’s burger sauce is piled. Pair it with a beer and say, “Sláinte!”
Duffy’s Sports Grill: (multiple locations) duffysmvp.com
Corned Beef & Cabbage Dirty Chips, Gordon Ramsay’s Fish and Chips
Want walkability with your St. Patrick’s Day-themed snack? Look no further than this limited-time special from Gordon Ramsay Fish and Chips at ICON Park. Inspired by the classic platter, these chips are laden with corned beef, sauerkraut, Russian dressing and Swiss cheese. Available March 1-31 for $10.
Gordon Ramsay’s Fish and Chips: 8391 International Drive, Suite C-1, in Orlando, 689-244-7400; gordonramsayrestaurants.com
Pastrami Reuben Pizza, Park Pizza
Is it me, or are you beginning to sense a deli theme creeping into this St. Patrick’s Day party, too?
No matter, it’s all deli-cious, even when we veer completely off of corned beef and onto pastrami, as is the case with this $28 specialty pie from Lake Nona’s Park Pizza, featuring garlic cream, Swiss cheese, pickles, sauerkraut, arugula and Thousand Island dressing.
Park Pizza & Brewing Company: 6941 Lake Nona Blvd. in Orlando, 407-955-4472; parkpizzalakenona.com
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.
