St. Patrick's Day is almost here! What's more Irish than a traditional recipe for corned beef and cabbage? Serve with mustard or horseradish if desired.
If you're looking for the best corned beef and cabbage recipe on the internet, you've come to the right place. You won't believe how simple it is to make this top-rated recipe. It's perfect for St. Patrick's Day, but you'll want to make it all year long.
What Is Corned Beef?
Corned beef is salt-cured beef. Before electricity paved the way for refrigeration, meat was preserved in salt. Brisket (the tender meat from the lower breast) is traditionally used to make corned beef in the United States.
Corned Beef and Cabbage Origins
So how did corned beef and cabbage become such a dynamic duo? It's actually an American invention. Historically, cabbage was paired with pork bacon in Ireland. Irish immigrants in 19th-century New York City, who often lived in the same neighborhood as Jewish butchers, noticed flavor similarities between the corned beef of NYC delicatessens and the pork bacon of their homeland. Thus, corned beef and cabbage was born. These days, it's commonly associated with St. Patrick's Day.
Corned Beef vs. Pastrami
Corned beef and pastrami are both deli staples, but they're not the same thing. Corned beef is salt-cured beef that is cooked by boiling, while pastrami is seasoned and smoked beef.
How to Make Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients:
1 (3 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet
10 small red potatoes
5 medium carrots
1 large head cabbage
Directions:
Gather all ingredients.
Place corned beef in a Dutch oven and cover with water. Add spice packet, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until corned beef is just about fork-tender, about 2 hours.
While the corned beef is simmering, cut potatoes in half. Peel carrots and cut into 3-inch pieces. Cut cabbage into small wedges.
When corned beef has cooked for 2 hours, add potatoes and carrots; cook until vegetables are almost tender and meat is fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Add cabbage and cook until tender, about 15 more minutes.
Remove meat and let it rest for 15 minutes. Leave broth and vegetables in the Dutch oven.Slice meat across the grain. Serve with vegetables and broth.
Enjoy!
