Ginger Beer Corned Beef

1 large piece corned silverside
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 knob of  ginger, sliced
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 bay leaf
4 thyme sprigs
1 chilli, sliced
2 bottles ginger beer
Extra water

·        In a saucepan add all the ingredients.

·        Add water to cover the corned beef.

·        Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour. I tend to keep an eye on the texture of the meat. A skewer should be able to be inserted with ease.

·        Turn off the heat source. Allow to cool in the stock. To keep the meat tender, store unused pieces in some stock in the refrigerator. Drain well before serving.

·        Slice the meat thinly and serve with white sauce, mashed potato and a bucket load of every vegetable you can get our hands on.

HINT: you can use lemonade insteade of ginger beer if you prefer the taste of lemonade to inger beer.

MUSTARD SAUCE SIDE – you have to try this! It will certainly clear your nostrils for sure, but can be TAMED down easily by adding more tomato sauce. Place a teaspoon of mustard powder in a small dish, add about ½ teaspoon of sugar and enough tomato sauce to make a paste. Add more mustard, sugar or sauce to individual taste. As kids, part of the joy of having corned beef was making our own sauce on the side of our plate.