Corned Beef & Cabbage Recipe (2024)

Corned beef is not a common dish here in the South. In fact, I often have a hard time even finding corned beef brisket in our grocery stores.

But when I do find it? -- It's totally worth grabbing it up and making a big ol' pot of Corned Beef & Cabbage or our family-favorite, very-similar New England Boiled Dinner.

Having grown up in New England (Vermont, to be exact), I grew up eating corned beef. My born-and-bred-Southern-boy husband, though? Not so much. In fact, he says he once witnessed a pretty heated debate about the stuff between a Northerner and a Southerner!

The Northerner involved in said debate was talking about enjoying corned beef & cabbage.

Corned beef is actually a brisket that is then salt cured -- turning the brisket into the distinctive thing we know as corned beef.

The Southerner involved in said debate ... a cattle farmer, mind you ... was calling into question said Northerner's knowledge of cuts of beef, heatedly asking just exactly what cut from the cow corned beef was. And heatedly stating that there was no such cut called the 'corned beef.'

Which, indeed, is true.

There is indeed no cut of beef called corned beef. That Southern cattle farmer was exactly right. I'm not so sure this was worth a heated debate, though.

Corned beef is actually a brisket, a cut from the breast or lower chest of beef, that is then salt cured -- turning the brisket into the distinctive thing we know as corned beef.

Corned beef comes in two varieties of cuts -- flat cut and point cut. Point cut has more fat marbled through it whereas flat cut, due to it's shape, produces nicer, prettier slices.

So I guess that makes corned beef a ... thing? ... not a cut?

Personally in my mind, who cares if it's a cut or not?? Corned beef sure tastes delicious, and that's all that matters to me.

And when that corned beef is cooked up and served with big wedges of cabbage? It's divineness in a pot.

Now, brisket is a tougher cut of beef that requires long, slow cooking in liquid to tenderize it. In the case of this Corned Beef & Cabbage, that liquid is a mixture of beer and a whole lot of water, in which the beef is simmered for several hours. This long slow simmer produces deliciously fork-tender beef.

Brisket is a tougher cut of beef that requires long, slow cooking in liquid to tenderize it. In the case of Corned Beef & Cabbage, that liquid is a mixture of beer and a whole lot of water.

To cook up a pot, first start by soaking the corned beef brisket in cold water for about 30 minutes. This removes some of the salt absorbed into the meat during the salt curing process. Don't skip this step -- or you'll end up with an excessively salty finished dish.

Then place the corned beef in a large stock pot or Dutch oven and pour abeer over the beef. Use any old kind of beer except something that's dark, like a stout or a porter. Dark beers are just too bitter and intense for this preparation.

Add water to the pot until the liquid level reaches about 1 inch over the top of the beef brisket. Then add in the spices from the spice packet that comes in the corned beef package.

If yourcorned beef brisket happened to not come with a spice packet (or you just want to amp up the flavor of the cooking liquid!), use about a teaspoon of pickling spice.

Gently simmer the corned beef on its own for about 3 hours.

Then add cabbage wedges to the pot, and keep cooking the corned beef and cabbage together for about 30 more minutes.

Traditionally, corned beef and cabbage is just that -- corned beef and cabbage wedges. But if you'd like, you can also add some carrots to the pot, too. I usually do!

I figure, if I've already got a pot simmering, why not get another vegetable cooked at the same time, too. Not to mention, the corned beef juice in the cooking liquid brings fabulous flavor to fresh carrots simmered in its deliciousness.

Once the simmering time is done, remove the corned beef to a cutting board and trim off the fat. Cut the meat into slices and place the slices on a serving platter.

How the corned beef is cut into slices is very important if you want to produce the best result.

It's this combination of a long slow simmer + slicing across the grain that produces tender corned beef slices.

Besides the long, slow cooking in liquid, to create tender corned beef one also has to be mindful of how the brisket is cut. To make the meat more tender, always slice corned beef across the grain ... meaning the knife is running perpendicular to the lines of the meat.

It's this combination of a long slow simmer + slicing across the grain that produces tender corned beef slices.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the cabbage from the pot, letting the excess water drain. Place the cabbage on the serving platter alongside the corned beef slices, and you're good to go to enjoy the deliciousness. Pretty easy, right?

And so, I think we've settled the heated North-vs-South debate that corned beef is not a cut of beef. But I think after one bite of this tasty dish, all will also come to realize ... it doesn't really matter. Corned beef is delicious, and that's all that matters.

If you live in the North where the yummy stuff is readily available, I hope you'll enjoy a big ol' pot of Corned Beef & Cabbage soon! If you live in the South or other areas where it's harder to come by, grab it up the next time you're fortunate enough to see it ... and enjoy yourself a big ol' pot, too.

I think you'll be glad you did.

Check out these other fabulous meat-dish favorites:

• New England Boiled Dinner (with corned beef)
• Mama's Stovetop Pork Roast
• Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
• Slow Cooker Apple Pork Loin
• Dry-Brined Roasted Turkey
• Maple Crock Pot Ham
• Whole Roasted Chicken with Vegetables
• Oven Barbecue Chicken Thighs