Corned Beef and Cabbage
intro
Tender, savory slow-simmered corned beef paired with soft cabbage, potatoes, and carrots: a cozy, filling one-pot comfort food classic.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and simmer brisket
Place the 1500g corned beef brisket (fat side up) in a large 8L stock pot, add the included pickling spice packet, 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, 15g crushed garlic, 200g quartered yellow onion, and 2400ml cold water to fully submerge the meat. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then immediately reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 2 hours 30 minutes, skimming foamy residue from the surface every 30 minutes.
Prep root vegetables
While the brisket simmers, scrub 700g Yukon gold potatoes and cut each in half crosswise, peel 300g carrots and cut into 5cm (2 inch) thick chunks, then set prepped vegetables aside in a large bowl. Do not add vegetables early, as they will overcook and turn mushy long before the brisket reaches ideal tenderness.
Add roots to pot
After the brisket has simmered for 2 hours 30 minutes, carefully lift the pot lid (tilt it away from your face to avoid steam burns), add the prepped potato halves and carrot chunks to the pot, pressing gently to submerge them in the cooking liquid. Return the lid, maintain the medium-low gentle simmer, and cook for 15 minutes.
Add cabbage wedges
While root vegetables cook, cut the 900g medium green cabbage into 6 equal wedges, leaving 1cm of the core intact on each wedge to hold leaves together during cooking. After roots have cooked for 15 minutes, nestle cabbage wedges into the pot liquid, spooning a small amount of broth over each wedge to moisten. Cover again, simmer on medium-low for an additional 15 minutes, until all vegetables pierce easily with a fork.
Rest and slice brisket
Once all vegetables are fork-tender, use tongs to carefully transfer the corned beef brisket to a clean wooden cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes to allow juices to redistribute. Slice the rested brisket against the grain into 6mm (1/4 inch) thick slices, trimming away any large, tough excess fat caps as you slice.
Plate and serve hot
Arrange 2-3 slices of corned beef, one cabbage wedge, a scoop of potatoes, and carrot chunks on each warm dinner plate. Ladle 30ml (2 tablespoons) of hot cooking broth over each serving, top with a 5g (1 tsp) pat of unsalted butter if desired, and serve immediately while piping hot.
Tips
2.Never cook corned beef at a fast, rolling boil for the full duration; high heat will make the meat stringy and tough, so keep the temperature low enough that only small, gentle bubbles break the liquid surface.
3.Leave a small section of core attached to each cabbage wedge to prevent leaves from separating and turning into mushy, overcooked bits in the broth; you can easily trim the core off at the table before eating if preferred.
Made this for our St. Patrick’s Day family dinner and OMG it was a total hit! The corned beef came out so tender I didn’t even need a knife to cut it, and the cabbage had that perfect buttery, savory flavor instead of being mushy. My picky 7 year old asked for seconds! Even my father in law who swears his mom’s recipe is unbeatable said this was top tier. 10/10 will make again next year for sure.
Super easy recipe, total game changer for someone who’s never made corned beef and cabbage before! Only question — can I toss in some extra red potatoes with the veggies like my grandma used to do, or will that throw off the cook time? I’m making this for our neighborhood potluck this weekend and want to make sure it turns out perfect.
This is now my go-to Sunday meal prep staple! I make a big batch at the start of the week and it reheats so well for lunches. I was worried the cabbage would get soggy after a few days in the fridge but it holds up perfectly, and the corned beef stays juicy. Only heads up — the spice packet that comes with the corned beef was a little salty for my taste, so I rinsed the brisket before cooking and cut back on extra salt, worked like a charm.
I’ve been making corned beef and cabbage every St. Paddy’s for 20+ years and I have to say, this recipe is easily in my top 3 versions I’ve ever made. The cook time is spot on — 3 hours left me with fall-apart brisket without it being stringy, and the veggies absorbed just the right amount of that briny, beefy flavor. I added a splash of apple cider vinegar to the cooking liquid like I usually do and it paired perfectly with the recipe’s instructions. SO good.
Tried this for the first time ever last night because my roommate is Irish and was missing home, and honestly? I was shocked how easy it was for how good it turned out! We didn’t have any carrots on hand so we skipped those, but it still slapped. Only thing is I think I let the cabbage cook a little too long cause it was pretty mushy, oops. Still ate every bite though.
Brought this to our office St. Patrick’s Day potluck and it was gone in 10 minutes flat! People were coming up to me asking for the recipe before I even had a chance to grab a second helping. I did add a little extra garlic and a few bay leaves like someone suggested in the comments and wow, that depth of flavor was unreal. My only complaint is I wish I’d made a double batch!
So glad I found this easy, no-fuss recipe! I follow a gluten free diet and it’s so hard to find corned beef recipes that don’t sneak in weird gluten-containing additives, but this uses simple, whole ingredients that I can easily source. Quick question — can I make this in a slow cooker instead of on the stovetop? I work 10 hour shifts and would love to toss it in before I leave for work so it’s done when I get home.
My mom made this for us every year growing up but I never got her exact recipe before she passed, so I was nervous to try a random online version. Let me tell you — this tasted exactly like hers. I teared up a little when I took the first bite. The cook time is perfect, the ratio of meat to veggies is spot on, and that subtle savoriness? Exactly how I remembered it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it means more than I can say.
Wait, dumb question — when the recipe says to use the spice packet that comes with the corned beef, do I dump the whole thing in loose, or do I put it in a little cheesecloth sachet? I’ve never made this before and I don’t want to end up biting down on a whole peppercorn mid-dinner, that sounds terrible 😂
3 hours cook time sounds long but it’s almost totally hands off! I spent the time watching the game while it simmered on the stove, didn’t have to stir it or mess with it at all once I got it going. The meat was juicy, the veggies were flavorful, even my teen who hates cooked veggies ate all his cabbage. I will say I added a little dollop of mustard on the side for dipping the corned beef, chef’s kiss.
I’m not a huge red meat eater but my partner loves corned beef and cabbage, so I made this for his birthday dinner. Even I went back for a second helping! I added extra carrots and a little bit of chopped turnip with the cabbage to bulk up the veggie portion, and it all soaked up that delicious briny flavor so well. He said it was better than the version his grandma makes — don’t tell her I said that 😂
This is such a budget friendly meal for big families! I picked up a corned beef brisket on sale for $12, a head of cabbage for $1, carrots and onions for under $2 total, and it fed my family of 5 with enough leftovers for sandwiches the next day. You can’t beat that value! Wait — is there a trick to making leftover corned beef sandwiches as good as the fresh meal? Mine always end up a little dry when I reheat the meat.
I live at 7,000 feet elevation and usually have to adjust every stovetop recipe I make to account for the lower boiling point. I tried this as written first just to see, and the corned beef was still a little tough after 3 hours. Any tips for adjusting this for high altitude cooks like me? I’d love to nail this next time!
Made this for our annual St. Patrick’s Day house party over the weekend and everyone raved about it! I served it with a side of Irish soda bread and some pickles on the side, and it was the perfect spread. I was worried making it for 12 people would be a hassle but it was so low effort, I was able to hang out with my guests instead of being stuck in the kitchen the whole time.
I was skeptical about how this would reheat because cabbage usually gets super weird when you warm it up, but man, this is even better the second day! The flavors meld together so much after sitting in the fridge overnight. I chopped up the leftover corned beef and veggies and tossed them into a hash with eggs for breakfast this morning and it was the best breakfast I’ve had all month.