Beef/ Gluten Free/ Holiday/Themed/ Potatoes/ Vegetables

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned Beef and Cabbage ~ the quintessential and iconic St. Patrick’s Day dish of corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes, is there anything better?

Corned Beef and Cabbage ~ the quintessential and iconic St. Patrick's Day dish of corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes ~ The Complete Savorist

This might be one of the very first holiday dishes I ever learned to make. It was simple.  Grab the biggest pot, fill it with water, throw everything in, eat in a few hours. Or at least this is the way I remember it in my head.  The corned beef was always perfect and the cabbage was always translucent and soggy.

It wasn’t until I was on my own and began making this for my own holiday celebrations that I learned how to actually make it properly. I gave my Grandmother a call and she walked me through how she makes it.  No more soggy cabbage and still perfect meat.  Turns out, just like with all cooking, it’s about the timing.

Not everything gets dumped in the pot at the start.  There is a rhyme and reason to it all.

When you first start to boil the meat, you have to remove the film (or scum as my grandma calls it), once that is gone, add the spices and let it cook, then the onion will get tossed in, then the potatoes and carrots with the cabbage getting its steam bath at the very end. All and all, this is a super easy recipe and yields the best flavor.

Corned Beef and Cabbage ~ the quintessential and iconic St. Patrick's Day dish of corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes ~ The Complete Savorist

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Author: Michelle
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Ingredients

  • 1-3 lb pkg flat-cut corned beef plus seasoning packet
  • 1 head green cabbage; quartered
  • 1 onion
  • 10-15 small red potatoes
  • 2 lbs carrots (baby or whole-diced)
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

  1. Remove corned beef and spice packet from package, and clean, removing excess liquid from meat.
  2. Place corned beef in a dutch oven or other large pot, fill with water.
  3. Bring to a boil, using a kitchen tablespoon, remove the foaming film that rises to the surface. Do this until there is no more film, usually about three times.
  4. Once the film is gone, add the spice packet and bay leaf and continue to cook at a low boil for 2 hours.
  5. After two hours, add the onion and continue to cook at a low boil for an additional hour.
  6. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for 30 more minutes.
  7. The last 5 minutes of the carrot/potato cooking time, add the cabbage.
  8. Once the cabbage has cooked, remove it from the water, it should still be crisp but tender.
  9. Remove corned beef and allow it to rest for a few minutes then slice across the grain.
  10. Serve and Enjoy.

Corned Beef and Cabbage ~ the quintessential and iconic St. Patrick's Day dish of corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes ~ The Complete Savorist What else is part of your St. Patrick’s Day Feast?

Thank you for sharing!

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19 Comments

  • Reply
    Debra @ Bowl Me Over
    March 16, 2015 at 3:32 pm

    Big bowl of yum there! Love corned beef & cabbage and yours looks delicious!

    • Reply
      Betty
      March 16, 2015 at 5:10 pm

      Beautiful. Love corned beef ad cabbage ad your dish looks great.

    • Reply
      Michelle
      March 16, 2015 at 6:14 pm

      Thank you Debra! I love the stuff.

  • Reply
    Cate | Chez CateyLou
    March 16, 2015 at 6:24 pm

    What a perfect St. Patrick’s Day feast! You make it sound so easy too – I think I need to make this tomorrow night!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      March 17, 2015 at 1:57 am

      Thank you Cate, hope you enjoy, it really is easy to make.

  • Reply
    christine
    March 17, 2015 at 7:18 am

    I’m the same as you, I add my veggies later in the cooking process. This sounds wonderful and we are definitely having our obligatory corned beef and cabbage meal tonight!

  • Reply
    Lizzyw
    March 17, 2015 at 9:33 am

    perfect recipe for today! pinning now! beautiful pictures!

  • Reply
    Joy @ Joy Love Food
    March 17, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I love corned beef and cabbage, yours looks wonderful!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      March 17, 2015 at 8:58 pm

      Thank you Joy, it’s seriously good eating.

  • Reply
    Marye
    February 24, 2016 at 5:29 am

    I LOVE corned beef, I certainly don’t make it often enough. This sounds amazing!

  • Reply
    Lauren @ Wicked Spatula
    February 24, 2016 at 6:34 am

    Love corned beef! I haven’t had it in forever though, time to change that!

  • Reply
    Ashley - Forking Up
    February 24, 2016 at 7:00 pm

    I love corned beef and cabbage, I make one every St. Patrick’s Day!

  • Reply
    Sabrina
    February 25, 2016 at 12:06 am

    I love when corned beef goes on sale in March! I get to make a whole lot of it for my husband and freeze it!

  • Reply
    Sarah Walker Caron (Sarah's Cucina Bella)
    February 25, 2016 at 4:46 am

    Oh, how I adore corned beef and cabbage. Even knowing that this food tradition is completely American, I still look forward to having it each year.

  • Reply
    Betsy
    March 16, 2021 at 10:20 am

    5 stars
    I’ve always cooked mine in the crockpot. Corned beef is great this way and not stringy. Yes you start with potatoes cooked in the pot, later add carrots, and then during the last hour toss in cabbage. The meat has a wonderful taste to it this way.

  • Reply
    2022 Happy Saint Patrick's day to everyone!
    March 17, 2022 at 8:23 am

    […] Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional Irish-American meal. […]

  • Reply
    Linda
    March 18, 2022 at 9:20 am

    My corned beef didn’t come with a spice packet. What to add instead?

    • Reply
      Michelle De La Cerda
      March 18, 2022 at 9:28 am

      Oh no. You’ve got a few options. You can pick up pickling spice at the grocery store or raid your spice cabinet and make your own blend. 5o make your own, toast a pinch of coriander seed, a couple peppercorns, a pinch of mustard seed, and a pinch of anise seed in a dry pan. I do this over medium heat until they’re aromatic. At the end, add a small pinch of red pepper flake and bay leaf. You can tear the bay leave apart or leave it whole. Once aromatic, add to your pot for cooking.

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