Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes, and Carrots, a classic St. Patrick’s Day Dinner. Below, I’ve included everything you need to know to throw together this Irish American feast for St. Paddy’s Day. It’s one that I’ve done every year for the last twenty years.
We’ve celebrated St. Patrick’s Day every year since I was quite young with traditions like dying milk green and wearing green shirts. In college, I was awed when walking into the cafeteria and seeing a sea of green. In New York, the bars spilled over onto the street with people drinking Irish beer as soon as they got off work.
I've made corned beef a dozen different ways and sourced it from a dozen different places. I've made it with Guinness, with Killians, Smithwicks, and Harp, all on separate occasions. I've boiled it and baked it and done both versions at the same time to compare.
I've learned quite a bit about making this feast and how to simplify it. I've learned how to manage time so it's not an ordeal and leaves time to enjoy the day. And I've perfected Irish Soda Bread so that it's moist and buttery rather than dry and crumbly.
Jump to:
☘️ Selecting Corned Beef
The biggest tip that I have after so many years of making corned beef is to select the best cut of meat. In general, the best place to find corned beef (available nationwide) is Costco.
Look at each individual package and select a cut of meat that is one continuous piece of meat, and not two pieces connected by a thick layer of fat. Look for a piece that is less fatty in general.
🍺 Should I cook the corned beef in beer?
I’ve cooked corned beef in both dark and light beer and without it. I don’t love the taste of dark beer, like Guinness, so I don’t like the taste that it adds to the corned beef.
I’ve used a lighter Irish beer or a red beer several times, and it works just fine, but because they are lighter beers, they don’t contribute much to the taste. So, while you can add beer to the water to boil the corned beef, it's easier not to, and you're not missing out on any flavor.
🇮🇪 To boil or bake corned beef?
I’ve experimented with boiling and baking corned beef (simultaneously), and I prefer boiled. Everyone has their own preference, and baked was great (I added spices and brown sugar), but boiling corned beef gives you the perfect texture and taste without it drying out. Simple and classic.
🛒 Ingredients
Below are the 4 super simple ingredients needed to make this classic Irish-American St. Paddy’s Day dinner.
- Corned Beef: I recommend buying the best cut that you can. Typically, the easiest place to be guaranteed a good cut of corned beef is at Costco. Corned beef from a typical supermarket can be very hit or miss. Though, if you have a local place or butcher that you love, they may have a great option too.
- Cabbage: Err on the side of a small cabbage. It’s an important ingredient, but in my experience, there’s always so much left over, and it’s not great reheated.
- Potatoes: You can choose any white potatoes, but I love to use medium-sized red potatoes. When peeled and boiled in the pot with the corned beef, they have a soft, buttery texture and taste.
- Carrots: I like to use a bag of baby carrots because it’s easy to just open the bag and dump them in the pot, no prep needed. But peeled and diced large carrots work well, too.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📝 How to Make St. Patrick's Day Dinner
Below are the step-by-step instructions for how to make Corned Beef, Potatoes, Cabbage, and Carrots for St. Patrick's Day Dinner.
*Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Step 1. Corned Beef: Bring a large pot or Dutch Oven to a boil. Add the corned beef so that the fat side is facing up. Include any seasoning packet that comes with the corned beef. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking for 1 hour per pound. Check the corned beef 30 minutes prior to the final cooking time. If it is fork tender, it is done.
Step 2. Potatoes, Carrots, Cabbage: Remove the corned beef from the pot and place it on a cutting board and cover it with aluminum foil. This helps to prevent it from drying out.
Strain the cooking liquid into a large bowl, then return the liquid to the pot. This is the easiest way to remove fat, scum, etc. Bring to a low boil. Add the potatoes. After 10 minutes, add the carrots. After another 5 minutes, add the cabbage. Remove the vegetables and place them on a serving platter. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Tip: The potatoes cook for 30 minutes total, the carrots for 20 minutes total, and the cabbage for 15 minutes total.
Step 3. Slice the Corned Beef: Remove any excess fat from the meat. Slice the corned beef against the grain (cover until ready to serve).
Step 4. Serve: Arrange the corned beef, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage on a serving platter. Serve with softened butter for the potatoes.
🍽️ What to Do With Leftovers
- Store: Store the meat and the vegetables separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 1 week. Boiled cabbage does not reheat very well.
- Reheat: Reheat the corned beef, potatoes, and carrots gently in the microwave at 50% power for 1 minute at a time depending on the amount leftover.
- Corned Beef Hash: The best way to make use of leftovers is to make a corned beef hash, which is excellent for breakfast or dinner the next day (or a few days later).
💖 Here are A Few More Recipe Ideas You May Love:
If you've tried this ☘️ St. Paddy's Day Dinner or any other recipe on my site, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
Corned Beef, Potatoes, Cabbage, and Carrots Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs corned beef
- 12 large red potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-2 inch chunks
- 1 lb baby carrots
- 1 small head of cabbage, or ½ a large head of cabbage, cut into 2-inch pieces
Instructions
- Fill a large pot or Dutch Oven with water and bring to a boil. Add the corned beef and any seasoning packet that comes with the corned beef. Return to a boil and reduce to an active simmer. Simmer for roughly 1 hour per pound of corned beef. So if you have 3 lbs. of corned beef, simmer for 3 hours. Although the cooking time is roughly 1 hour per pound, I recommend checking the meat 30 minutes early as an extra precaution to prevent the meat from becoming dry. For a 3 lb. cut of corned beef, check it at the 2 ½ hour mark. If it is fork tender, it is likely done. The timing all depends on the exact cut of corned beef, the fat content, and the exact temperature of the water.
- Remove the corned beef from the pot and place it on a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out.
- Strain the cooking liquid in the pot through a fine mesh strainer into a large heatproof bowl to remove any fat, spices, or gunk. Return the cooking liquid to the pot and return to a low boil.
- Add the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the baby carrots and cook with the potatoes for another 5 minutes. Finally, add the cabbage to the pot with the carrots and potatoes and cook for 15 minutes. In other words, the potatoes cook for 30 minutes total, the carrots cook for 20 minutes total, and the cabbage cooks for 15 minutes total.
- Remove the vegetables and place in a serving dish. Cover with aluminum foil until ready to serve to keep them warm.
- While the vegetables are cooking, remove any excess fat from the top and bottom of the corned beef. Then slice the corned beef in ½ inch slices, cutting against the grain. Cover again with aluminum foil until ready to serve.
- Serve the corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots while warm. The potatoes can be served with butter.
Notes
- Corned Beef: I recommend buying the best cut that you can. Typically, the easiest place to be guaranteed a good cut of corned beef is at Costco. Corned beef from a typical supermarket can be very hit or miss. Though, if you have a local place or butcher that you love, they may have a great option too.
- Cabbage: Err on the side of a small cabbage. It’s an important ingredient, but in my experience, there’s always so much left over, and it’s not great reheated.
- Potatoes: You can choose any white potatoes, but I love to use medium-sized red potatoes. When peeled and boiled in the pot with the corned beef, they have a soft, buttery texture and taste.
- Carrots: I like to use a bag of baby carrots because it’s easy to just open the bag and dump them in the pot, no prep needed. But peeled and diced large carrots work well, too.
- Softened Butter for Serving: Soften the butter in the microwave at 20% power for 30 seconds at a time so that it is easy to spread on the potatoes.
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