Stovetop:

Rinse Corned Beef. Trim any excess fat cap, leaving a layer of fat across the top. Put meat in Dutch oven with onions. Add the thyme and sprinkle with mustard powder. Add water, pouring down the side of the pan, not over the corned beef, to a level of about 3/4 up the sides of the corned beef, Don’t cover the corned beef. Bring just to a boil and immediately turn down to a simmer. Skim off any foam.

Add a lid and simmer very gently (small bubbles popping up here and there on a regular basis) for about three hours. Add the vegetables, cabbage on top and simmer gently another hour. The liquid level may need to be checked during the long simmer.

When finished, the Corned beef should be tender but not stringy and falling apart, the internal temperature should be 190 to 195 degrees. Rest for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting into thin slices across the grain. Serve on a platter with the vegetables. Pour a little of the broth over the corned beef and vegetables and pass the remaining. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Note: If you’d like a lot of vegetables, cook the corned beef until done, remove to rest, then add as many vegetables as you can fit in the pot, potatoes on the bottom, cabbage on top. Cover and simmer briskly for 25 – to 45 minutes (depending on the size of the vegetables) until vegetables are tender.

Corned Beef in the Slow Cooker:

If you need to cook this in a crockpot, prepare as above and add the rinsed Corned Beef on the bottom along with the onions. Add thyme, sprinkle with mustard powder, then the contents of the spice packet. Then either:

• If the meal needs to be completely ready: Add the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, in order, on top. Add enough water, pouring down the side of the slow cooker, not over corned beef to just cover the corned beef. Set it on low and leave for eight to nine hours. The meal will be finished but the vegetables will be very tender, nearly falling apart. Depending on the crock pot some may be seared to the sides.
• If there is time to finish in the evening: About 40 minutes before ready to eat, remove the corned beef, tent to keep warm. Turn the slow cooker to high, then add the vegetables in order, the potatoes on the bottom. Add the lid and leave for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until tender. When ready to serve, remove the vegetables, turn the slow cooker off, slice the corned beef across the grain, and return it to the slow cooker for a few mintues to heat through in the broth. To speed things up, broth may be added to a pan and vegetables simmered on the stovetop.

For all Versions:

Serve on a platter with the vegetables, pour a little of the broth over, and pass the remaining. Garnish with parsley if desired.