I make this recipe once a year for my husband for St. Patrick’s Day. He’s a lighthearted happy redhead, and making this corned beef and cabbage is such an easy way to put a smile on his sweet face. I use the crockpot method most often because it’s a simple hands-off way to get super tender sliced beef and veggies. But I’ve also shared my oven method in the recipe card notes below in case you prefer to cook it in a Dutch oven. Either way, I’m certain this iconic seasonal recipe will put a smile on your face, too.
Recipe Highlights
Super flavorful: The best thing about this recipe is that the beef gets infused with briny, salty, savory flavors. The carrots, onions, potatoes, and cabbage also pick up the delicious flavors of the spices and slow cooking liquid.
So easy: Even if you’ve never made corned beef and cabbage before, this recipe is so easy and I know you’ll be pleased with the results the first time you make it. If you can slice an onion, then you can make this recipe. It only takes 15 minutes to get everything into the crockpot, then cover, and let it cook away until the brisket and veggies are very tender.
Protein and veggies in one: It’s always a win when I can get a high-protein dinner that comes complete with veggies in one recipe. Each serving of this brisket, which is about 4 ounces of meat and 2 cups of veggies, provides 35 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber
Perfect for St. Patty’s Day: It has become an annual tradition to make this yummy beef and veggie dish for my family. It’s a St. Patrick’s Day recipe that my husband and kids ask for every year.
Choose your method: I prefer to cook corned beef in the slow cooker (since healthy crockpot recipes are a specialty of mine). But I know that not everyone has a crockpot, which is why I’ve also included oven directions in the recipe card below. If you’re looking for an Instant Pot method, check out the Frequently Asked Questions section.
Ingredient Insights
- Corned beef brisket – find a large (3- to 4-lb) brisket packed in a plastic bag or cryovac in the meat and deli section of the grocery store. Most briskets come with their own spice packet, but I’ve included directions in the recipe card Notes below to make your own spice packet, if needed
- Liquid – you can use a variety of liquids, such as chicken bone broth or beef broth or water. Most often I use a dark beer, such as a Guinness
- Red potatoes – I love the flavor and color of small red potatoes, so that’s what I use most often. Small yellow potatoes, such as Yukon gold, would also work
- Head of cabbage – what would corned beef and cabbage be without the cabbage? I like to use a whole head of a small green cabbage (or half of a large cabbage)
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Make Your Own Spice Packet
Most corned beef briskets – nearly everyone that I’ve ever seen – comes with its own seasoning packet (or pickling spice packet). But on the chance that its missing, or if you just want to make your own spice mix, here’s a delicious corned beef spice packet recipe:
In a medium skillet over medium heat, toast the following for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant: 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon mustard seeds, 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, and 2 teaspoons dill seeds.
Place the toasted seeds in a spice grinder (or use mortar and pestle) and add: 2 crushed bay leaves and 4 whole cloves.
Grind into a coarse texture, then mix the spice mix with ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
The Best Way To Serve
I serve the veggies and sliced corned beef all together on a big platter. It makes an impressive presentation and everyone can take exactly what they want. I sprinkle a little bit of chopped parsley on top to add some green and then serve some whole grain mustard and horseradish sauce on the side for dipping.
A few sides I often pair with it: store-bought Irish soda bread, pickles or my homemade sauerkraut, and a pint of green beer or Guinness for my husband.
If making this for a big group, I might add a side of roasted root vegetables or air fryer Brussels sprouts.
Storage Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat it in a skillet on the stovetop with a few tablespoons of water. Freeze leftover meat for up to 3 months, but I don’t recommend freezing any leftover vegetables as they’ll get too mushy when they thaw again.
If I’m lucky to have some sliced corned beef leftover, I always use it to make delicious Reuben sandwiches or corned beef hash.
The True History Of Corned Beef And Cabbage
You may think that corned beef and cabbage is an Irish dish, but that’s not entirely true. While it has Irish origins, experts say the recipe originated on American soil in the late 19th century. A version of this dish was previously made in Ireland using bacon and pork roast and cabbage. But when Irish immigrants found that bacon and big pork roasts were too expensive in the U.S., they substituted Jewish corned beef.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to make corned beef and cabbage in a pressure cooker is to cook the beef and the veggies separately. Place the rack in the bottom of the Instant Pot and top it with the corned beef brisket, garlic, spice packet, bay leaves, and 4 cups water or other liquid. Seal the lid and close the pressure gasket. Set to cook on High for 20 minutes per pound of brisket (60 to 80 minutes – may need up to 90 minutes).
When the time is up, quick release the pressure, then remove the brisket to a cutting board (if the brisket is not tender yet, pressure cook it for another 10-20 minutes). Cover the brisket with foil while you cook the veggies. Add the onion, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage to the Instant Pot, submerging them in the same liquid in the pot from cooking the brisket. Seal the lid and cook on High pressure for 10 to 12 minutes. Quick release the pressure.
Honestly, either one of them will work and taste great. Which one I use is usually a matter of what I can find at your local grocery store. A flat-cut brisket is leaner and more rectangular, which makes it easy to cut into uniform-size slabs. The point-cut has a higher fat content and pulls apart into chunks, similar to a beef pot roast.
No, despite its name, there is no corn in corned beef or most corned beef recipes. The name comes from large grains of salt (which resemble corn kernels) that are used to cure the corned beef.
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Slow Cooker Corned Beef And Cabbage Recipe
Make a traditional and best corned beef and cabbage using my easy crockpot method which creates delicious slices of briny savory beef brisket to serve alongside tender slow-cooked potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.
Ingredients
- 1 (3- to 4-lb) corned beef brisket, point or flat (with included spice packet*), fat cap removed
- 1 large white or yellow onion, thickly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 ½ pounds small red potatoes (1½- to 2-inches diameter), cut in half if large
- 8 oz carrots (about 4 medium), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups liquid (use low-sodium chicken broth, beef broth, water, or a stout beer, such as Guinness. Use 2 ½ cups liquid if preparing in the oven – see notes below)
- 1 small or ½ medium green cabbage, cut into thin wedges
- Optional for serving: chopped fresh parsley, coarse grain mustard, horseradish sauce
Instructions
- Remove the corned beef from its packaging and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
- In the bottom of a large 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, spread out the sliced onions and garlic.
- Place the corned beef brisket, fat side up, over the onions. Sprinkle the included seasoning packet over top of the corned beef, and top with the bay leaves.
- Add the potatoes and carrots around the corned beef.
- Pour liquid of choice (broth, water, or beer) into the slow cooker over the vegetables.
- Cover and cook on the low setting for 8 to 10 hours.
- When about 2 hours of cooking time remains, remove the lid and arrange the cabbage wedges over the beef and vegetables.
- Replace the lid and continue cooking for 2 hours, until the brisket is fork tender.
- To serve, remove the corned beef to a cutting board and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes while you use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to a serving platter.
- Slice the corned beef against the grain and arrange slices on the platter with the vegetables. Spoon some of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker over the beef and vegetables.
- If desired, garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve with coarse grain mustard or horseradish sauce on the side.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftover sliced corned beef can be used to make a delicious Reuben sandwich or corned beef hash.
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Notes
Volume: This recipe makes 1 ½ lbs cooked meat (from 3 ½ lbs brisket) and 12 cups of cooked veggies.
DIY spice packet: If your corned beef didn’t come with a spice packet, you can make your own. In a medium skillet over medium heat, toast 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon mustard seeds, 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, and 2 teaspoons dill seeds for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and toasted. Place the toasted seeds in a spice grinder (or use mortar and pestle) along with 2 crushed bay leaves and 4 whole cloves; grind into a coarse texture. Mix the spice mix with ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon on the spice mixture over the corned beef in Step 3. Store leftover spice mixture in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Oven cooking method:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Rinse and pat the brisket dry with paper towels.
- Add the onions and garlic to the bottom of a 6-quart Dutch oven (or larger) and place the corned beef brisket on top.
- Arrange the potatoes and carrots around the brisket.
- Sprinkle with the contents of the spice packet (if included – if you do not have a spice packet, refer to the notes above about making your own) and top with bay leaves.
- Pour your liquid of choice (broth, beer or water) over the vegetables. The brisket will not be fully submerged.
- Place the cabbage wedges alongside the brisket and sprinkle these with salt and pepper.
- Place the lid on the Dutch oven and cook in the preheated oven for 3 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender.
- Remove the corned beef brisket from the Dutch oven to a cutting board. Slice to desired thickness.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables to a serving plate or platter and top with sliced corned beef.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 4 oz meat and 2 cups veggies
- Calories: 409
- Fat: 25 g
- (Sat Fat: 10 g)
- Sodium: 895 mg
- Carbohydrate: 11 g
- (Fiber: 5 g
- Sugar: 6 g)
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 112 mg
Dietary
The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
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