Corned Beef and Cabbage

By
Kevin D. Weeks.
Kevin D. Weeks.
Kevin D. Weeks is a personal chef, cooking instructor, and food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/19/21
Corned Beef, cabbage and carrots

boblin / E+ / Getty Images

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 3 hrs
Total: 3 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1768 Calories
85g Fat
94g Carbs
143g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 1768
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 85g 109%
Saturated Fat 33g 167%
Cholesterol 481mg 160%
Sodium 336mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 94g 34%
Dietary Fiber 16g 59%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 143g
Vitamin C 112mg 558%
Calcium 313mg 24%
Iron 15mg 85%
Potassium 3432mg 73%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Corned beef and cabbage are one of our absolute favorite one-pot meals, especially for St. Patricks Day. While this meal can certainly be made on the stove top, making it in the oven in a cocotte gives it a more tender and richer result. A slow-cooker is also a good option. 

This dish is also known as New England Boiled Beef, but boiling meat is always a bad idea. It makes the meat tough and squeezes out the juices.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds

  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

  • 1 teaspoon dill seed

  • 1 teaspoon whole allspice

  • 1 teaspoon juniper berries, optional

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 (2-pound) corned beef brisket, trimmed of visible fat

  • 1 bottle of beer, or 6 to 12 ounces water or beef broth

  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths

  • 1 large (4-inch diameter) onion, cut into quarters

  • 2 large (3-inch diameter) turnips, cut into quarters

  • 1/4 head cabbage, cut in half

  • 2 (3-inch diameter) waxy potatoes, such as Red Bliss, cut into quarters

Steps to Make It

  1. Heat oven to 325 F.

  2. Place the coriander seed, black peppercorns, dill seed, whole allspice, juniper berries, and bamy leaf in a tea ball or make a small bag made out of cheesecloth.

  3. Rinse corned beef and place in a large dutch oven.

  4. Add beer, 1 carrot, 1/2 onion, spice mixture, and enough additional beer, water, or broth to barely cover brisket. Place over medium heat and bring to a vigorous simmer; but do not boil.

  5. Cover and place on lower-middle rack in the oven and cook for 1 hour.

  6. Then, turn the brisket over and add enough additional water (if needed) to bring level half-way up meat.

  7. Repeat this process of turning the brisket and adding additional liquids (if needed) 1 hour later.

  8. After 3 hours, remove from oven and remove brisket from broth and set on a plate. Strain out carrots and onions and discard along with spice mixture.

  9. Add all remaining vegetables, place on stove over medium-low heat, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are fork tender. Remove from heat.

  10. Slice brisket across the grain and add it back to vegetable mixture to warm up.

  11. Serve this with a collection of mustards: Dijon, Polish, honey-mustard, whatever. Then smear one slice of meat with Dijon, another with honey-mustard, and a potato with Polish. The various mustards give each bite a unique flavor.

Recipe Variation

  • Juniper berries have wonderfully resinous flavor. If you can't find them at your local gourmet store, you might add a sprig of fresh rosemary instead.