Our Family’s Secret Corned Beef Recipe

When I was a kid, my grandmother told me our family had a secret corned beef recipe that had been passed down through generations. One year she decided it was time to teach me how to make it, but she made me promise to keep our family recipe a secret.

It was incredible. Keep Thanksgiving and all its sides – corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day has always been my favorite holiday meal. It’s not even close.

When my grandmother passed, I ended up with some of her things. One day I was going through a box and found the recipe. Our “secret family recipe” was actually a page torn out of a 1950-something edition of Better Homes and Gardens.

I suppose the recipe had been around for generations… just not necessarily in the family. Which only proves something I’ve believed for a long time: I love a good story that gets spun a little out of control.

And maybe that’s part of the point.

When the world gets complicated, people have always gathered around a fire, shared a drink, and eaten something good together. It helps take the edge off for a while. That feels like a pretty good tradition to keep alive.

So this month, come try Better Homes and Gardens’ finest 1950-something corned beef… on a pizza.