Corned Beef and Cabbage
Our traditional corned beef and cabbage recipe is easy to make, tastes delicious, and is a perfect way to celebrate St. Paddy's Day with your friends and family!
Ingredients
- 4 pounds corned beef brisket raw
- 2 tablespoons pickling spice
- 2 bay leaves optional but recommended
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 3 large carrots peeled and chopped into 2" pieces
- 24 ounces small red potatoes halved
- 1 large yellow onion peeled, halved, and quartered
- 1 large green cabbage cored and cut into 6-8 wedges
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
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Rinse the brisket under cold water and place the brisket into a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add enough water so that the brisket is fully covered. Add the pickling spice, bay leaves, garlic, and cinnamon.
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Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, covering with the lid slightly ajar, then immediately reduce to medium-low and simmer for 3 hours.
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Use a fork to carefully check if the brisket seems cooked and starts to pull apart. Turn off the heat and carefully transfer the cooked beef to a pan or cutting board to fully cool (leaving the liquid behind in the pot.) I like to use two pairs of tongs to transfer the brisket to another large pot carefully; this way, you won't burn yourself or get it all over the counter if there's any dripping hot liquid from it.
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Set the brisket aside to cool.
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Carefully strain the cooking liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl/container and discard any of the spices/garlic/cinnamon. Give the pot a quick rinse to remove any leftover spices, and return the strained liquid to the now-empty pot.
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Add the carrots, potatoes, and onion to the strained liquid in the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
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Next, nestle the cabbage into the liquid, cover the pot, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all the vegetables are fork-tender. Press the cabbage into the liquid as it wilts down so it's immersed.
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Add the mustard and mix into the liquid once the vegetables are cooked.
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Once the corned beef is thoroughly cooled, if there is excess fat on the brisket, trim it off and discard.
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Slice the corned beef against the grain using a sharp knife. Place the brisket onto a serving platter. Use a ladle to transfer the cooked vegetables & some liquid to the platter.
Recipe Notes
My 4-pound brisket cooked perfectly in 3 hours. If you use a 3-pound brisket, reduce the cooking time by 30 minutes and test to see if the brisket starts pulling apart at the 2 1/2-hour mark. The brisket shrinks substantially, so even though it starts off super big, it feeds 6-8 people.