Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with this classic Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe that the whole family will love! This one-pot meal feeds a crowd with tender, brined and spiced meat and hearty vegetables!
The Best Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
We love celebrating St. Patrick's Day! Our kids are at that age where they believe in sneaky leprechauns and are gleeful at the tricks they play. Plus our town has a big parade and festival every year because it was settled by Irish immigrants, named Dublin, and we have four leaf clover symbols everywhere year-round as part of our town decor. And I also have a fairly strong Irish heritage myself.
Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional meal for Irish-Americans, but not so much for the actual Irish, where beef was historically far too expensive for most families to afford.
It was the Irish who immigrated to America (specifically New England where this dish is also sometimes referred to as "boiled dinner"). Beef in New England was plentiful and far less expensive, who popularized this dish, which is made with brisket and spices cooked in a dutch oven on the stovetop with liquid (anything from water to Guinness to beef broth works). Red potatoes and carrots are added towards the end, with cabbage being thrown in for the last 15 minutes. Then the tender meat is sliced against the grain and served with the vegetables and potatoes.
This is my favorite corned beef recipe made using a corned beef roast that you are readily available at grocery stores and Costco. It's my favorite way rather than purchasing a whole packer brisket and doing the longer brine myself. This is a fabulous one-pot meal that is total comfort food.
Wishing for a taste of the Emerald Isle this St. Patrick's Day? Be sure to try our Irish Apple Cake with Warm Custard Sauce, Bangers and Mash, Irish Soda Bread, or Dublin Coddle (One Pot Irish Potato, Sausage & Onion Stew) as well for a true Irish feast!
Also, corned beef leftovers are the BEST. Make an amazing reuben sandwich with them or chop them up and throw them in a simple beef or chicken broth with a bunch of veggies and the leftover potatoes and cabbage for a soup. It's SO GOOD.
What is corned beef and cabbage (Irish)?
Corned beef and cabbage is a hearty meal that is made from the flat cut of beef brisket (as opposed to the point cut which is perfect for burnt ends). Historically, brisket has been a relatively inexpensive cut of beef. The meat goes through a long curing process using large grains of rock salt, or “corns” of salt, and a brine. It's then slowly cooked, turning a tough cut of beef into one that's super tender and flavorful.
Traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage Irish Ingredients
- Corned beef with spice packet. Corned beef is traditionally made with the flat cut beef brisket; you can buy it pre-brined and ready-to-cook from the grocery store. The spice packets usually consist of mustard seeds and brown sugar.
- Bay leaves
- Black peppercorns
- Beef Broth
- Carrots - You can use whole carrots or chopped carrots. I would recommend keeping the carrots in bigger chunks though so they don’t cook too fast.
- Small red potatoes (also called new potatoes)
- Green cabbage - Look for a head of cabbage that doesn't have wilted leaves around the outside so you know it's fresh.
How to cook Corned Beef and Cabbage (Stove Top Directions)
- Remove the corned beef from the packaging, reserving the spice packet and rinsing the meat well with cold water. This step isn't crucial, but I find most corned beef is too salty without being rinsed first of the juices it is packaged in.
- Place the meat in the bottom of a large dutch oven, then sprinkle with the contents of the seasoning packet and add a bay leaf or two and ½ teaspoon black peppercorns.
- Add 5-6 cups beef broth (my preferred approach) or water to the pot with the corned beef brisket. Really you just need enough liquid to cover the meat completely and I find that the type doesn't make a huge difference when it comes down to it.
- Place on the stove and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the meat cook in the simmering liquid for about 2 ½ hours.
- Add the carrots and potatoes, making sure to move the meat if necessary and set it on top of the potatoes so the vegetables can cook in the liquid. If needed, add an additional 2 cups of hot water to the cooking liquid. Cook for 30 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are fork tender.
- Add the cabbage wedges, pushing them down into the cooking liquid, and cook for 15 minutes longer.
- Remove the meat, potatoes, and vegetables from the pot. Slice the meat into thin slices against the grain, then serve on a large platter surrounded by the boiled potatoes, carrots and cabbage. I like to splash a little vinegar on my cabbage before eating it, and I serve the meat with a simple whole grain mustard for extra flavor.
Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
- You can make crock pot corned beef and cabbage in the slow cooker by just adding all of the ingredients except for the cabbage and cooking on HIGH for 4-5 hours or on LOW for 8-9 hours.
- Add the cabbage, then cook on HIGH for another 1 hour before removing the meat and vegetables, then slicing and serving.
How to serve this Recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage
This is a pretty complete meal all on its own, but I recommend serving corned beef and cabbage with a nice crusty bread or a loaf of currant or raisin-studded Irish Soda Bread. Some people also enjoy it with a creamy horseradish sauce, mustard sauce, or even sour cream. And to round out your classic Irish meal with a real Irish dessert, this Irish Apple Cake with Warm Custard Sauce is delicious, as is my favorite Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake.
Traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe FAQs
Corned beef was used as a substitute for bacon by many Irish immigrants in the late 19th century. Corned beef and cabbage is the Irish-American variant of the Irish dish of bacon and cabbage. Since brisket is a tougher cut, the salting and cooking process transformed the meat into the extremely tender, flavorful corned beef we know of today. The British invented the term “corned beef” in the 17th century to describe the size of the salt crystals used to cure the meat, which were roughly the size of corn kernels.
Add the cabbage to the cooking liquid during the last 15 minutes of cooking. This leaves just enough time for it to cook through and be tender but still have some texture rather than being completely wilted and soggy.
More St. Patrick's Day Recipes
- Irish Colcannon (Mashed Potatoes & Cabbage)
- Layered Rainbow Jello
- Shepherd's Pie
- Irish Apple Cake
- Bangers and Mash
- Irish Soda Bread
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Corned Beef and Cabbage (Stove Top)
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds corned beef with spice packet
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 5-6 cups beef broth
- 1 ½ pounds carrots
- 2 pounds small red potatoes
- 1 large head green cabbage cut into 8 wedges
Instructions
- Remove the corned beef from the packaging and rinse well.
- Place the meat in the bottom of a large dutch oven, then sprinkle with the contents of the spice packet and add 2 bay leaves and ½ teaspoon black peppercorns.
- Add enough beef broth or water to cover the meat completely.
- Place on the stove and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the meat cook in the simmering liquid for about 2 ½ hours.
- Add the carrots and potatoes, making sure to move the meat if necessary so the vegetables can cook in the liquid. If needed, add an additional 2 cups of hot water to the cooking liquid. Continue to cook for 30 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
- Add the cabbage wedges, pushing them down into the cooking liquid, and cook for 15 minutes longer.
- Remove the meat, potatoes, and vegetables from the pot. Slice the meat into thin slices against the grain, then serve on a large platter surrounded by the boiled potatoes, carrots and cabbage.
Notes
- You can use just water instead of the beef broth, or water with 5-6 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon Beef Base.
- I like to splash a little vinegar on my cabbage before eating it, and I serve the meat with a simple whole grain mustard for extra flavor.
What's a spice packet? And where do I buy it?
When you buy a corned beef it comes with a spice packet. You don't need to buy one separately.
Do you think I could make this in the crockpot?
Absolutely!
What type of vinegar do you splash with? White or apple cider vinegar?
Either will work, but I tend to use apple cider vinegar.
Do you know of a gravy that would go well with corned beef?
That's a great question! I think the onion gravy from my bangers & mash would be an excellent choice!
This is delicious! I always purchase two briskets cuz they shrink up. Our favorite is the next day having corned beef hash with all of the leftovers.
How can I print this out? I don't do the cooking with a phone or tablet
If you use the "jump to recipe" button (or scroll down until you get to the recipe) there are three black boxes under the recipe image. One of them is print and it will print the recipe with ingredients and instructions. Let me know if you have any more questions!