Ingredients
Bacon
- 1.3 kgunsmoked bacon joint (collar, loin or streaky), on the bone if possible
- 1onion, halved
- 2carrots, halved
- 1bay leaf
- 6black peppercorns
- cold water, to cover
Cabbage and potatoes
- 1York or Savoy cabbage (800 g), quartered, cored and thickly shredded
- 1 kgfloury potatoes (Golden Wonder or Kerr’s Pink), peeled
- 50 gbutter
- plenty of black pepper
Parsley sauce
- 40 gbutter
- 40 gplain flour
- 400 mlwhole milk
- 100 mlof the bacon cooking liquor
- 1large handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tspEnglish mustard
- black pepper
Directions
- Put the bacon joint in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring slowly to the boil. Pour off the water entirely; this first blanching removes excess cure salt and is what stops the finished dish being inedibly salty.
- Cover again with fresh cold water, add the onion, carrot, bay and peppercorns, and bring back to a bare simmer.
- Simmer very gently, allowing about 40 minutes per kilogram plus 20 minutes, roughly 1 hour 15 minutes for this joint. It should never boil; boiling shrinks and toughens the meat.
- Boil the peeled potatoes in salted water for 20–25 minutes until a knife slides in with a little resistance, then drain and return to the dry pot on low heat for a minute to steam off, so they go floury.
- Lift the bacon out and rest it, loosely covered, for 15 minutes. Keep the cooking liquor.
- Cook the shredded cabbage in the bacon liquor for 5–8 minutes, until tender but still green and with some bite. Cooking the cabbage in the bacon water is the whole point of the dish.
- For the sauce, melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes, then whisk in the milk and 100 ml bacon liquor gradually until smooth and thick. Simmer 5 minutes, add mustard, a great deal of parsley and pepper.
- Drain the cabbage well, toss with the butter and black pepper.
- Carve the bacon into thick slices, plate with buttered cabbage and floury potatoes, and pour the parsley sauce over the lot.
Technique
- Irish bacon is a cured joint, not rashers: collar, loin or streaky, brined and sold raw. It has far more meat and far less fat than the American product of the same name.
- Taste the water after 30 minutes of simmering. If it is aggressively salty, replace half of it with fresh hot water.
- Floury potatoes are essential and are served plain, in their own bowl, so each person can break them open with a fork and add butter.
Substitutions
- No Irish bacon joint: a lightly cured gammon or a fresh pork collar brined for 3 days in a 6 percent salt solution comes close.
- Savoy can be replaced by spring greens or a plain white cabbage; kale is used in winter in the west.
Variations
- Many households glaze the drained joint with mustard, brown sugar and cloves and finish it in a 200°C (400°F) oven for 20 minutes.
- In Cork, the same joint is served with white sauce and no parsley, and the cooking water is kept for soup.
- Colcannon, potato mashed with the cooked cabbage and butter, is the common way of using the leftovers.
History
The pig was the cottier’s household animal; Irish emigrants swapped bacon for cheaper corned beef in America, creating corned beef and cabbage.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bacon and cabbage?
Bacon and cabbage is a main from Ireland: boiled bacon joint with cabbage and floury potatoes. The pig was the cottier’s household animal; Irish emigrants swapped bacon for cheaper corned beef in America, creating corned beef and cabbage.
How long does Bacon and cabbage take to make?
Bacon and cabbage takes 20 min of preparation and 2 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Bacon and cabbage?
Yes, within limits. No Irish bacon joint: a lightly cured gammon or a fresh pork collar brined for 3 days in a 6 percent salt solution comes close. Savoy can be replaced by spring greens or a plain white cabbage; kale is used in winter in the west.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bacon and cabbage?
Simmer very gently, allowing about 40 minutes per kilogram plus 20 minutes, roughly 1 hour 15 minutes for this joint. It should never boil; boiling shrinks and toughens the meat.
