With St Patrick’s Day on Friday in 2017, a few readers have been eyeing my homemade brisket recipe from 2012:

Brisket and salt — corned — beef dos and don’ts

That post explains what to do. Anyone doing this from scratch will need to start on March 15. The prep work — brining and the rub — requires 48 hours.

Brisket is cheap. However, the cost of low-and-slow cooking can outweigh the savings on the meat.

Therefore, doing this yourself, as appetising as it looks on television food shows, might turn out to be more expensive and labour intensive than anticipated.

It is better to buy prepared salt — corned — beef from a supermarket or butcher.

Best wishes for a happy St Patrick’s Day!