Irish Boiled Dinner
This boiled dinner of corned beef and cabbage is simple to make and a complete one pot meal. This is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
One of my favorite fall dinners is also one of the easiest meals to make. Throw a corned beef brisket, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onions and maybe even some turnips or parsnips into a pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for a few hours. That is it!! Irish boiled dinner is also called corned beef and cabbage and it is a meal that is so simple to make, but wow, is it ever delicious!
Corned Beef And Cabbage Has Many Names
- Irish Boiled Dinner
- New England Boiled Dinner
- Jiggs Dinner (the common name of this dish in Newfoundland and Labrador)
- Colonial Boiled Dinner
This dish is similar to a popular meal in Ireland, called Bacon and Cabbage. Irish colonists began substituting smoked back bacon for corned beef brisket in the New World. I am not sure where my family ever picked up the tradition of eating this meal, since I do not have Irish ancestry, but I regularly remember having it on St. Patrick’s Day as well as during harvest season in the fall.
Ingredients You Need
- Corned beef brisket (I look for one that is about 4 pounds in size or a couple pieces that equal 4 pounds)
- Carrots
- Green cabbage
- Potatoes
- Garlic cloves
- Onions
- Salt
- Pepper
- Water
Expert Tip! There are lots of other vegetables that you could use in this recipe including celery, turnips, rutabaga (swede), brussels sprouts and more!
The seasoning of this dish comes from the spices on the corned beef. The corned beef can come packaged in different ways. Sometimes, the seasoning is rubbed all over the meat prior to packaging. Other times, the seasoning is in a little packet that comes with the meat. Make sure that you include all the seasoning into the pot.
Experts Tip! If you desire to add more of the seasonings, your can go to your spice cupboard and add a little extra: black peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, oregano, bay leaf and salt.
How Long To Boil Corned Beef
Place the corned beef in the pot with the chopped onion and garlic cloves. Fill with water. Make sure there is lots of water and enough that once you add the potatoes, cabbage and carrots, the water will still cover everything.
Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a low rolling boil. Let the brisket cook for about 2 hours. Then add the whole medium sized potatoes, cabbage wedges and peeled carrots to the pot.
Continue to let everything boil for about one more hour. By this time all the vegetables should be cooked through and fork tender.
Expert Tip! Irish boiled dinner needs a big pot. Make sure to use a pot large enough for everything to fit in easily. I use a large stock pot which I also use for making large batches of soup.
Other great Irish style recipes
Here are some other great recipes that I love to make on St. Patrick’s Day
Irish Boiled Dinner
Ingredients
- 4 pound corned beef brisket
- 2 onions , peeled and quartered
- 4 garlic cloves , peeled
- 1 head green cabbage , cut into 4-8 wedges
- 10 medium potatoes , whole
- 8 medium carrots , peeled and cut in half
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- water
Instructions
- Place corned beef brisket, onions and garlic cloves into a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients. If the corned beef has a separate seasoning packet, include that in the pot as well.
- Add water, enough to cover the brisket and even try and add plenty that would cover the cabbage, potatoes and carrots when they are added to the pot.
- Bring to a low boil and cook for 2 hours.
- Add remaining ingredients. If necessary, add more water to cover all the vegetables.
- Bring back to a low boil and cook for 1 more hour or until all the vegetables are tender.
Nutrition
Per serving:
This recipe was originally published in September 2013.
