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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Sarah Bailey
Now this sounds like a meal my other half would be into! I haven’t had traditional corned beef before, definitely something to try.
Katie K
I have to save this recipe for March! It’s the perfect st patty’s day dinner.
Beth Pierce
Yes indeed!!
Erin
Those are some great tips on making corn beef. It looks so yummy and delcious!
Wanda Lopez
Corn beef and cabbage is one of my sister’s favorite recipes to make during Springtime.
Toni
This quickly became a favorite at my house!
Toni
Everyone at my house loved this satisfying meal! It quickly became a favorite at my house!
Monica Simpson
This is a family favorite! My mom loves to make it every March 17th.
Milton Coyne
Oh.. My mom used to cook this for us, especially during cold and rainy season.. She used to cut the cabbage in strips and when meat chunks are not available, she use corned beef in can as replacement.. This is very nostalgic for me
Thank you for sharing
Ntensibe Edgar
Hhhhmmmm…I haven’t tried this recipe before! I love it already. Cabbage and beef are some of my favourite people! Thanks for sharing about it.
Emman Damian
Corned Beef and Cabbage is a classic dish for us. My lola used to make this a lot! So yummy and healthy at the same time!
Fransic verso
This looks yummy, I think we are going to try it. Thank you for sharing!
Emily Fata
This looks like it would be a great recipe! I’m going to try giving it a whirl with a vegan meat alternative. 🙂
Neely
I love corned beef! One of my favorites!
Alita Pacio
I love that you add extra tips on making this corn beef and cabbage. I’ll definitely try it
Leanne Wong
I have never had corned beef and cabbage before! It looks so good, though. I’ll have to try it. We don’t have dishes like this where I live.
Stephanie
My husband’s family is Irish so we are always looking for great Irish recipes to try. He’s asked about something like this before but I’ve never made it. Maybe this year I’ll surprise him with it.