Simmered until tender and baked in a gusty spiced tomato sauce, this corned beef dish is delcious on sliders.

Ingredients

• 1.3-1.5 kilogram piece corned beef 1
• 1 orange, halved
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons peppercorns
• 1 1/2 cups tomato passata or juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
• Few dashes Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce

Method

1. Into a large saucepan put the corned beef with the orange, bay leaves and peppercorns. Cover with water and bring slowly to the boil. Lower the heat to the lowest level, half cover and allow the meat to cook along on a low simmer for 60 minutes per 500 grams. If using a slow cooker, cook on low for 7-9 hours or on high for 4-6. Once tender, allow the meat to sit in the cooking liquid for one hour. As the meat cools it absorbs some of the cooking liquid retaining loads of moisture.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Place the beef into an oven proof dish. Stir together the tomato passata or juice, sugar, vodka, celery seeds, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces. Pour over the beef. Cover with foil.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue to cook for a further hour, spooning the Bloody Mary Sauce over the meat very ten minutes. Once the meat is very tender can easily be pulled into large shreds, remove from the oven. Cover loosely and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing or pulling the meat to pieces.
4. While the meat is resting, transfer the Bloody Mary braising sauce into a saucepan and boil for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce becomes thick and glossy. Pour over the shredded meat and serve garnished with a few lettuce leaves and baby tomatoes. Accompany with cooked orange-fleshed kumara. Tastes even better the next day in a wrap or sandwich.

Cooks Tips

Corned beef takes its name from the grains of salt – corns- once used for pickling the beef.