The Ultimate Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe for a St. Patrick’s Day Feast
St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect occasion to gather with friends and family and enjoy a hearty, Irish-American meal. Classic corned beef and cabbage is one of the most beloved dishes associated with this Irish holiday. It’s flavorful, simple to prepare, and serves a crowd—making it ideal for your St. Paddy’s Day celebration!
Serving corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day is a cherished tradition for many, especially in Irish-American households. The dish, featuring succulent corned beef with tender cabbage, carrots, and potatoes, is a delicious way to celebrate the festive spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, bringing friends and family together for a hearty, flavorful meal.
Whether you’re hosting a party or just craving a comforting meal, this easy corned beef and cabbage recipe will bring warmth and joy to your table.
This classic Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe is easy to prepare. It simmers for 4 – 5 hours, giving you time to decorate and prepare for the party!
Any leftover corned beef can be used for sandwiches or another meal. Happy St Patrick’s Day!
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Corned Beef and Cabbage Ingredients
- Corned Beef
- Guinness
- Baby Carrots
- Small Potatoes
- Brown Sugar (not shown)
- Bay Leaves (not shown)
- Head of Cabbage
Serve with mustard or horseradish on the side for an added kick! This easy meal serves 4 – 6.
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How to Make Corned Beef and Cabbage
Simmer the Beef
In an 8-quart pot or Dutch oven, place the corned beef fat side up. I used a 6-quart pot, but I wish I had more room to work.
Add the Guinness and the corned beef seasoning packet, and add water until it covers the meat by 1 inch, approximately 8 cups.
Add the brown sugar and bay leaves.
Cover and simmer over low heat for 4 to 5 hours or until the meat is tender and has an internal temperature of 160 F.
Prepare the Vegetables
Right after I start simmering the corned beef, I rinse the carrots, wash the potatoes, and remove the outer leaves from the cabbage. Then remove the stem, cut the cabbage into quarters, and cut the potatoes in half.
I put them back into the refrigerator, taking them out 1 hour before use to bring them to room temperature.
Cook the Vegetables
When the meat reaches 160 F, remove it from the pot and place it on a foil-covered platter to keep it warm.
Add the potatoes and carrots to the same pot, cover, and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes or until they soften.
Then add the cabbage wedges, cover, and continue cooking for another 15 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender but not mushy.
Place the corned beef back in the pot, cover and simmer for 5 minutes to warm the beef.
Remove the corned beef from the pot and place it on a cutting board. Slice it against the grain into thin slices.
Arrange the meat and vegetables on a serving platter or serve directly onto plates. My 13 x 9-inch platter (shown below) less than holds half the recipe.
Serve hot with spicy mustard or horseradish, optional.
Decorate your table with the shamrock placemats found here.
Tips for the Best Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Low and slow is key! Gently simmering the corned beef keeps it tender and juicy.
- Don’t skip the seasoning packet! It contains flavorful spices that enhance the dish.
- Use Yukon Gold potatoes for a creamy texture that holds up well in the broth.
- Make it in a slow cooker! Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8–10 hours or high for 4–6 hours for an effortless meal.
Perfect Pairings
Pair your corned beef and cabbage with traditional Irish soda bread and a pint of Guinness or an Irish whiskey cocktail like the Irish Gilt for a truly festive experience!
This easy corned beef and cabbage recipe will bring a delicious Irish-American tradition to your St. Patrick’s Day celebration with minimal effort. Enjoy the feast, wear some green, and may the luck of the Irish be with you! Sláinte.
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The Ultimate Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe for a Perfect St. Patrick’s Day Feast
Equipment
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 8 Quart Pot
- 1 Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
- 5 – 6 Pounds Corned Beef
- 1 Can Guinness (14.9 Ounces)
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 24 oz Bag of Baby Potatoes, Washed
- 1 Pound Baby Carrots, Rinsed
- 1 Head Cabbage, Outside Leaves and Core Removed, and Cut into 4 Pieces
- Spicy Mustard or Horseradish Optional
Instructions
- In an 8-quart pot, place the corned beef fat side up.
- Add the Guinness and the corned beef seasoning packet, and add water until it covers the meat by 1 inch, approximately 8 cups.
- Add the brown sugar and the bay leaves.
- Cover and simmer over low heat for 4 to 5 hours or until the meat is tender and has an internal temperature of 160 F.
- Right after I start simmering the corned beef, I rinse the carrots, wash the potatoes, and remove the outer leaves from the cabbage. Then remove the stem, cut the cabbage into quarters, and cut the potatoes in half.
- Then I put the vegetables back into the refrigerator, taking them out 1 hour before use to bring them to room temperature.
- When the meat reaches 160 F, remove it from the pot and place it on a foil-covered platter to keep it warm.
- Add the potatoes and carrots to the same pot, cover, and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes or until they just soften.
- Then add the cabbage wedges, cover, and continue cooking for another 15 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender but not mushy.
- Add the corned beef back to the pot until it is warm.
- Remove the corned beef from the pot and place it on a cutting board. Slice it against the grain into thin slices.
- Arrange the meat and vegetables on a serving platter or serve directly onto plates.
- Serve hot with spicy mustard or horseradish.
If you’ve tried this, please leave a comment and rating below.
This is awesome!! You need to try this delicious and easy recipe!
Nancylou
Made this delicious Cornbeef and Cabage. Must try,makes u feel like your in Ireland. It also warms up great.Make it soon.
Interesting factoid: Corned beef and cabbage as a dish, is actually an Irish-American construct! My grandparents were 1st-generation Irish/Scottish, respectively (Fitzgerald and McCreary), and neither had ever heard of this until they came to the US! lol “Corning” beef (salt-curing) was a way for poor Irish immigrants to preserve beef, which was readily-available in the States, but prohibitively-expensive in their native Ireland. The fact that it’s served fairly widely in Ireland NOW is actually more to cater to Americans who visit! Who knew??
Anyway, this recipe is quite, quite good! I actually don’t enjoy the fatty layer of corned beef, so after several hours of boiling, I remove the beef, place it on a rack over a raised-edge baking sheet, use a sharp knife to remove much of the “fat” layer, and oven-roast, the last 45 minutes or so; the residual fat rather melts and the exterior of the brisket gets a lovely crisp.
Adding the cabbage with only about 20 minutes is critical: the picture shows cabbage that is woefully overcooked; overcooked cabbage is “skunky” – not at all lovely and sweet. Cabbage is done when it’s bright green, crisp-tender, and has a mildly sweet flavour. Once it’s white? It’s a goner. So, watch the cook on the cabbage! The directions are splendid; the picture doesn’t do it justice! Enjoy! And Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! ~Chrissie
Thank you, Chrissie, for the ‘interesting factoid.’ I will update my post to reflect the Irish-American dish. I learn something new every day!
Oven-roasting the meat for the last 45 minutes sounds like a great idea. The post’s first version had all the vegetables going in together and cooking for 50 minutes. That version of the recipe was used for the photos, and you are correct: the cabbage in the pictures is way overcooked. So I adjusted the recipe, leaving the cabbage out until the end, and the cabbage was perfectly cooked. Unfortunately, my family got to the food before I could reshoot the photos.
Reshooting the recipe is on my list :o)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you as well!
Susan