Traditional Irish Boiled Dinner Recipe

Name: Traditional Irish Boiled Dinner
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 225 min
Total time: 245 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 3 1/2 pounds beef brisket , patted dry; 2 (12-ounce) bottles lager beer; 2 cups water, or enough to cover; 2 bay leaves; 10 black peppercorns; 1/2 cup parsley, chopped; 2 teaspoons salt; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, or olive oil; 3 cloves garlic , sliced; 2 cups leeks , white parts only, chopped; 1 medium yellow onion, sliced; 3/4 pound large carrots, peeled, cut into large pieces; 3/4 pound small potatoes (whole red, unpeeled); 1 pound turnips, peeled, quartered; 2 pounds green cabbage , cut into sixths, secured with toothpicks; 1 dash salt, or to taste; 1 dash freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 3 hrs 45 mins

Total: 4 hrs 5 mins

Servings: 6 to 8 servings

22 ratings

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
752	Calories
40g	Fat
29g	Carbs
61g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories	752
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g	52%
Saturated Fat 15g	75%
Cholesterol 210mg	70%
Sodium 702mg	31%
Total Carbohydrate 29g	10%
Dietary Fiber 6g	22%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 61g
Vitamin C 62mg	309%
Calcium 149mg	11%
Iron 6mg	35%
Potassium 1207mg	26%
*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.)

This recipe for hearty beef brisket is slow cooked on the stovetop with cabbage, leeks, carrots, potatoes, and turnips. Two bottles of beer are added to give depth and richness to the broth without lending any beer flavor.

Boiled dinners like this one are a comfort food in most Irish homes. They are full meals made in a single pot and include everything you need for a delicious family-style dinner complete with your choice of meat (beef, corned beef, pork, lamb, or game meat all work well), potatoes, and lots of vegetables.

It all comes together in no time at all, with most of the effort going into preparing all the fresh veggies. You will, however, have to let this cook for at least 3 1/2 hours, so it's ideal for the weekend when the whole clan can get together and enjoy it.

Jeff Smith (William Morrow)

3 1/2 pounds beef brisket, patted dry
2 (12-ounce) bottles lager beer
2 cups water, or enough to cover
2 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cups chopped leeks, white parts only
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
3/4 pound large carrots, peeled, cut into large pieces
3/4 pound small red potatoes, unpeeled
1 pound turnips, peeled, quartered
2 pounds green cabbage, cut into sixths, secured with toothpicks
1 dash salt, or to taste
1 dash freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Gather the ingredients.
Place an 8- to 10-quart stove-top covered casserole dish (such as a Dutch oven) on the burner. Add the beef, beer, water, bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley, and salt.
Heat a separate frying pan and add the butter or olive oil.
Sauté the garlic, leeks, and yellow onion until translucent and transfer to the casserole.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cover the casserole, simmering gently for 3 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender. This will normally take about 1 hour per pound of brisket.
In the last 25 minutes of cooking, add the carrots and red potatoes.
In the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the turnips, cabbage, salt, and pepper.
If the vegetables are not done to your liking, cook them longer, but do not overcook.
Thinly slice the meat and serve with the vegetables (remember to remove the toothpicks from the cabbage) and pot juices along with horseradish and grainy mustard if desired.
While not traditional, you can accompany this dish with potato bread or pumpernickel bread to sop up all those flavorful juices.