My absolute favorite recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage! This easy dinner is made in the slow cooker or in the oven, you can just set it and forget it! (Crock pot to the rescue, right?) This method gives you the most tender and juicy corned beef you’ve ever had. Serve it with Roasted Red Potatoes and Horseradish Sauce for the perfect St. Patrick’s Day meal! Originally posted March 12, 2012.

corned beef and cabbage on a plate with potatoes and carrots.
Table of Contents
  1. This is the Best Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
  2. What is the best way to cook Corned Beef?
  3. What you need for this Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
  4. How to cook Corned Beef and Cabbage (Slow Cooker Version)
  5. How to cook Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Oven
  6. How to serve this Recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage
  7. Corned Beef Recipe storage
  8. Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe FAQs
  9. More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes you are going to love!
  10. Best Recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

Isn’t St. Patrick’s Day the best? When you were a kid, didn’t you just love the shamrocks and rainbows everywhere, the pinching galore, and the green milk in the morning?

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sliced corned beef and cabbage on a plate with potatoes and carrots.

Okay so maybe my mom was the only one who claimed on the morning of every St. Patrick’s Day that leprechauns had come in the night and magicked our milk an intense shade of green. Let me tell you, it is quite a shock early in the morning to pour greenness all over your Honey Bunches of Oats instead of whiteness. (We always used cardboard cartons of milk, not see-through jugs, so it really was surprising enough to accidentally knock your entire bowl of now-green cereal off the table.)

corned beef and cabbage on a platter with carrots and potatoes.

My mom was very into eating St. Patrick’s Day food on the holiday. Don’t be deceived by the large pictures of Corned Beef on this post. That is not St. Patrick’s Day food, according to my mom. Instead she would serve broccoli, green mashed potatoes, and even green beef gravy. Beef gravy of course starts out brown, so adding copious amounts of green dye to it merely achieves a color that should not be discussed in pleasant company.

crockpot corned beef sliced from overhead, with carrots and cabbage.

The best St. Patrick’s Day meal ever though was the year she managed to dye even the pork chops green. No I am not kidding. My mom makes these awesome Saucy Pork Chops that are a family classic; we have been using the recipe forever, it’s straight outta Better Homes and Gardens I think. You cook the chops in a special sauce on the stove. The main ingredient of this sauce is ketchup. Do you remember back in the day when they started marketing green ketchup? Oh yes, she did.

sliced slow cooker corned beef garnished with horseradish sauce.

If you thought it was impossible to dye meat green, think again. It still tasted fabulous, of course; I just had to close my eyes for every bite. I think that was the year I stopped believing that leprechauns were causing the mischief. Only my mom would be crazy enough for such antics.

corn beef and cabbage on a plate with potatoes and carrots and cabbage.

This is the Best Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

I like to serve Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day. Does anyone else go all in on this tradition?? I love it so much! Corned beef, when done right, is incredibly flavorful and oh-so-tender. After hours of cooking low and slow, it falls apart and just melts in your mouth. I love the salty, briny flavor. It’s just so unique and well, Irish! Ish. More on that later. In any case, we are talking about some serious comfort food.

corn beef and cabbage sliced, with carrots and cabbage.

Corned beef can go very wrong though, have you been there? Often it is too tough (if boiled too quickly!), too salty, or just plain boring from lack of flavor. And don’t even get me started on disgustingly overcooked carrots, cabbage, and potatoes. SAY NO. I’m here to show you all the steps to get the PERFECT tender, juicy Corned Beef, with veggies on the side that are appetizingly fresh instead of droopy sad brown. But first let’s go back to the basics:

crockpot corned beef half sliced from overhead with carrots and potatoes.

What is corned beef?

Corned Beef is a cut of beef, usually brisket, that has been cured in a salt brine. The phrase “corned beef” actually refers to the corn-kernel-sized salt crystals used in Ireland in the 17th century to brine the beef. The brisket was then boiled or braised long and slow until tender. This process turns a finicky, tough piece of meat into an extremely tender and juicy corned beef that has killer flavor.

corned beef recipe, shredded on a plate with cabbage, carrots, and potatoes.

What is the best way to cook Corned Beef?

Slow cooker (or oven). Set it and forget it is my mantra, people. Cooking it slow means we end up with super tender slices of juicy briny heaven. Here’s everything you need!

slow cooker corned beef sliced, with carrots and cabbage.

What you need for this Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

Here’s a quick ingredient list you can take shopping with you. For full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card below!

  • corned beef brisket
  • oil
  • beef broth
  • whole grain mustard
  • garlic
  • onion
  • whole peppercorns
  • fresh thyme

What cut of meat is best for Corned Beef and Cabbage?

The first thing you need to do is choose your corned beef at the store. Usually they have Flat Cut brisket, Point Cut Brisket, or Bottom Round. Any of them are going to work great, but look for one that has lots of fat and marbling. Fat = flavor.

How to cook Corned Beef and Cabbage (Slow Cooker Version)

  1. Sear beef
  2. Add to slow cooker for 5-7 hours
  3. Add carrots and cook for another 1-2 hours
  4. Saute cabbage in butter, then slow cook 30-60 minutes
  5. Roast potatoes in the oven
  6. Serve with Horseradish sauce!

Now for the details!

corned beef in its packaging, then showing the back with the spices in the brine.

You can see here on my package that there is no spice packet; the spices are just included as part of the brine. If yours has a packet, hang onto it. Drain all the brine down the sink, it has done its salty job.

corned beef seared in a pan.

This is the only time I will ever tell you not to salt the heck out of your meat before searing! The brine has thoroughly salted this hunk of beef, so don’t add more. Make sure you get a nice brown edge on each side, don’t skimp on that Maillard crispy goodness!

seared corned beef and onions in a crock pot.

Toss it in your crock pot with a bit of beef broth, some whole grain mustard, bay leaves, garlic, onions, thyme, peppercorns, all the good stuff. Now is the time to add in that spice packet if it wasn’t mixed in with your brine.

How long to cook Corned Beef in Crock Pot

And settle in for the long haul. This brisket needs a good 8-10 hours on low in the crock pot. So many recipes will tell you you can cheat, crank the heat up to high, and get this done in half the time. But in my experience, this only results in chewy meat. Brisket has a lot of collagen, and it needs a good deal of time to break down and turn into gelatin (which then saturates the meat, making it tender and juicy.)

Please don’t ruin your vegetables

Now listen here. Don’t go adding your carrots in right away.

sliced carrots on a cutting board, then in a crock pot.

CAN you add your carrots in the beginning along with your corned beef? I mean, sure, if you like over-cooked-to-the-point-of-disintegrating carrots that are a sad vestige of their former selves. I prefer to taste and chew my carrots, personally. Carrots are delicate okay? Give them some respect. They only need 2 hours in the crock pot, 3 hours max.

slicing cabbage in half, then removing stem with knife.

I am absolutely drawing the line with the cabbage though. You MUST add the cabbage at the end of the cook time, and only for a max of 1 hour.

How do you cut cabbage for corned beef and cabbage?

I like nice generous pieces of cabbage, so here’s what I do: I start by cutting the cabbage in half, removing the core by cutting it out in a triangular shape on each half. Then I turn my cabbage so the cut side is face down on a cutting board and slice into it about every ¾ to 1 inch. 

melted stick of butter in a large skillet.
slicing cabbage into wedges, a ton of raw cabbage in a skillet.

And if you really know what’s good for you, saute your cabbage in butter first. Yes, a whole stick-aroo. I mean, you COULD just add straight up raw cabbage to your slow cooker and it would soften just fine. Edible enough. But you are passing up the opportunity to cook your cabbage in a stick of butter, here. Don’t be a fool. It makes the cabbage so rich and flavorful. I love the little browned edges.

sauteed cabbage in skillet, adding cooked cabbage to crock pot.

Technically, you could stop after the sauteing step and just serve your buttery cabbage straight from the pan, skipping a soak in the crock pot altogether. But I actually love adding it in. The cabbage takes on the briny, corned beefy flavor, even from just 30-60 minutes in the pot. It’s absolutely delicious.

cooked cabbage in a crock pot.

Be aware that it will turn your cabbage rather yellow. Cabbage is a little more green and pretty if you stop at sautéing in butter, but you miss all the beefy flavor. I saved out some of the sauteed-only cabbage for the final photos, just being upfront about looks and presentation! And now one last thing:

Potatoes don’t belong in a Crock pot. Ever.

I said what I said you guys. Just as I explain in my favorite Fall-Apart Pot Roast and Carrots recipe, potatoes were meant for higher planes.

sliced potatoes on a pan with oil, then spread out to roast.

If you like brown, mushy, over saturated potatoes, by all means, add them to your crock pot (alongside the carrots.) However, if you like crisp, brown, and tender potatoes, take the time to roast them in the oven. I’m sorry I’m being so bossy. But potatoes deserve better. Take a stand.

How to cook Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Oven

Here are the basic steps you’ll take to cook corned beef in the oven. Scroll down to the recipe card for the complete instructions.

  1. Sear the meat in a large dutch oven. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the beef broth and mustard, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
  2. Return the meat to the pot and add garlic, onion, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves, and the spice packet. Cover with the lid and roast for about 2 hours.
  3. Add sliced carrots, cover, and cook for 1 hour. Add the sautéed cabbage and cook for another 30-60 minutes until done. 

How long to cook corned beef in oven

Corned beef needs to be cooked until it’s about 200 degrees; at this temperature, the connective tissues will have broken down, the fat will have rendered, and the meat will be juicy and tender. In the oven, this takes about 4 hours. As noted above, you’ll want to add veggies, like carrots and cabbage, at different points in the process to ensure that they don’t turn into a pile of mush.

How to serve this Recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage

Honestly, Corned Beef can sometimes look like a hot plate of garbage if it’s not presented well, haha! I only speak the truth! We always eat with our eyes first, so we’re going to doll it up a bit. Bust out one of your nice BIG platters. Separate all the veggies from each other and drain off all the briny broth. (It’s too salty to make a gravy out of it.)

corned beef recipe with carrots, cabbage, potatoes on a platter.

Add the carrots to one corner of the platter, cabbage to another, roasted potatoes in another. Discard all the broth and the cooked garlic and onions. I mean you can eat them if you want but I don’t think they are great; they have already served their purpose of enhancing flavor. (This is just me though, don’t let some food blogger tell you what to do!)

After the meat has rested, slice it thinly against the grain and place in the middle of all the veggies. Sprinkle with some freshly chopped parsley or chives, and serve with a bowl of spicy Horseradish sauce. These few simple steps make this meal look totally irresistible, instead of like sad steamy brown mush. Just bein real here my friends. It’s going to taste amazing no matter how you serve it of course!

How to slice Corned beef against the grain

Once your beef is fall apart tender (stick a fork in it!) let it rest for a few minutes out of the crock pot before slicing, so you don’t let all the juices run out.

Can you see the lines running along the meat? Cut it the other way. It’s a lot easier to see the grain of the meat in a photo when it’s raw, so here is another photo of searing the meat:

corned beef searing in a pan with diagrams of how to slice against the grain.

Cutting against the grain is an essential step in achieving incredibly tender meat. You should get slices of meat with a crosshatch pattern, not long lines. You are saving your jaw from chewing through long strips of muscle by neatly cutting them with a knife beforehand. Slice thinly to get super tender, fall apart corned beef!

slow cooker corned beef and cabbage on a plate with horseradish sauce and carrots.

Sides for the Best Corned Beef Recipe

Horseradish Sauce is the perfect condiment to go with Corned beef, don’t skip it! It takes just a few minutes to whip up. It is the perfect tangy, creamy sauce to pull it all together.

As far as sides though, Corned Beef and Cabbage just isn’t right without the carrots and (roasted) potatoes. It’s kind of a meal all on its own! Serve it with a nice big green salad and call it good. Here are some other ideas if you want to skip adding potatoes and carrots to the corned beef:

And you can never go wrong with a side of bread!

Leftover ideas!

If you make corned beef, you HAVE to make a Reuben Sandwich. It’s a classic! You can also try

Corned Beef Recipe storage

It’s best to store the vegetables and beef separately in airtight containers. Both will last in the refrigerator for about 4-6 days. The beef in particular freezes very well. Simply add the meat to a freezer ziplock bag after cooling completely, and remove as much air as possible from the bag. It will last in the freezer for 4-6 months. If you want to freeze the vegetables as well, follow the same steps as the beef but use a separate ziplock. Let thaw in the fridge.

sliced corn beef and cabbage with carrots.

How to reheat corned beef and cabbage

The trick to reheating Corned Beef is keeping it from drying out. If you’re planning to reheat a good amount of beef, transfer (thawed) meat to a 9×13 pan, sprinkle 2 or 3 tablespoons water over the top, cover well with foil, and put in a 350 degree oven until the meat is warmed up to 165 degrees F. If it’s already sliced, this should only take 5 minutes or so. If it’s not sliced, I recommend a meat thermometer to make sure it doesn’t overcook and get tough.

If you just want to warm a single serving in the microwave, sprinkle the meat with a small bit of water and warm it at 50% power til heated through. I recommend sauteeing the cabbage in a nonstick pan on the stove with a bit of butter or nonstick spray. Corned beef makes for excellent leftover lunches. It’s also never a bad idea to repurpose: add meat and veggies to a saute pan and crack an egg on top. Yum!

Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe FAQs

Why do we eat Corned Beef and Cabbage?

Get this though: Americans don’t eat Corned Beef on St. Patrick’s Day because that’s what’s on the menu in Ireland. The Irish are usually eating lamb or bacon or Shepherd’s Pie, maybe a Rhubarb pie to finish off, not a dyed green cupcake in sight. Can you believe it? The lies we have been fed!!

So why are Americans eating Corned Beef? It’s an Irish-American thing. The Irish who immigrated to the United States eventually made enough money to be able to buy meat for the first time, cheap meat anyway. And brisket was definitely cheap back then since it was so tough (I wish it was still so cheap! It’s way too trendy now!) And they prepared it just the same way rich people did back in the homeland, brining and braising it into tender submission. Cabbage was the cheapest vegetable around (and probably all they could afford after splurging on meat!) so cabbage and corned beef eventually became two peas in a pod. History!! So fun, right?

Is it better to boil or slow cook corned beef?

Back in the day they boiled Corned Beef for hours on the stove top. The only problem is that unless you’re paying attention, it’s easy to over-boil the meat and make it horribly tough instead of tender. No thank you! So instead we’re making it in the slow cooker (or oven).

Do you need to rinse corned beef before cooking?

No, there’s no need to rinse corned beef. The idea behind rinsing is that the meat is too salty, and that by rinsing it you’re removing the “extra salt.” But the corned beef has already absorbed salt during the curing process, and rinsing it won’t make a significant difference. 

How do you know when corned beef is done?

Corned beef should be tested for doneness the same way you would test a roast. When the meat is fork tender, it’s done. You can stick a fork into the corned beef, gently twist, and pull the fork toward you. If a piece easily comes away, it’s done! If the meat is still one homogenous piece that can’t be sampled with a fork, then the connective tissues haven’t broken down yet. Broken connective tissues = tender meat you won’t spend all year chewing.

corned beef and cabbage on a plate with potatoes and carrots

Just for kicks, here is the photo from the first time I posted this recipe back in 2012! Yes, that is a fuzzy white blanket that I thought would make a decent photo backdrop. Oh dear. Hey at least I didn’t try to dye it green you guys. We are evolving! Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!

More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes you are going to love!

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Best Recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage

4.96 from 224 votes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 9 hours
Total: 9 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8
My absolute favorite recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage! This easy dinner is made in the slow cooker or in the oven, you can just set it and forget it! Crock pot to the rescue, right? This method gives you the most tender and juicy corned beef you've ever had. Serve it with Roasted Red Potatoes and Horseradish Sauce for the perfect St. Patrick's Day meal!

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds corned beef brisket, flat or point cut, with spice packet*
  • 2 tablespoons oil, for searing
  • 1 & 1/2 cups beef broth**
  • 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed and left whole
  • 1 large onion, sliced into wedges
  • 15-20 whole peppercorns, or fresh cracked pepper to taste
  • 8-10 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 pounds carrots, peeled and quartered (8-10 carrots)
  • 1/2 cup butter, (1 stick)
  • 1 large head green cabbage, sliced into wedges
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 batch Roasted Red Potatoes, (2 pounds red potatoes needed)
  • 1 batch Horseradish Sauce, for serving
  • parsley and or chives , to garnish

Instructions

  • Heat a large 12 inch skillet over medium high heat for at least 2 minutes. Open your package of corned beef and drain the brine into the sink. There is no need to rinse the corned beef.
    Some corned beef brands include a packet of spices*, but sometimes the spices are mixed into the brine. Save the spice packet if there is one.
  • Add 2 tablespoons oil to the hot skillet; it should shimmer immediately. Swirl to coat, then add the drained corned beef. Sear for 2-4 minutes on one side until golden brown, then carefully flip with tongs and sear the other side for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Place the seared corned beef in your crock pot, fat side up, but don't put the skillet in the sink yet.
  • In a glass measuring cup, combine 1 and 1/2 cups beef broth with 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard. (I always use Better Than Bouillon Beef Base and water to make my broth.)
  • Add the liquid to the pan that you seared the beef in, and turn the heat to medium high. Let the mixture bubble as you scrape up the browned bits. Pour the mixture over your corned beef into the crock pot.
  • Smash 6 cloves of garlic with the side of a chef's knife, peel, and add to the crock pot. Roughly slice an onion into wedges and add to the pot. Add about 15-20 whole peppercorns. Add 8-10 sprigs of fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves, tucking them into the liquid. Sprinkle the spice packet* over everything.
  • Cover with the lid and cook on low for about 6-7 hours.
  • Prepare your carrots. Peel them and slice each carrot into thirds, slicing any large segments in half lengthwise. I actually prefer the larger carrots myself, so don't break your back here.
  • Add the carrots on top of the beef, cover again and cook for another 1-2 hours.
  • Prepare the cabbage. Slice the cabbage in half, then cut out the stem. Slice the cabbage into large wedges. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add all the cabbage (it looks like it won't fit, shove it all in!) and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Saute, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until the cabbage is slightly wilted but not quite to the point that you would snag a bite yet. Add the cabbage on top of the carrots, and continue cooking on low for another 30-60 minutes, until the cabbage is softened and has absorbed some of the corned beef flavor.
  • Meanwhile, make a batch of Roasted Red Potatoes in the oven. Potatoes do not belong in the crock pot. (Of course you can do it if you want. Add them with the carrots, they need 2-3 hours to cook. But don't blame me when you get smooshy mooshy gray potatoes.)
  • To serve: I like to serve corned beef on a large platter. I think it looks best when the ingredients are presented separately. Use a slotted spoon to remove all the cabbage to a colander to drain slightly. Place all the carrots together on the platter. Add the drained cabbage to the platter next to the carrots. Remove the corned beef to a cutting board and let rest for about 10 minutes. Slice against the grain, then add to the platter. Leave all the broth, onions, garlic, thyme stems, and bay leaves behind. (You can eat the onions and garlic if you want, I find them to be so overcooked that they are unappetizing. We add them to help flavor the other ingredients.)
    Add the roasted potatoes to the platter. Garnish with chopped parsley and chopped chives.
  • Serve with a batch of homemade Horseradish Sauce! It's super easy to whip up, and compliments the corned beef perfectly. Don't skip it!

Oven Instructions:

  • Sear the meat in a large oven-going dutch oven. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the beef broth and mustard, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
  • Return the meat to the pot and add garlic, onion, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves, and spice packet. Cover with a lid and roast at 300 degrees F for about 2 hours.
  • Add sliced carrots, cover, and cook 1 hour. Add the sautéed cabbage and cook another 30-60 minutes. The meat should register about 200 degrees F on a meat thermometer.

Notes

*Every brand of corned beef is going to have a different spice blend, and you might be worried that it’s not going to be flavorful enough.
If you want to beef up your corned beef with extra spices, these are more or less the spices included: broken bay leaves, coriander, peppercorns, mustard seeds, anise, crushed red pepper, dill seeds, and fennel seeds.
It also might include a small pinch of cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, or cinnamon, but definitely go easy on these, a little bit goes a long way. If I were to pick one I would choose cloves. 
**I like to use 1 and 1/2 cups water mixed with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 767kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 153mg | Sodium: 3512mg | Potassium: 1900mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 19528IU | Vitamin C: 139mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 6mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 767
Keyword: cabbage, corned beef
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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Oh my gosh, this was good — I used the oven method….The one thing I’d change next time is serve the cabbage directly after sautéing it…..that was soo very tasty.

  2. 5 stars
    My neighbor gifted me a Wigley’s corned beef and I didn’t want to screw it up. Thank you for your recipe because everything came out perfectly. I used the oven method. The only change I made was that I put in the carrots an hour earlier than your suggestion since my husband loves mushier carrots. I made the roasted redskin potatoes and the horseradish sauce as well. My husband raved about all of it. Usually one of us will find something that we’d nitpick over and agree to change the next time but everything was perfect. Thanks!

  3. 4 stars
    Good recipe, but you left out 1 thing:
    After 6-7 hrs/ of slow cooking the brisket, do you use a slow(natural) release of pressure or do you vent it right away to add the carrots?
    Otherwise, I agree that the taters are better oven roasted, or even air fried with garlic and parsley.

    1. Hi Matthew! This is a crockpot recipe, not instant pot, so there’s no pressure release required.

  4. 2 stars
    I did not care for the result. The cabbage ended up too mushy after frying in butter and then sitting in the pot for half an hour. The potatoes cooked separately weren’t as tasty as if they cooked in the broth. The meat and carrots were ok.

  5. 5 stars
    I decided for the first time to make corned beef & cabbage for St Patty’s day. In the past I was more confident making Reubens because I remembered the mushy dinners my mom use to cook on 3/17 and she was an excellent cook. I am so glad I found this recipe! I used my slow cooker and it was the most tender meat. My carrots cooked perfectly adding 2 hours before everything was done & the cabbage 1 hour. The flavor of those vegetables were delicious. I’m looking forward to making this again next year & the next year & the next year……

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