by Diana Rattray
Corned beef and cabbage is a classic Irish-American dish that is typically made to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. While we enjoy corned beef as an Irish meal, it did not originate in Ireland. Irish immigrants settling in New York bought corned beef from their Jewish neighbors and cooked it with cabbage. The salty corned beef and cabbage was reminiscent of an Irish comfort food, bacon and cabbage. See: The Secret Jewish History of Corned Beef and Cabbage
Preparation Notes
- Prepare the bouquet garni. If you don’t have bouquet garni bags, you can make a bag with a bit of cheesecloth and twine. This will keep your whole spices and garlic together and easy to remove later. Alternatively, you can just add them to the pot and strain the broth before serving.
- Corned beef is pretty salty, so you should rinse it well with cold water before cooking. Then you’ll add it to the Dutch oven along with some beef broth, water, and the bouquet garni.
- The meat is cooked until it is tender, then the potatoes, carrots, and onions are added. The cabbage is added after 20 minutes and everything is cooked for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender but not very limp.
- Trim any excess fat from the corned beef brisket and slice it across the grain.
- Arrange the corned beef, cabbage and vegetables on one or two serving platters and drizzle with some of the defatted broth.
- Garnish everything with some fresh chopped parsley.
- For sauces, mustard is always a favorite with corned beef. Serve it with prepared yellow mustard or honey mustard, or a combination of yellow and Dijon mustards with brown sugar or honey, to taste.
- If you like horseradish with corned beef, make a quick sauce with 1/2 cup of sour cream, 3 tablespoons of prepared horseradish, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and a dash of salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.
Variation Ideas
- Use multicolored carrots rather than orange.
- Replace red-skinned potatoes with other low-starch potatoes, such as Yukon gold or round white potatoes.
- Add 2 to 3 medium parsnips, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 3-inch lengths. Add them to the pot along with the carrots.
How to Store Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Refrigerate leftover corned beef, cabbage, and vegetables in separate shallow, airtight containers within 2 hours and eat within 4 days.
- All parts of a corned beef and cabbage dinner may be frozen in airtight containers or freezer bags. Label containers with the name and date and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
Ultimate Corned Beef and Cabbage
This corned beef and cabbage dinner is sure to please everyone, even your pickiest eaters. You don’t have to wait for St. Patrick’s Day to enjoy this wonderful boiled dinner!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Corned Beef, St. Patrick’s Day
- Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 whole allspice berries
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 cloves garlic, bruised
- 2 large bay leaves
- 3 sprigs thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
- 1 corned beef brisket, 4 to 5 pounds
- 3 cups beef broth
- Water to cover
- 2 medium onions, cut into wedges
- 2 1/2 to 3 pounds red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
- 4 large carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 3-inch lengths
- 1 small rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, optional
- 1 medium green cabbage head, cut into 6 to 8 wedges
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- 4 tablespoons butter, for serving
- Mustard, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Rinse the corned beef and place it in a large Dutch oven or stockpot.
- Make a cheesecloth bag and add the allspice berries, peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs. Tie with kitchen twine and add it to the corned beef.
- Add the beef broth to the Dutch oven along with enough water to cover the corned beef. Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot tightly, and simmer until the corned beef is tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- Add the onions, potatoes, carrots, and rutabaga; if using, increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add the cabbage wedges to the pot and continue to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until the cabbage is tender.
- Remove the corned beef to a cutting board and let it stand for 15 minutes. Slice the meat across the grain and transfer it to a platter.
- Strain the broth in a gravy separator and discard the fat.
- Arrange the vegetables around the corned beef and drizzle with some of the cooking broth. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
