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Corned Beef & Cabbage
It is St. Patrick’s Day weekend and they are dying the Chicago river green. There is nothing more Irish than Corned Beef and Cabbage. My family loves corned beef but not cabbage so much. Somewhere in the last couple of years, I have really come to like cabbage. I love it in cole slaws. I really the texture of cabbage when it is cooked. It softens a fair bit but still has a little bite to it. I used the liquid I made from my corned beef to flavor my cabbage.
Corned Beef & Cabbage
Cabbage is the perfect compliment to corned beef. So were the mashed potatoes I made. This meal was true COMFORT FOOD. Even though the corned beef comes seasoned already, I wanted to amp it up. I very loosely followed an Alton Brown recipe. The key spices I picked up on were cinnamon, brown sugar and ginger. The cinnamon really came through, especially in the cabbage. I don’t know if you would really call it this but I made the above mentioned brine for the corned beef and let is soak overnight. I brined the corned beef in the same baking pot that I was going to cook it in. So when I was ready to start cooking, I took the pot out of the fridge, let it warm a little, then put it straight into the oven. How SIMPLE is that.
So is Corned Beef & Cabbage really Irish? What I learned on the History.com website is that it is far from it. This is so interesting. What History.com said is that this dish evolved in America from Irish immigrants. When Irish immigrants came to the United States, they lived with or near other immigrants including Jews and Italians. Their theory is that the Irish immigrants adapted their recipe to included corned beef based on their experience at Jewish delis. That is amazing. One other side fact is that the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in Dublin not in New York City in 1762.
The corned beef spices and the corned beef in the brine.
The Corned Beef and Cabbage Plated.
Corned Beef & Cabbage Plated
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon ground cloves
- 2 Teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 bay leaves, crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 (4 to 5 pound) beef brisket, trimmed
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 2 large carrot, coarsely chopped
- 2 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, sliced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced or shredded
- 1 bottle beer
- 2 ladles full of the liquid from the corned beef brine after cooking.
- Place the corned beef into the pot and add all the brine ingredients.
- Brine overnight.
- Warm oven to 325 degrees.
- Take the corned beef out of the fridge 20 minutes or so prior to cooking.
- Place the corned beef in the oven and cook for 3 & 1/2 to 4 hours.
- Remove from the pot and let rest for 5 - 10 minutes before cutting.
- In a large pot, add the oil and add the onion and the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Add the cabbage, stirring to mix.
- Add the beer and corned beef liquid, season and cover.
- Braise until the cabbage has wilted, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Hey Peter – I’m celebrating St. Paddy’s a day late and so am cooking my corned beef & cabbage today. I have just a quick question do you chop up the cabbage before you put it in to boil or leave it whole? Thank you!
Debra, who says we can’t have corned beef and cabbage on any day. Yes, do a rough chop of the cabbage.
I love the history lesson. Thanks for clarifying. Wherever it’s from, corned beef is delish. I must try making it myself. You made it look easy.
We learned together KC.
I love cabbage also, especially when cooked with the beef. I like your idea of brining it the night before too. This looks perfectly cooked and utterly delicious!!
Thx so much Debra.
I love corned beef! This meal looks so delicious!
Thx. It was tasty Marsha.
This really is good old fashioned comfort food. That beef looks so tender:-)
You are so right on that.
This looks amazing! Who needs it just for St. Patrick’s Day??? I might just have to rebel and make it this weekend! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I totally agree with you! Any time of year for this dish.
I didn’t know that about corned beef and cabbage, but I am aware that the food of immigrants often varies according to what’s available in the new country. This is true about many Italian and Mexican dishes as well.
That is cool that you have that understanding. You are right on.
Yum, this would make a great dinner! Can’t wait to try it!
It made a great dinner but sorry there is none leftover to share.
This takes me back to my childhood and such a great choice for St Pats! Your recipe looks delicious!
Such a nice memory. Thanks for mentioning.
The perfect St. Patty’s Day Recipe! Seriously! Does it get any more Irish?!
You are right on Taylor.
Love corned beef. Haven’t had any in ages either! Yum. 🙂 Rated recipe full stars. 🙂
Thx so much for a good rating.
Classic St. Paddy’s Day dish. We love corned beef and eat it several times a year..but not better time than March.
We have a few times a year too. It is so good so I do not know why we don’t make it more often?
The history of this is so interesting, and it makes sense, the best corned beef I’ve ever had is from my favorite Jewish delis.
The history of food is so interesting because it is often not what we expect.
This would be such a festive St. Patrick’s Day recipe! 🙂
It is and it is also good other days of the year!
I have always believed that Corned beef and Cabbage is as Irish as it can get 🙂 It is one of my favorite dishes to celebrate St Patrick’s Day! Yours looks amazing 🙂 The beef is cooked to perfection!
Thx. I did get the right texture – just to the point of falling apart.