Traditional Irish Boiled Dinner

Boiled Dinner - Corned Beef & Cabbage
Steve Manson/Getty Images
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 3 hrs 45 mins
Total: 4 hrs 5 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings

This recipe for hearty beef brisket is slow cooked on the stovetop with cabbage, leeks, carrots, potatoes, and turnips. Two bottles of beer are added to give depth and richness to the broth without lending any beer flavor.

Boiled dinners like this one are a comfort food in most Irish homes. They are full meals made in a single pot and include everything you need for a delicious family-style dinner complete with your choice of meat (beef, corned beef, pork, lamb, or game meat all work well), potatoes, and lots of vegetables.

It all comes together in no time at all, with most of the effort going into preparing all the fresh veggies. You will, however, have to let this cook for at least 3 1/2 hours, so it's ideal for the weekend when the whole clan can get together and enjoy it. 

Jeff Smith (William Morrow)

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 pounds beef brisket, patted dry

  • 2 (12-ounce) bottles lager beer

  • 2 cups water, or enough to cover

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 10 black peppercorns

  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced

  • 2 cups chopped leeks, white parts only

  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced

  • 3/4 pound large carrots, peeled, cut into large pieces

  • 3/4 pound small red potatoes, unpeeled

  • 1 pound turnips, peeled, quartered

  • 2 pounds green cabbage, cut into sixths, secured with toothpicks

  • 1 dash salt, or to taste

  • 1 dash freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Place an 8- to 10-quart stove-top covered casserole dish (such as a Dutch oven) on the burner. Add the beef, beer, water, bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley, and salt.

  3. Heat a separate frying pan and add the butter or olive oil.

  4. Sauté the garlic, leeks, and yellow onion until translucent and transfer to the casserole.

  5. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cover the casserole, simmering gently for 3 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender. This will normally take about 1 hour per pound of brisket.

  6. In the last 25 minutes of cooking, add the carrots and red potatoes.

  7. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the turnips, cabbage, salt, and pepper.

  8. If the vegetables are not done to your liking, cook them longer, but do not overcook. 

  9. Thinly slice the meat and serve with the vegetables (remember to remove the toothpicks from the cabbage) and pot juices along with horseradish and grainy mustard if desired.

  10. While not traditional, you can accompany this dish with potato bread or pumpernickel bread to sop up all those flavorful juices.

Source: ​The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors by Jeff Smith (William Morrow & Co.). Reprinted with permission.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
752 Calories
40g Fat
29g Carbs
61g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 752
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g 52%
Saturated Fat 15g 75%
Cholesterol 210mg 70%
Sodium 702mg 31%
Total Carbohydrate 29g 10%
Dietary Fiber 6g 22%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 61g
Vitamin C 62mg 309%
Calcium 149mg 11%
Iron 6mg 35%
Potassium 1207mg 26%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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