Classic Irish Boiled Dinner

This is how I've made my boiled dinner for years (even with my Irish background, I never cared for corned beef). However I don't add green beans and I always get a big smoked shoulder (arox 9 lbs). Remove any wrapping around the ham, put it into a pot (make sure it fits), put enough water into the pot to completly cover the ham, cover with lid. Bring to a good boil, and boil for one hour, turn it over in the pot, cover with lid and boil another hour. Remove the meat (keep the liquid), cover ham with foil and let it rest. Now put the potatoes, onions, carrotts, and cabbage (cabbage should be on top) also (if you like turnip you can add that too) into the liquid the meat was cooked in, this is where the flavor is, cook till veggies and potatoes are tender. PS if you need to you can add more water as you go, but only do this if it is needed. Also I don't add any salt there's enough salt in the smoked shoulder. Enjoy!

I grew up on ham boiled dinners.The only thing better is to cut everything up and fry it for hash for leftovers,with a couple fried eggs on the side.Yummy!Yummy!

I actually made this because I tried another kmommyz recipe and loved it...This is another great one!!! the green beans are nice change and the smoked shoulder isn't as stringy or tough as the corned beef...Thanks!

I used to eat this all the time growing up. I could never find a recipe untill now. We always called it New England boiled dinner. When I look that up all I find is corn beef recipes. I just want to say as someone who grew up in New England we do not use corn beef-that dish is called corn beef and cabbage. Anyway thanks for the recipe.

This is best made with a half ham. The first time I made it to these directions and it was VERY bland! I made it a second time with a half ham, and it was much, much, much better!

Tastes just like the boiled dinner my grandfather used to make. Great comfort food and the leftovers taste even better. I did add some lemon pepper seasoning and other spices to the water. I chopped up all the leftovers and added them to the broth with some chilli pepper ~ mmmmm, delicous soup, all the kids loved it and my husband who does not like cooked cabbage had seconds!! Thanks for a great recipe!

I grew up with this!! (Making it this weekend too.) This recipe is awesome. Our family added rutabaga in the pot too!!

i grew up eating boiled dinner...with ham. made it the same way, but cut up the ham, and added it along with ham stock to water, and veggies (no green beans) and let it cook. and ate it like a soup...

Just as I remember only minus the green beans. The best part for me is drowning the entire plate with apple cider vinegar!

When I saw this cut of really cheap smoked meat in the market, I knew I had to do something with it. Thanks for the recipe, easy and delish. I just need to buy a bigger pot to fit it all in, a five liter pot does not cut it, is too small. Cheers!

Fantastic!! What a rush of childhood memories of my grandmother's kitchen. The ONLY substitution I made was to use a Cottage Ham - a 'partially cooked' pork shoulder. To be totally true to my family version, the cottage ham or pork shoulder should contain gobs of fat. The fat adds so much flavor.

This recipe must be related to what we fondly called "Boiled Dinner" in our family for as long as I can remember. It was brought to our Northwestern Ontario home from New Brunswick by my mother, who claims it was a popular dish in her home. Descended from Irish immigrants, her family made it using salt pork ribs (like the entry from the person in Nova Scotia). In our family, we use pork side ribs instead, and have added turnip, a stick of celery, and fresh-picked garden herbs (thyme, parsley, oregano, rosemary). While the water, ribs, onion, celery and store-bought turnip are starting to boil, I head out to the garden to harvest and add (in order) potatoes, carrots, beans, peas (if any left uneaten by this time), fresh herbs. YUMMY! Fondest memories of this dish are "harvest meals" near end of each summer and most comforting was showing up unannounced in New Brunswick for my grandfather's funeral. Though no one knew I was coming there was an extra plate at the table and a huge pot of "boiled dinner" on the stove.

My dad made this, but would use both corned beef and smoked shoulder. Oh, and he would toss in a length of linguica(Portuguese sausage). It was great!

I didn't really care for the green beans in this and the cabbage and potatoes were just too different in texture to really enjoy it. The smoked meat was delicious and it made some amazing gravy with drippings, but I didn't really care for the smoky flavor in the vegetables. This was the first time I'd cooked onions in quarters and I will definately be doing that more often! Thank you for the idea!

Great, easy, homey recipe! We used a ham cut into chunks & chicken broth instead of water.

Great, very tasty. I added whole cloves and Goya seasoning. And cooked for 3 hrs. Adding the veggies during the last 30mins.

This is a really easy dinner to put together. Not much to it but waiting on it to be done. I usually use a pre-seasoned pork shoulder for this, but it always comes out really TENDER! I've never had room for all the vegetables, so I always omit the cabbage and add in whatever I like until the pot is virtually overflowing. Perfect meal every time!

I didn't have a smoked pork - just regular, but I wanted to try this anyway. I didn't add the cabbage or beans. My pot wasn't big enough and I had a different recipe for cabbage anyway. To add more flavor I boiled the pork, potatoes, and carrots in chicken stock. Wow! The meat came out tender and the vegetables were so good! My husband loved the way my yukon potatoes turned out so much that I made him more with the leftover broth the next night. I will definitely be using this method again. Thanks!

Turned out great the first time - we used a non-smoked pork shoulder straight from Freddies' meat case; it was a good drop-and-go meal, and provided not only meat for DAYS for the two of us, but a huge ham bone that I made split pea and ham out of. All in all, it was delicious, and even the BF (who isn't a huge fan of pork) said that the meat was tender and flavorful.

I've grown up eating boiled dinner, even drank the broth in a cup along side my dinner! Of all Irish meals, this is the tastiest!! A way to free up room in the pot is a pressure cooker. I usually cook two cottage rolls under pressure for a half hour. If its not cooked through using my meat thermometer I cook it for another 20 minutes. Then I remove the hams, put them in a pot with a fair amount of juice and keep them in a warm oven. Then into the pressure cooker goes the potatoes, carrots and turnip. Ohhh, take out some juice to add to the cabbage that will boil in another pot. Just fill the cabbage pot 2/3 up then add water. Now back to the pressure cooker, add more water depending on how much veg you have and cook under pressure for approx. 12-15 mins!!! I need boiled dinner now!!

I grew up on this...I make it but I use brisket instead, and I cook the brisket in water the night before and then when I am ready to add the veggies , I skim off most of the fat...we love it this way..nice and healthy ..

I agree with magicshark. We grew up calling this New England Boiled Dinner. Always used a smoked shoulder but did not put green beans in it. The leftovers were indeed made into "red flannel hash" and the bone and broth were then used for bean soup. What memories! I still make it for special family get togethers.

just like home!!! forgot to add, the rutabagas (or as we say rugabugas, lol) are good, too).

Large pot is an understatement. I changed pots twice, finally settling on a 12 quart pot. I couldn't find a smoked pork shoulder, so I used an unsmoked one and added two smoked pork hocks for flavor. I did add a few beef and chicken bouillion cubes to the cooking water for a little extra flavor. This was delicious - rustic and simple. I served it with Brennan's Irish Soda Bread from this site.

I too grew up eating this Boiled Dinner, except it was in a totally French Canadian household. My parents would have us kids clean the green beans because there would be at least 6 pounds of them. We also add salt pork which gives the green beans a really rich taste. The leftovers are too die for!

I really, really wanted to love this recipe. I thought it was only good. Not great and not bad, just okay. It lacked flavor for me. Maybe knowing how much salt and pepper others used would have helped. I used 1.5 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Used the same of everything else, except half a cabbage as that is all I could fit in the broth/pot. I doubt I'll make it again.

I just made this for dinner last week and my husband loved it. He's not even a meat person and he's requested we have it again this week. There wasn't even enough room in our pot for all of the vegitables, and it's a LARGE stew pot! I had to leave out the cabbage and some potatoes, but it was VERY good!

Good but felt it needed more spice, so I added celery seed and garlic. Nice hearty meal.

Love this. Making it tomorrow. Did corn beef yesterday but not my favorite. I too grew up with my Irish grandmother always making a boiled dinner with a smoke shoulder. For a special treat, she would occasionally substitute corned spare ribs, keeping the rest of the recipe the same - so yummy.

I'm a Cape Bretoner and this was a Sunday favorite growing up. We would go to the beach, dad would make a fire in and around an old truck rim, set a pot with the ham to boil on it while we swam and played. The veggies were added and by supper time, when the evening was cooling off, we had a wonderful hot meal to enjoy. I don't make it that often, when when I do, it even pleases my Portuguese in-laws. I use any ham, picnic or shoulder. To newfie it up, use salt corned beef with the exact same ingredients. (jiggs dinner) I don't put the green beans in the pot, but do have them on the side and I do add turnip (rutabaga) One of the best meals ever. Making it for supper tonight! Yumm!

I couldn’t find any smoked pork shoulder so I just used a pork roast. Everything tasted great. I even saved the broth to make soup.

Enjoyable dinner. We like making this among other national meals -paella and other regional classics

ahhhh the memories thanks for the recipe!!!

I may have over cooked it a tad, because I only had a 2lb shoulder, but it was perfect for St Patrick’s Day!