Everyone is Irish with this hearty, savory Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe! A classic Irish-American dish of tender corn beef brisket slow cooked with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, it’s an ultimate comfort food and a tasty way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Best Corned Beef and Cabbage Meal Recipe

Corned beef and cabbage transforms humble ingredients into an all-in-one meal that can feed a crowd.

• Corned beef is a brisket that’s been cured in a spice and salt brine for 5 days, giving it a unique spicy, savory, tangy, and sweet flavor and meltingly tender texture. Brisket is a tough, marbled cut of meat, but with gentle, slow cooking, it is coaxed into a meltingly tender dish.
• Cabbage is an under-appreciated, nutritious, and budget-friendly vegetable with big-time potential.
• Potatoes and carrots round out the meal, making corned beef and cabbage a complete dish.

You can buy corned beef that has already been cured in the salt brine (most grocery stores carry them leading up to St. Patrick’s Day), or for the ultimate traditional corned beef experience, make your own homemade Corned Beef.

The History of Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned beef and cabbage was popularized by Irish immigrants in the United States during the 19th century.

In Ireland, the traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal was bacon and cabbage, but due to the high cost of bacon in America, the resourceful Irish immigrants substituted corned beef instead.

With time, corned beef and cabbage became the classic dinner recipe served on St. Patrick’s Day.

How to Make Corned Corned Beef and Cabbage

Once your corned beef is cured and ready to cook, set aside a few hours for it to cook slowly. As it rests, you’ll make the vegetables, then serve everything up for a rewarding, comforting dinner.

There are a variety of methods to cook corned beef, including in the crock pot, Instant Pot, baking, or boiling.

Boiling corned beef is the most traditional way to cook it, and what you’ll find in the recipe below.

The Ingredients

• Corned Beef. Corned beef is flavored with whole spices like cardamom, mustard seeds, and peppercorns, plus brown sugar, vinegar, and a pink curing salt that gives it its color. You can make your own corned beef from scratch or purchase it.
• Pickling Spice. The key to classic corned beef flavor. It adds a delightful, harmonious blend of sweet, spicy, savory, and sour notes to the liquid. The pickling spice is also what tenderizes corned beef.
• Bay Leaf. The secret ingredient for tasty corned beef and cabbage! It subtly enhances the overall flavor of the dish and adds depth.
• Garlic. Another flavor booster for the cooking liquid.
• Cabbage. The classic companion for corned beef. Unlike raw cabbage, the cooked cabbage wedges are tender and flavorful.
• Other Vegetables. A mix of carrots, potatoes, and onion become deliciously tender in the cooking liquid, absorbing its rich flavors.
• Dijon Mustard. Tangy Dijon mustard is stirred into the cooking liquid at the end to help thicken it and add a boost of flavor. Some people also like to serve corned beef and cabbage with horseradish—it’s your call!

The Directions

1. Rinse and dry the meat. Trim any excess fat.

2. Place the meat in a stockpot, covering it with at least 1 inch of water. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and pickling spice.
3. Boil over high heat, then reduce it to a simmer. Let simmer for 3 hours.

4. Allow the meat to cool for 10 minutes after the cooking time has ended. Using tongs, transfer the meat to a cutting board. Strain 2 cups of the liquid into a small bowl, and discard the remaining liquid. Rinse the pot.
5. Let the beef cool for 20 minutes.

6. Pour the strained liquid and water into the pot.

7. Add the vegetables, then bring the mixture to a boil. Baste the vegetables. Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, basting the vegetables 2 more times.

8. Slice the beef.

9. Transfer the vegetables to a serving platter. Add the beef.
10. Stir the mustard into the remaining liquid in the pot. Drizzle it over the platter. ENJOY!

Variations

• Try It in a Slow Cooker. I have not tested this in a crockpot, but I believe it would work well. Add the onions to the bottom of a slow cooker. Top the onions with the beef. Add the bay leaves and pickling spice. Place the potatoes, carrots, and garlic on top of the beef. Pour in the water. Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 8 hours (add the cabbage before the final 2 hours of cooking). Remove the beef to a cutting board with tongs, allowing it to cool for 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a platter. Slice the beef as directed, then place it on the platter. Strain 2 cups of the liquid in the crock pot into a bowl. Rinse out the slow cooker. Pour the 2 cups of strained liquid back into the slow cooker, then stir in the mustard. Top the beef and vegetables with the mustard mixture.
• Or Make It in an Instant Pot. I have not tried making corned beef in a pressure cooker, but I think you could experiment with it. After rinsing the beef, add it to the Instant Pot with the garlic, bay leaves, pickling spice, and 4 cups of water. Seal and cook on HIGH pressure for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Perform a natural release. Remove the corned beef with tongs to a cutting board. Add the vegetables to the Instant Pot. Seal and cook on HIGH pressure for 2 to 3 minutes. Perform a quick release. Remove the vegetables to a platter using a slotted spoon. Strain 2 cups of the liquid into a bowl as directed. Rinse out the Instant Pot. Slice the corned beef as directed and add it to the platter. Pour the 2 cups of strained liquid into the Instant Pot, then stir in the mustard. Drizzle the mixture over the beef and vegetables.

Storage Tips

• To Store. Refrigerate corned beef and cabbage in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.
• To Reheat. Gently rewarm leftovers in a covered baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees F or in the microwave.

What to Serve with Corned Beef and Cabbage

• Stockpot. Use this for everything from corned beef to chili.
• Tongs. Easily pick up the beef without the liquid.
• Carving Knife. Perfect for carving corned beef.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Rinse the Corned Beef Prior to Cooking. This removes excess salt and spices and ensures the brisket won’t be too salty.
• Low and Slow Cooking. Brisket is a tough cut of meat and needs long, gentle cooking to become tender. Corned beef takes about 3 hours to cook on the stove top.
• Cut the Vegetables Large. This will ensure they do not become too mushy and soft after boiling.
• Let Rest. The corned beef needs to rest for at least 20 minutes at room temperature prior to slicing to allow the juices in the meat to re-incorporate. If you cut it immediately, the meat will be tough.
• Slice Against the Grain. Cutting against the grain helps make the slices more tender.