Chef John's Corned Beef and Cabbage

The seasoning packets in corned beef is basically just pepper corns, mustard seeds and bits of bay leaves, maybe a little dried onion & garlic, but you can use "Pickling Spice" as well. I have been cooking Corned Beef for about 40 years now and one of the tricks I have found over the years for cooking it is to start out by putting your beef in COLD water and slowly heating it up to a simmer only in the spices. Never BOIL the meat, just simmer it or else the meat will be tough.

The perfect corned beef & cabbage recipe. What I do after I've following Chef John's recipe to the letter and have let it rest for 10-15 minutes is mix up some brown sugar with dejon mustard and coat the top of the brisket and stick it under the broiler for about 3-5 minutes until the sugar & mustard have "carmelized". Just that little bit of sweetness adds that extra "surprise" with each bite. My family & friends love it...thanks to Chef John!

As corned beef recipes go this is one of the best and easiest I have ever made. I used a 5.5 qt. dutch oven and a 2.5 lb. corned beef. Even with a small head of cabbage it was a tight fit for all the ingredients. So the next time the only thing that I would do different. Is to start earlier giving myself plenty of time. Now cooking wise let the corned beef, potatoes, onions, carrots, cook to fork tender and done. Once fork tender done remove the corned beef,potatoes, onions and carrots aside. Now add the cabbage into the liquid cook cabbage till done. Also by doing this you can now adjust the cabbage to your taste if you like it spicy or sweet or just let it cook in the liquid till done. Overall a winner and a keeper recipe. Thanks Chef John for another great recipe!!!!

I just made this corned beef, scaled down to a 2.5lb piece of meat. It's absolutely the best corned beef I've ever had. I live in NYC and am no stranger to Carnegie Deli, Katz's Deli, and 2nd Ave deli, but I would take this corned beef over them any day.

This gets 5 stars just for Chef John's comment "this is a perfect meal because you can make even if you're drunk" Ha Ha! Plus it tastes get too!.

Used this recipe for a 3.75 lb brisket...came out perfect! I have only made corned beef one other time, and it was made in the crock-pot. From now on I am using this recipe, on the stove top, and making it more often! The video helped me a great deal as well! Thank you, Chef John!

Chef John's Corned Beef & Cabbage Haiku: "Sad St. Patrick's Day. Followed this whole recipe, didn't work for us." The only thing that ended up being edible in this meal was the cabbage and the carrots. The potatoes weren't done, and the corned beef was not tender. I didn't change a single thing about the recipe; for all the timing, ingredient amounts, and methods that I stuck to, and the fact that CJ recipes rarely are a miss, but this was a major disappointment. Glad that my husband brought home a gorgeous bakery loaf of Irish soda bread b/c it tasted just marvelous sopping up the broth. The pot's been simmering for 6 hrs. now so I'll just leave it there til the potatoes are edible, but the corned beef's gone to the neighbor's dog.

Simple, savory, and a perfect St. Patrick's Day dinner. Try substituting apple juice for the water. That's what my mom would do. What surprised me most about Chef John's Corned Beef recipe? He did NOT tell us "that spice packet that comes with? Throw it away!" Thank you Chef John not just for the recipe, but more importantly: for the confidence to cook!

I really liked this recipe. In fact, I like all of Chef John's recipes. Keep on cooking and sharing, chef John!

If I am trying something for the first time that I have no idea how to cook, I always search for Chef Johns version first. I have always done my corned beef in the slow cooker and wanted to try it in my dutch oven, so I was excited to see Chef John had a version! This turned out perfect! My beef was about 4.2 lbs and I let it cook just as his instructions state for 4lbs and it turned out amazing! My family raved over how well everything cooked, and the flavor! The only thing I did differently was left the carrots out and cooked separately due to space in the pot initially- the potatoes and cabbage were so perfectly cooked and well infused with flavor! Thank you Chef John!

Cooked this last night and it tasted great. The only thing I changed was the addition of a bottle of Guinnes beer.

Perfect as usual with Chef John recipes! I used a 4 LB Harrington corned beef brisket, flat cut. My only problem was that my pot was too small. I think adding the potatoes and cabbage overcrowded the pot as it took about 1 hr longer to cook the corned beef. I just kept checking the meat every 30 minutes until I didn't feel resistance inserting the fork. Unless I get a bigger Dutch oven, next time I might let the meat finish cooking first and add the potatoes/cabbage to the pot while the meat is resting.

Loved the recipe but next time I would not add ANY salt. The corned beef already salts it up and the extra salt is just too much. Otherwise a great recipe!!

A group of tourists were visiting a small village in Ireland and stopped for lunch. They came across a 95 year old man sitting on a bench in the Town Square. He claimed to have never been more that a few miles away from the area and a young woman asked "Is it true that you've lived here all your life"? "Not yet", he replied. Added a couple of Parsnip cut to 1" pieces with the cabbage. I bet a lot of different root vegs can be added.

I made this recipe yesterday and it was fantastic. Change nothing just follow the directions. Meat melted in your mouth.

Very good but way too many potatos. I cooked it the night before but next time will do it all on the day it is to be served.

This was a real hit with my family. The difference is that I did not have much time, so I cooked it in my pressure cookeR for 1 hour. Everything was nicely cooked and really tasty. Definitely a "do-again".

I cook my corned beef for 50 minutes per pound and add chopped onion and carrots for the last hour. I add the cabbage with 20-30 minutes remaining. I also sub chicken broth for water. It favors everything nicely.

I'll be honest, despite having Irish ancestry, I can't stand corned beef and cabbage, but my husband absolutely loved it. He was in heaven.

Chef John, thank you! This was the best corned beef and cabbage I've ever made. Basically I make it once a year for St. Pattys day and I've tried different recipes. They are all kind of similar but I guess the subtle differences make a difference because this was loved by all in my family. Everyone liked it so much that I may just make it again before next year.

Absolutely fantastic. I look like a genius! The timing is what's important, and this spells it out beautifully. I didn't know you need to let meat set for 15 minutes before eating. Cooked a 4 lb brisket three days ago, it was so good it was gone. Cooking another one tonight. Thank you!

Over the years, I have tried many different recipes for corned beef and cabbage, but this is the tastiest! Once the potatoes were placed into the pot for cooking, I searched the web for a horseradish sauce recipe since I love boiled potatoes with it. I was happy to find one from Chef John. In my opinion, No need for horseradish on the brisket. It is that good! Using the left over brisket to make his version of Corned Beef Hash for breakfast tomorrow.

Great recipe as written though next time I may double the salt and add pepper. Also I only used a 2.5 lb. brisket, WAY to small. My wife and I devoured it and now there's plenty of veggies left over, but no corned beef!

"My husband and I watched the video. We didn't change a thing. Top ratings! We made this together and put the veggies in just when Chef John said to. What can I say? The meat was done to perfection and very juicy. All veggies were perfectly cooked. The leftovers were great the next day!!!" This review came from another Chef John fan. I couldn't have said it better! I didn't change a thing. In fact, I'm licking the plate as I type!!! (I don't give out 5 stars very often, but this one deserves 10 stars.)

I followed the directions to the letter!! My husband and I absolutely loved it. Flavor, color and presentation, AWWWWWESOME!!!

as love this recipe I cook mine in the oven most of the day , so do not lose much liquid and do not have to bother with it comes out good every time I add all vegetables at the start as bake at 350* and give this 5 stars

I made this recipe for St. Patrick's Day dinner. It is the BEST recipe, and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you so much, Chef John!

I made this recipe today. It was delicious. The only thing that I changed is that I didn't add any salt and cooked the potatoes for an additional 15 minutes (I live at high altitude). This recipe is a keeper!!

I make corned beef and cabbage a few times a year. It's a simple recipe and I didn't think there was much potential variation to it. I figured I'd try this one since it got such good reviews and I'm a fan of Chef John. However I didn't find this any better or worse than any other recipe I've made. Im not knocking this recipe, but I would just as well be served following the directions on the beef packaging. BTW when making this make sure the meat is really simmering pretty well during the longest part. I didn't and it took longer than the recipe called for before it became tender.

Phenomenal. I added 3 sprigs of fresh thyme and used chicago-style vienna corned beef, because I'm chi-rish. Best corned beef ever.

Chef John, I love the addition of oranges and apples. What a lovely family tradition, your mother must've been a wonderful cook! So I added them and it really makes this recipe special. Also I think RED potatoes are best! ***Especially for those who have not served this traditional Irish recipe, try a side of horseradish as an accoutrement!!!

I made this almost exactly as listed except I had a smaller Corned beef (3 lbs). I cooked it for 50 minutes a pound before adding the potatoes and that seemed to work out about right. I also backed up a bit on everything else in ratio so it would match up to the 3 lb meat. Tasted delicious, tender, juicy and the red potatoes were my favorite. Sooo good and simple. I am glad I watched the video because my cabbage didn't fit into the "broth", and so I was glad he had said that was ok. I will follow this recipe from now on.

Yummy!! Made it just for St Patricks and didn't need to change a thing!!

Classic!

This was amazing. I love Chef John.

This is the standard other Corned beef recipes are compared to. I prefer to add a couple of bottles of beer for part of the water, just my preference. Resting the meat is critical and makes for easier slicing, rather than just having the meat fall apart-even tho theres nothing wrong with that either. Leftovers make for an awesome hash!

Excellent! I added some cayenne pepper, garlic, bay leaf, corriander to it. My meat was pre-seasoned. I staggered the vegetables as suggested and it came out great. My girls loved the broth. SOOOO goood!

I followed the recipe to a "T". It was probably the best corned beef and cabbage I've ever made. My family absolutely LOVED it! This is a keeper.

good recipe... but not complete without parsnips!!! I doubled the carrots and celery, adding equal parts parsnips. really great!

Wow! Super yummy and delicious made exactly as the recipe calls. The vegetables are so tender and season by themselves beautifully. Husband and famiky rave about it. Definitely a keeper. Thanks Chef John.

Husband said it was the best corned beef he ever had :)

Broke the Cardinal rule. First time making this dish and invited friends to be the guinea pigs. It was fantastic. Everyone raved. So easy to make and tasted so good. Followed recipe to the "t" this way if it was a flop, then I didn't have to be accountable it was all on Chef John! Kudos to Chef John!

I made this today. No reason to wait until tomorrow. I originally was going to make it in my slow cooker, but it wasn't large enough so got out the Dutch oven. I put the potatoes in whole (they were smallish) and at the start as they were in the bottom of the slow cooker already so... I took the potatoes, carrots, and onion out when done and let the meat go another hour. Removed the meat and put the cabbage in for 20+ min. Just B4 the cabbage was done I added back the veggies I wanted heated up ( just enough to feed us - the rest are for tomorrow) and sliced our portions of corned beef. Doing it this way made it easy as the meat was resting while the cabbage cooked. I left out the celery and the salt and didn't miss them. Used a light beer as that is what we had. Will definitely be making this again, and not waiting until next March. Thx Chef John!!! Another winner

Only change I made was to add a pinch more of pickling spice in addition to the spice packet and replaced 12 ounces of water with a beer..........absolutely delicious!

This was very good and i will definitely make it again. I did have a hard time getting the potatoes done. I will use the petite size red potatoes next time.

No substitutions. Delicious. Chef John always steers me in the right direction!!

I made this for St. Patrick's Day and it was delicious! I did not change any of the ingredients but I did cook the potatoes separately and then added to the corned beef and other vegetables for the last 15 minutes or so. This was just to save time and space in my pot. Everyone loved every bite and will make again.

Did not make any changes. Will not likely make it again as I didn't like the texture of the corned beef or the flavour of it with the cloves

As with all of Chef Johns receipts this was great.!!!!

Best corned beef brisket, and cabbage I've ever made! I have in the past just used the packet of seasonings and this time added the onion , carrots and celery and chicken broth with fabulous results and terrific flavor improvement! Will definitely do this again next time!

Delicious!!! I do add turnip and and yellow split peas put in a bag as is done in newfoundland....

Very easy. I did leave the meat in about 20 minutes longer and it was worth it.

This was so easy and it brought back memories of my Mom's St. Patty's day annual dinner. She is remodeling her kitchen at the moment, and I didn't want to forgo the tradition so I made it at my home and it was just perfect! This was my first time making this, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out but I know having Chef John as my guide, I could not go wrong. I served this with some whole grain dijon mustard with wasabi powder for a kick! I had some broth and veggies left over, so I used them as a base for Chef John's butternut squash soup the next day. Fantastic!! Win win!

Absolutely wonderful!!!! Loved being able to watch the video. Thank you for a great recipe!

Liked it, but nothing outstanding to make it better than a standard recipe. This was how my grandma made it. The quality of the meat makes the difference.

I will definitely make this again. I will reduce the 3 quarts of water to two and follow the directions as written. However, I feel that horseradish is the way to go with this meat! I am not going to wait for St Patrick’s Day to make this. It’s that good!!

This was the tenderest most juicy corned beef we’ve ever had. The only thing I changes was by substituting a bottle of Guinness beer for some of the water.

Everyone loved it! My only regret was that I didn't double the recipe as there were no leftovers! Will definitely make it again

It was great, definitely will make again.

Did not make any changes, and I will definitely use this recipe again.

This was easy and very yummy. I will make it again. Followed exact directions. My daughter made it too and loved it. I made reubens out of the left overs.

This is my first time to make corned beef and cabbage although I have had it many times and love it. This was a great recipe just as it was No need to change a thing.

It was great! The meat was fork tender and the vegetables were wonderfully tasty.

I enjoyed this meal very much it was tasty and easy to make on a busy night. The meat turned out tender and moist. The vegetables were cooked just right and not mushy or too crisp. I had a 2.2# tripoint and added 10 minutes to the cooking time. My corned beef was also cured in the old fashioned method and not with the addition of any spice packet. The spice leaching from the beef had enough flavor without additions. I will recommend this to others without hesitation. Thank you Chef John!

Recipe doesn't say, but be sure to rinse the meat so it won't be too salty when you cook it. I actually also soaked it for a couple hrs to get most of the salt out. I also didn't add any salt while cooking.

I've made this twice now. It is just simply very good. I didn't change a thing. The first time, I let simmer for 4-5 hours. The meat was fork-tender and delectable. The second time, I only had 2-2.5 hours, as high as possible without boiling over. It wasn't as tender, but it was tender enough. So...the longer the better, in my opinion.

The longer it cooked the better it tasted. I cooked it in the crock pot and added garlic, old Bay and other items to get some better flavor.

FIRST TIME I EVER MADE CORNED BEEF N CABBAGE........TURNED OUT EXCELENT WON'T MAKE ANY CHANGES AND WILL MAKE AGAIN SERVED TO ALL MY NIEGHBORS AND THEY LOVED IT............

This was delicious and a great basic corned beef recipe! Will definitely use again. It's worth the long cook time on the weekend.

This recipe was excellent! Thank you, Chef John!

I made this today, St Patricks day 2019, and was very happy. In the past I always made corned beef in the oven and it was pretty good. This time I wanted the boiled cabbage, potatoes and broth along with it so I went with this recipe and I thought it was excellent. I didn't change a thing.

Delicious. It satisfied my corned beef and cabbage craving.

I used beef broth, onions , celery and red potatoes. Delicious.

Made as directed, this was so delicious we finished it all off in one meal. Will make again. Thanks.

I used chicken broth instead of water, it was excellent!!!

I really like this but made a couple of changes. This does NOT need salt but it does need pepper. I doubled all veggies except potatoes. I used low sodium chicken broth instead of water. I pan seared the cabbage then baked for 30 minutes at 350 on a wire rack with a sheet pan filled with dark beer under to steam instead of adding to the broth. After the meat rested, I topped with 2 T Dijon Mustard mixed with 1 T maple syrup and broiled for 3 minutes. My Irish grandmother actually made almost this identical recipe with the changes I added. Very good recipe.

This was easy and delicious. Definitely worthy of a 5 * rating. The change I will make next time I this is on my menu for dinner would be to cut the salt to 1/2tsp or omit it completely, but that is just personal preference. Thank you for sharing your recipe!!

i cook the corned beef in beer w/ a little brown sugar.

Turned out great and everyone loved it

Low prep time and the flavor is very full for being so simple

Ive beem making this recipe for a lifetime My triplets were born Mar17. im Irish it was just what I make. My recipe is pretty much the same as Chef Johns It a good once ot twice a yr dinner

Perfect, as always, Chef John!

Simple, quick and easy... the best I have made so far!

I have had a hard time getting my corn beef to come out good until I followed Chef John’s way. IT WAS THE BEST!!! I was so thrilled. The cabbage didn’t come out mushy - it still had some crispy to it. The corn beef was so tender. Thank you Chef John.

Chef John does it again! So simple and yet so good. Funny how it seems that my usual recipe isn't much different, but never quite turned out this well. Followed recipe but added more carrots and no potatoes. I will use this recipe from now on.

Great!!! Thank you~

I made this with a 2.5 lb brisket following the instructions to the letter & it turned out beautifully. I paired it with a loaf of soda bread ( of course not forgetting the green libations ) & it is definitely going to be my "go - to" St. Patrick's corned beef recipe for now on :)

Beautifully done.

I have made this several times and it is always great! This time I added 1/2 beef broth and 1/2 water. It was still very good. Thanks for the recipe Chef John. I use a lot of your recipes!! :)

This was my first attempt at corned beef and cabbage. Wow! The meat turned out so tender and the veggies and broth were delicious! I did tweak it just a bit (sorry for those of you who get mad at this, but really, I did stick with the original recipe, just switched/added a couple of things!) I added garlic and instead of celery I used parsnips. And instead of using water, I used beef bone broth. But stuck to everything else. I could’ve eaten the whole pot by myself!!! The fam loved it. Thank you do much for the recipe and the video instructions!!

Wonderful. I used beef stock to replace 2 of the 3 qts of water. The resulting broth was almost as good as the tender cornbeef.

I have to agree with so many of the other reviewers. This was the best and easiest Corned Beef and Cabbage recipes I ever prepared and enjoyed. There was no greasy taste. I made it yesterday and dinner tonight was perfect leftovers. Thanks

Followed the recipe to the Tee, except that instead of the Dutch Oven I used the Crock Pot on high for 7 hours. Honestly, it turned out fabulous! But If you use the crock pot cut back on the water.

Perfect as directed.

I grew up on this from my grandma and my kids have grown up on it. But she always put in mustard and Worcestershire. Gives it a little more flavor.

Loved this, first time I made it exactly like the recipe. The second time, I made a few small changes. But that was to suit my families personal taste. Great recipe!

It was delicious. The whole family loved it.

As I always do with Chef John recipes, I followed this one exactly and everything turned-out perfect. The corned beef was tender, juicy and flavorful. The vegetables were cooked to perfection. Next time, I will try making this while drinking Guiness.

After reading several reviews and reviewing my own previous receipe - I made a couple additions. Used a 1.5# corned beef roast (there are only 2 of us), added an additional 1 Tbl. pickling spices (packet had 1 Tbl.), and added 2 bay leaves, omitted the salt and pepper. Also substituted 12 ounces of water for light beer. Cooked the large carrots in with the beef and removed them when fork tender about the 2-hour mark. Added the Potatoes and cabbage wedges for the last hour. Put the carrots back in the pot to reheat when I took the meat out to rest. Best Corned beef dinner ever!