Go Back

Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

Prep Time36 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 36 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Irish
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

For the Corned Beef

  • 1 pound salt kosher
  • 1 gallon water
  • 8 pounds beef brisket trimmed of most of its fat

For the Corned Beef and Cabbage

  • 1 beef brisket 6-8 pounds, patted dry
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • teaspoons whole peppercorns
  • 3 dried bay leaves
  • 1 head cabbage trimmed of outer leaves, cored and cut in quarters
  • 14 medium red potatoes skin on, halved or quartered, depending on the size
  • ½ pound carrots peeled and sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 Harp's lager or similar lager
  • water
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • Fleur de Sel to taste*

Instructions

For the Corned Beef

  • Heat water and salt together until salt is dissolved. Cool, and put in a large container. Submerge the meat in the brine for seven days. The meat must be completely submerged, so either place a weight on top of the meat (such as a heavy jar or can in a plastic bag) or double the water and salt. This must be refrigerated.
  • After a week, rinse the brine off the meat and pat dry. Discard the brine, and continue with the recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage below.

For the Corned Beef and Cabbage

  • Preheat oven to 275° F.
  • Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add oil and butter and heat.
  • Sear brisket on all sides until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Pour beer over the beef. Add enough water to come halfway up the meat.
  • Wrap the peppercorns and bay leaves in a square of cheesecloth and place in the Dutch oven with the meat. Cover the pot tightly, and braise for 2½ hours, or until meat is tender.
  • Remove the peppercorns and bay leaves.
  • Place the potatoes around the meat, followed by the garlic, carrots and cabbage. Add enough water to barely cover. Bring to a simmer on the stove top, then cover the Dutch oven and braise until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
  • To serve, drain the vegetables with a spider or a slotted spoon, and arrange them on a serving platter. Drizzle melted butter over the vegetables.
  • Thinly slice the beef across the grain and place on top of the vegetables. Garnish with minced parsley and lightly sprinkle with just a pinch or two of Fleur de Sel.

Notes

A true corned beef is cured with sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite. This is what gives the cooked beef its traditional pink color. If you want to corn beef using a sodium nitrate mixture, rub the brisket with a mixture of 5 tablespoons Morton's Sugar Cure , 2 tablespoons light brown sugar and 3 tablespoons of corned beef spices.
Place in a plastic zip top bag, squeeze out the air and place the meat in a dish in the refrigerator for 6 days, flipping the bag over twice a day. Liquid will collect in the bag; do not drain it. After six days, rinse the meat off and soak it in water for an hour to remove some of the salt.
*Generally speaking, corned beef and cabbage does not need any extra salt during the cooking process. Taste yours, though, to see if you think it needs a little kosher salt during cooking. If not, finishing with a sprinkle of flake salt, such as Fleur de Sel, will be sufficient.