Corned Beef & Cabbage

Simple, satisfying, and easy to make, corned beef and cabbage is the comfort food that I believe deserves to be celebrated all year long. If you’ve never made this classic Irish dish, then it’s your lucky day: I’ve got all of my top tips here to help you ace this hearty meal. With tender corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, this recipe is the perfect dinner to cozy up to on St. Patrick’s Day and beyond. Here’s what you need to know:

What People Are Saying:
“This is how I’ve been cooking corned beef for years and it is delicious!” - wlr4216

How To Make Corned Beef & Cabbage

INGREDIENTS

• Corned Beef Brisket & Spice Packet: The cut of beef that provides the perfect balance of rich flavor from fat and tender lean meat has to be brisket. The brisket is large and made up of many components but the largest, and usually easiest to find, is the flat cut. It’s tender and great for slicing, which makes it a perfect candidate for corned beef. It should come with a spice packet—don’t get rid of that! We’ll use it.
• Bay Leaves & Thyme: A bay leaf and thyme sprigs will add fresh flavor to our brisket and veggies, along with the spice packet. Once everything is done cooking, we will remove the herbs for easy eating.
• Potatoes & Carrots: Potatoes and carrots are an absolute must for this recipe. I recommend using baby potatoes and halving them, and cutting down your carrots into 2” long pieces. If they still seem too large, you can halve them as well.
• Cabbage: Look for a small head of green cabbage, no need to get fancy. Stay away from red cabbage—you'll end up with a scary purple mess. You don’t want it to be too large since we are fitting everything in a Dutch oven, but we’re going to cut it into wedges to break it down.
  

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

There are multiple ways to make corned beef, but boiling is one of the easiest, so that’s what I’m doing here. Grab a large Dutch oven (it needs to be large enough to fit all of our ingredients), add your brisket, and cover with water. Then, add the spice packet, bay leaves, and thyme, and turn up the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the beef is tender, making sure to skim the water occasionally. It’s also very important to check every 30 minutes or so, and add any extra water as needed to keep the brisket fully submerged.

Once the beef is tender, add the carrots and potatoes, and bring it back to a boil. Cook for around 15 minutes, then add the cabbage, and keep it boiling for around 5 more minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Once everything is tender and ready to go, remove the meat, and drain the vegetables. Let the meat rest for around 10 minutes (don’t rush this!), before slicing against the grain and serving with the vegetables.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• What is corned beef? Corned beef is technically just referencing a type of preparation that could be applied to a number of cuts of beef that benefit from long cook times (such as short ribs or oxtails). But, brisket is one of the best choices to achieve the perfect balance of flavor and texture.
• What’s the best method to cook corned beef? Cured brisket can be cooked in many ways (one of our favorites is smoking). However, boiling is the easiest method that won't skimp on flavor. This classic boiled version is relatively low maintenance.
• Keep the meat fully submerged. Make sure to keep your corned beef fully submerged in liquid for the entire cook time. You can keep a small pot or kettle of boiling water on another burner for adding water to avoid disrupting the boiling process.
• The secret to tender corned beef. First, I recommend keeping a close eye on your beef to prevent overcooking. Second, make sure to let your meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain. Giving your meat the opportunity to rest and slicing against the grain will result in a more tender result; slice with the grain, and you’ll end up with a tough bite.
  

Corned Beef & Cabbage Variations

Looking for more ways to make this classic dish? Check out our Instant Pot and slow-cooker recipes.

What To Serve With Corned Beef & Cabbage

This dish comes complete with carrots, potatoes, and cabbage, but if you’re looking for even more side ideas, I recommend serving this dish with Irish brown bread, roasted parsnips, or creamy mashed potatoes.

Storage

If you’ve got leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Looking for leftover ideas? You can’t go wrong with the classic Reuben sandwich, but we’ve got plenty of corned beef leftover recipes for even more inspo.