Corned Beef and Cabbage
This festive meal features buttery-soft corned beef, tender potatoes, sweet carrots, and plenty of savory cabbage. The entire dish is made in one pot and can be prepared on the cook-top or in the slow cooker. Crammed with cozy flavors and made with minimal effort, it’s not just perfect for St. Patrick’s Day – it’s a show-stopping feast that can be enjoyed year-round.
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
What is corned beef? Corned beef is beef brisket that has been cured and brined. Why is it called corned? The “corn” refers to the grains of salt used to cure the meat. The beef is typically pre-seasoned, or sold with a seasoning packet that includes allspice, cloves, peppercorns, mustard seeds, bay leaves, and coriander. The herbs and spices are very similar to those found in pickling spices. Since the brisket is cured and seasoned, there’s very little prep work involved.
Ingredients for this corned beef and cabbage
- Corned beef. For this recipe, you’ll need one corned beef brisket, and the weight can be anywhere from 3 to 4 pounds. My brisket was 3.5 pounds. Look for ready-to-cook corned beef with a spice packet included. If your brisket doesn’t come with a spice packet, substitute 2 tablespoons of pickling spices (place the pickling spices in cheesecloth before adding them to the pot).
- Vegetables. The classic vegetables for corned beef and cabbage are onion, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. These hearty vegetables add great flavor and won’t break down during cooking. You may use yellow, white, or red onion. For the potatoes, I prefer Yukon gold or red for this dish. Do not use russet potatoes as they will break down and turn to mush. Instead of carrots, you may substitute turnips or parsnips. For the cabbage, you may use green or Savoy.
- Water or beer. I prefer to use water for my corned beef and cabbage, but beer is also a classic addition. When using beer, I suggest using a stout, lager, or brown ale for maximum flavor. And, when using beer, use about 12 ounces and add as much water as needed to cover the brisket in the pan (as directed below).
- Seasoning. Even though the brisket comes seasoned, or with a seasoning packet, I like to spike the broth with garlic and bay leaves at the beginning of the cooking process.
- Parsley. While optional, parsley adds a great pop of color and fresh flavor just before serving.
Low and slow wins the race. Brisket is a tough cut of meat, so it needs to cook slowly for a long period of time. On the stove, that means 4 ½ to 6 hours over medium-low heat (timing depends on the weight of your brisket). In the slow cooker, it’s about 10 hours on LOW. Undercooked corned beef is tough, so allow plenty of time to soften the meat. Corned beef is ready when it’s fork tender and reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
A few tips for success
- Rinse your corned beef. Corned beef brisket comes laced with curing brine, so it’s important that you rinse off the excess surface salt. Failing to do this will result in overly salty beef. Removing the salt also reduces foam from forming during cooking
- Keep the heat low. Corned beef needs to cook low and slow, so after you bring the liquid to a high simmer, reduce the heat and keep it at a gentle simmer for the duration of cooking. This ensures that the meat cooks evenly and prevents overcooking.
- Know when your corned beef is finished cooking. Corned beef isn’t finished cooking until the meat is fall-apart tender. You can also check with a meat thermometer – the internal temperature should be 145 F.
- Let the corned beef rest before slicing. Let your corned beef rest for at least 15 minutes (and up to 30 minutes) before slicing. This resting time gives the muscle fibers time to relax and reabsorb the flavorful juices. It also makes the meat easier to cut.
- Cut the beef across the grain. Once rested, slice the corned beef against the grain (those long, parallel, fibrous strands). This shortens the muscle fibers and ensures extra tender meat.
- Wait to add the vegetables. Corned beef brisket requires a much longer cooking time than the vegetables do. For this reason, we cook the beef until tender and then add the vegetables. It’s nearly impossible to overcook corned beef brisket; it simply gets more tender.
- Don’t add salt. Corned beef brisket is brined in salt, so don’t be tempted to season the pot during cooking; it’s salty enough. Plus, you can always serve salt and pepper at the table.
Make ahead instructions. Since corned beef and cabbage takes most of the day to cook, it’s an excellent dish to make ahead and reheat before serving. Simply prepare the recipe as instructed. Once cool, transfer the unsliced beef and vegetables to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 2 days. When you’re ready to serve, transfer the meat and vegetables to a heavy pot or Dutch oven and reheat in a 300-degree F oven until the beef is completely warmed through. Let the beef rest for 15 minutes before slicing across the grain.
How to store leftovers. Once cool, transfer the beef and vegetables to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Reheat leftovers in heavy pot or Dutch oven, in a 300-degree F oven, until warmed through.
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 3 to 4- pound ready-to-cook corned beef brisket, preferably with seasoning packet
- 1 onion, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- Water or beer, see note above
- 2 pounds Yukon gold or red potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 to 5 carrots, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
- 1 small head green cabbage, cut into 2-inch wedges
- Parsley for serving, optional
Instructions
Stove top method
- Rinse the corned beef under cold water to remove excess surface salt and brine.
- Place the corned beef in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed stock pot.
- Sprinkle the seasoning packet over the beef.
- Arrange the onion, garlic, and bay leaves around the beef.
- Pour over enough water to just cover the beef.
- Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a high simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and gently simmer for 4 to 5 hours, until fork tender. The beef should reach 145 degrees F on a meat thermometer.
- Add the potatoes and carrots to the pan and cook for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the beef to a cutting board, reserving the vegetables in the pot. Let the beef rest for at least 15 minutes (and up to 30 minutes) before slicing.
- Add the cabbage to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes, until all vegetables are tender.
- Slice the beef against the grain and transfer to a serving platter. Add the vegetables, top everything with parsley, and serve.
Slow cooker method
- Rinse corned beef under cold water to remove excess surface salt and brine.
- Place the onion in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Place the corned beef on top of the onion.
- Sprinkle the beef with the seasoning packet.
- Arrange the onion, garlic, and bay leaves around the beef.
- Pour over enough water to just cover the beef.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
- Add the potatoes and carrots and cook on LOW for 2 more hours.
- Add the cabbage and cook on LOW for 2 more hours, until the vegetables and corned beef are tender. The beef should reach 145 degrees F on a meat thermometer.
- Remove the corned beef from the slow cooker and let rest for 15 minutes (and up to 30 minutes) before slicing.
- Slice the beef against the grain and transfer to a serving platter. Add the vegetables, top everything with parsley, and serve.