Since our first Butcher Boy location opened seventy years ago, we’ve been part of the cultural fabric of the Merrimack Valley and New England, especially when it comes to celebratory holidays like St. Patrick’s Day. Generations of area families have made the trip to our store for our traditional corned beef to enjoy in their corned beef and cabbage boiled dinner, both the red version and the equally delicious, traditional New England grey corned beef. What’s the difference you may ask? Both are brisket, but the curing process makes the difference. To this day, we are one of the very few butcher shops that prepare corned beef in-house, which you can cook at home or pick up as a ready-to-heat prepared meal.

We love celebrating America’s unique take on Ireland’s historic St. Patrick’s Day holiday. It was a band of rowdy Irish-born Redcoats that started our strong New England St. Patrick’s Day traditions in 1762 when they marched to a local tavern to enjoy a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast and some liquid refreshment. For us, the cities and towns of Merrimack Valley offer some great opportunities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day – including breakfasts, parades, special music, parties, and even cooking classes.

Did you know corned beef and cabbage is really an American dish? Irish immigrants here in America substituted more economical corned beef in their traditional bacon and cabbage recipes. Emerald Isle immigrants new to the USA were likely inspired by the offerings of their local Jewish delis, truly a melting pot story.

To make your own authentically New England St. Patrick’s Day feast, check out our simple “how to” recipe for corned beef boiled dinner. To accompany your meal, one of our longtime customers has shared her grandmother’s Irish Soda Bread recipe direct from County Kerry, Ireland.

And what St. Patrick’s Day celebration would be complete without a delicious dessert? Butcher Boy offers some delicious options including beautifully decorated Konditor Meister cakes. Is your mouth watering yet?

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St. Patrick’s Day is the time when everyone is Irish, even if some of us have no ancestral connection to the Emerald Isle at all. Butcher Boy has all the ingredients you need for a customary Irish-American corned beef and cabbage meal. Whether it’s your first time preparing it or you just need an annual refresher, check out our step-by-step cooking guide.

When you’re planning your menu, you might choose to stay true to your regional roots. Grey corned beef is considered the traditional New England style and uncommon in supermarkets and butcher shops outside a 50-mile radius of Boston. Butcher Boy sells both the grey and red corned beef cuts that you can prepare yourself or a fully cooked corned beef dinner you only have to heat up.

The flavor of the holiday doesn’t have to be limited to March 17. There are leftovers to be enjoyed! Try corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast the next day. For lunch or dinner, when you want a taste that’s reminiscent of the full meal, put together some easy corned beef and cabbage sliders. Or maybe a classic reuben sandwich is your preference.

If corned beef doesn’t tempt your family’s taste buds, there are other options for a proper St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Irish stew is a delicious choice, with either traditional lamb or beef.  How about shepherd’s pie? The classic comfort food of layered beef, vegetables, and mashed potatoes is simple to make for a crowd, and even easier if you cook a mini version in individual servings.

Whatever is on your menu, authentic Irish soda bread is the ideal accompaniment. Make a list of all the ingredients you need for your perfect St. Patrick’s Day celebration meal, and Butcher Boy will help you shop for them all. And please share your other holiday traditions with us. We love hearing about how our customers celebrate the luck of the Irish.

The holiday celebrating all things Irish is right around the corner. St. Patrick’s Day conjures images of shamrocks, leprechauns, the color green, and other symbols associated with the patron saint of Ireland. How much do you know about this international holiday that people of every background have embraced for centuries?

A Brief History

St. Patrick himself wasn’t even Irish. He was born in Britain and arrived in Ireland when he was 16 years old. He became known for spreading Christianity, using the shamrock as part of his teachings: the three-leaf clover representing the Holy Trinity. The date of St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, marks the day it is believed that St. Patrick died in the year 461.

Ireland began observing St. Patrick’s Day with religious services and meals and the holiday has evolved over time as a celebration of Irish culture. While the shamrock remains a common symbol linked to Ireland, the four-leaf clover has emerged as a sign of good luck. The color of the shamrock, along with the reputation of Ireland as the “Emerald Isle” with its lush green landscape, eventually led to wearing green as a St. Patrick’s Day tradition around the world. Wear any other color on the holiday and risk getting pinched by a leprechaun, says folklore.

Other traditions connected to St. Patrick’s Day are of the culinary variety that millions of Americans observe. Whether you come from an Irish family or simply enjoy celebrating the tradition, Butcher Boy can help you plan a delicious St. Patrick’s Day meal.

Corned Beef

It turns out the star of the customary St. Patrick’s Day dinner is really more of an Irish-American thing than it is a time-honored ritual straight from the motherland. The story goes that Irish immigrants to the United States couldn’t afford pork or bacon and corned beef was a less expensive alternative. Generations later, it has become a staple of the Irish-American diet and subsequently associated with the most Irish of holidays in the U.S.

Corned beef is brisket that has been cured in a salt brine. It gets its name from the “corns” of salt used in the brine. There are several types of corned beef.

Grey corned beef was made popular in New England. It uses a salt brine without any other spices. For this dish, the corned beef, cabbage, and root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, and potatoes are all boiled together. Ask for our homemade grey corned beef ready to cook at home at the Butcher Boy meat counter. We also prepare ready-made meals in our kitchen. Even though many people only eat grey corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day, we make it for you most Thursdays throughout the year.

Red corned beef is more common in other parts of the U.S. and around the world. Otherwise known as New York-style corned beef, spices are added to the brining process of this meat. Butcher Boy has red corned beef available as well.

Ribs also work well using the same brining methods. But you don’t have to do it yourself! Butcher Boy prepares corned ribs in-house. Not only are they flavorful, it also takes less time to cook corned beef ribs.

What can you do with your leftover corned beef? You can you can make a delicious corned beef hash. Chop up the corned beef and cook it with diced potatoes, onions, bell peppers and various spices. For an enjoyable breakfast, serve the corned beef hash with eggs.

If you’re looking for an alternative to corned beef, you can always make a savory Irish beef stew or Shepherd’s pie. We have all the ingredients you need to make these tasty dishes. The Butcher Boy kitchen also has an oven-ready Shepherd’s pie prepared for your dinner table tonight.

Don’t forget the Irish soda bread! This classic quick bread uses very basic ingredients. Make it yourself or find it in our bakery.

No matter how you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day – with friends, parades, music, and food – don your green, raise a glass, and may the luck of the Irish be with you!