Everyone needs to have a recipe for Classic Corned Beef in their recipe collection for St. Patrick’s Day or any day!
This corned beef recipe is simple enough to make for a weeknight dinner. And it’s actually our very favorite corned beef recipe to make for St. Patrick’s Day. Serve with mustard, pickles, garlic parsley potatoes, roasted carrots and good Irish soda bread!
Ingredients needed (amounts are in the recipe below):
- corned beef
- whole bay leaf
- one whole head of garlic
- whole cloves
- whole peppercorns
- whole allspice berries
- onion
How to make Classic Corned Beef:
The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post. You will need a large, heavy pot for this recipe.
Place the corned beef in your pot. Cover it with water. Add all of the remaining ingredients. Bring the water to a boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
Lower the heat to a simmer. Cook, turning every 30 minutes for about 2 hours.
Start checking the tenderness of the corned beef with a sharp knife. Pierce the meat every 15 minutes, until the knife is inserted fairly easily. Drain the corned beef.
If you’d like, you can place the corned beef into a 300 degree oven for a few minutes to dry out the exterior.
Slice your classic corned beef across the grain, and serve!
This classic corned beef turns out so tender and wonderful. It’s totally delicious to eat on its own, but I love it dunked in a little bit of gourmet mustard.
This is such an easy recipe, and it’s yummy too. For a variation, add 1 bottle of Harp or Guinness to the pot to add just a little extra flavor. You can also use the spice packet that comes with the corned beef instead of the spices in the recipe. If you’d prefer to cook it in the slow cooker, let it cook for 4 hours on low.
Corned beef doesn’t need much in the way of side dishes. But it’s most delicious served with simply boiled potatoes and carrots. And maybe serve with a few brussels sprouts too.
You also might enjoy my Irish Corned Beef Cabbage and Carrots recipe! And if you’re cooking an Irish dinner, then definitely consider making brown butter soda bread, colcannon and boxty.
Classic Corned Beef
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put the corned beef in a large, heavy pot and cover with water (you can use a crock pot if you'd like). Add all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and skim all the foam that rises to the surface.
- Lower the heat so that the water bubbles occasionally rather than constantly. Cook, turning every 30 minutes or so, for about 2 hours. Pierce with a thin-bladed knife, such as a boning knife; the meat will probably still be fairly tough, but it's time to begin checking.
- Check every 15 minutes; when the corned beef allows the knife to pass into the middle without much resistance, it is ready. Drain; if you like, put the meat into a 300°F. oven for 10 minutes to dry out the exterior a little. (Or wrap it carefully in tin foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days; reheat at 300°F for 30 minutes in the foil; unwrap and heat about 15 minutes more.)
- Slice (across the grain, as you would brisket), and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
