This Traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe cooks everything low and slow (just like it should be) with the perfect spices in a Dutch oven or large stock pot. This delicious traditional recipe does not require any special equipment or expertise.
Traditional Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage
Are you looking for a tasty and simple dish to make for St. Patrick’s Day? Try this mouth-watering corned beef and cabbage recipe that is sure to impress your friends and family. My Mom would make this dish every St. Patrick’s Day. She loved it so much that she would even make a batch for one of the Irish priests at our church. It is such an easy recipe that you, too, can participate in the Irish custom. If you like this recipe, try Mississippi pot roast, Irish stew, hamburger stew, and cottage pie.
Corned Beef and Cabbage Ingredients
- Corned beef brisket
- Bay leaves
- Baby red potatoes and yellow potatoes
- Carrots
- Green cabbage
How to make corned beef and cabbage
First, add the corned beef to a large Dutch oven or stockpot and cover it with cool water or beef broth. Now add the bay leaves and the spice packet. Cover the pot and simmer for 2-2 1/2 hours, or until the brisket is almost fork tender.
Add the potatoes, onions, and carrots, and simmer covered for about 30 minutes. Add the cabbage wedges and simmer covered for 10-15 minutes. Remove the vegetables, cover them, and keep them warm. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Finally, trim away any excess fat from the corned beef and slice against the grain. Serve promptly in a dish with the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage with horseradish sauce or honey mustard sauce on the side.
Recipe Tips
- When simmering, leave the fat on the corned beef, as it helps cook it tender and gives it lots of flavor. For this method, cook it fat side up.
- Don’t skip the spice packet. It is full of peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, anise seeds, and crushed bay leaves. It gives the corned beef its extra delicious flavor. Simply add it to the cooking liquid with the beef.
- The key is to simmer, not boil, the beef and vegetables—low and slow, as my late mother used to say.
- For aesthetic purposes, peel your carrots; you will appreciate the bright orange color.
- Red and gold potatoes are traditional and waxy enough to stay together through the simmering. Russet potatoes will begin to break down during the cooking process.
- Don’t forget to remove and discard the bay leaves. They are sharp on the edges and could cut your mouth or pose a choking hazard.
- Once cooked, trim the fat from the beef. I like to leave a very small portion of fat on for more flavor, but my husband likes it trimmed completely. As my Mom always said, “Different strokes for different folks.”
- Slice the corned beef against the grain, as this produces the most tender pieces that do not fall apart.
- Corned beef is cured with salt and is naturally high in sodium. So go easy on any added salt.
What is the difference between flat-cut and point-cut corned beef?
Don’t let these two different cuts confuse you. Corned beef, after all, is simply beef brisket cured in salt brine. Corned beef brisket is then split into two cuts, the flat cut and the point cut. The flat cut is much leaner, but it still has a thick layer of fat, so it cooks up moist and tender. It is best for slicing and is my first pick for traditional corned beef.
The point cut gets its name from coming to a point at one end. It is marbled with more fat and connective tissue. This cut cooks up tender and juicy but is best used for shredding.
Storage and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at 50% power for 1 minute increments until warm. You can freeze the corned beef, potatoes, and carrots for up to 2 months, but I do not recommend freezing the cabbage.
More Cabbage Recipes
Traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet
- water or beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lb. baby yellow potatoes
- 5 large carrots peeled and chunked
- 1 head green cabbage cut in wedges
Instructions
- In Dutch Oven or large stockpot, add corned beef and cover with water or beef broth. Add spice packet and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for 2-2 1/2 hours. The brisket should be fairly fork-tender.
- Add potatoes and carrots; cover and simmer for additional 30 minutes. Add cabbage; cover and simmer for 15 additional minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves and discard them. Remove corned beef and vegetables from the pot and cover to keep warm. Remove any fat from the corned beef and slice against the grain.
Notes
- Leave the fat on the corned beef when simmering as it helps cook it really tender and gives it lots of flavor. For this method, cook it fat side up.
- Don't skip the spice packet. It is full of peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, anise seeds, and crushed bay leaves. It gives the corned beef its extra delicious flavor. Simply add it to the cooking liquid with the beef.
- The key is to simmer, not boil, the beef and vegetables—low and slow, as my late mother used to say.
- For aesthetic purposes, peel your carrots, as you will really appreciate the bright orange color.
- Red and gold potatoes are traditional, and they are waxy enough to stay together through the simmering. Russet potatoes will begin to break down during the cooking process.
- Don't forget to remove and discard the bay leaves. They are sharp on the edges and could cut your mouth or pose a choking hazard.
- Once cooked, trim the fat from the beef. I like to leave just a very small portion of fat on for more flavor, but my husband likes it completely trimmed. As my mom always said, "Different strokes for different folks."
- Slice the corned beef against the grain, as this produces the most tender pieces that do not fall apart.
- Corned beef is cured with salt, so it is naturally high in sodium. So go easy on any added salt.
Nutrition
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Talya Stone
Oh my this looks so good! I didn’t know that corned beef could look and taste this good.
Heather
I haven’t had corned beef and cabbage since I was a kid. I can’t wait to make this recipe!
Alisa Infanti
Love this sandwich but never attempted to make at home. I am super excited to give it a try. Your recipe seems so straight forward. Thanks!
maryanne
I have to make corned beef and cabbage every year, and your recipe is one of the best I’ve ever tried! So delicious and easy!
Angela
This is comfort food for me. We used to have it all the time when I was a kid. I love that your whole meal is cooked together. So easy and so tasty!
Michelle
Had a mad craving for corned beef and cabbage and tried this out last night — so tasty! And surprisingly easy to make!
Priya Lakshminarayan
That looks scrumptious! Perfect food for gatherings! Saving it,
April
We make this all year long, it’s one of my favorite meals! This is simply the best way to make it, too. 🙂
Trang
This turned out soo tender. Such an easy comfort dinner dish. It was a hit with the family!
Jean Morrison
I have always cooked my corned beef in an oven baggy. I cook the fat side up sometimes and sometimes fat side down. It is so tender. 3 hours to cook at least. I would like to use your recipe also,
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the heads up Jean. I hope you enjoy the corned beef!
Jennifer
Best dinner ever! So flavorful! The whole family loved it!
Katie
Looks so amazing! Can’t wait to try this one.
Kristyn
Hearty, healthy, & delicious!! Your recipe is easy to follow, too! My kids love the corned beef, but I am working on the cabbage part 🙂
Kim
Pulling this recipe out again for St. Patrick’s Day coming up! Thank you!
Kristyn
Love this time of year, when I usually make this recipe. I love it & it’s very tasty!
Katie
Perfect St Patty’s meal. Can’t wait to try this one.