This classic recipe for Grandma’s Irish Corned Beef has all the spicy flavors and tender deliciousness of this St Patrick’s Day favorite!
I know, we are still a week away from St Patrick’s day and here I am with the main course, my Irish mama’s version that I affectionately call Grandma’s Irish Corned Beef, but I have an excellent reason.
This is my mama, aka Grandma, on a past St. Patrick’s Day.
She will tell you that you MUST start looking for your perfect piece (or in her case, many pieces) of corned beef ahead of time, because the good ones go fast.
She is the Empress of making our St Pat’s corned beef supper, but this year I am on my own (don’t worry, I did a test run last year and it all came out splendidly), so here is what she taught me.
What is corned beef?
Corned beef is a beef brisket that has been salt-cured, usually in a brine mixture. You CAN do this yourself, but your friendly neighborhood supermarket almost definitely has an already brined piece for you at this time of year.
You want to get a piece that is at least 3-4 pounds, because it’s going to shrink when it cooks.
My mama advises getting one pound per person, but I’m pretty sure that is because she knows we love and adore the leftovers. More on that later.
Second, you want a piece that has some fat on it because that gives it flavor, but not too much, and not too much gristle.
Once you have nabbed your perfect piece of corned beef, it’s time to cook it up.
How do you cook corned beef so it’s tender?
You start a day or two before by mixing up a conglomeration of cloves and cinnamon and allspice and nutmeg, patting your brisket dry, and then patting those spices all over it.
Pop it in a zippered plastic bag and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
When it’s time to cook it, put some chopped onions and carrots and parsley in a large pot and tenderly place the brisket on top.
Pour in enough water to cover it, bring it to a simmer, cover the pot and let it cook low and slow for 2 to 3 hours, depending on the size of your brisket.
PRO TIP: Briskets can vary a lot in cooking time depending on their shape and thickness. It’s always best to cook up your corned beef in the morning (or even the day before) to give yourself lots of wiggle room in case it decides to take its own sweet Irish time!
Check it every 30 minutes and if your brisket decides to float above the water, turn it over every time you check.
Once your corned beef is nice and tender, let it rest for about 10 minutes and then slice it up!
We like ours with colcannon (which includes cabbage) and carrots and my mama’s brown bread, with trifle for dessert please.
And if there is leftover corned beef (in our house we plan for leftover corned beef) then you can make one of the Southern husband’s favorite recipes of all time, Irish Eggs Benedict!
Now go corned beef shopping before someone else nabs the best piece!
PrintGrandma’s Irish Corned Beef
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 6
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Irish
Description
This classic recipe for Grandma’s Irish Corned Beef has all the spicy flavors and tender deliciousness of this St Patrick’s Day favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 corned beef brisket, about 4 pounds
- 2 teaspoons, ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons allspice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 sweet onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups chopped or baby carrots
- 1 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Pat your brisket dry. Mix the cloves, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg together and run it over every inch of that brisket. Pop it in a zippered plastic bag and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
- When you are ready to cook it, put the onion, carrots and parsley in a large pot and place the brisket on top. Pour in enough water to cover it.
- Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it cook for 2-3 hours or until tender. Check it every 30 minutes and if your brisket decides to float above the water, turn it over every time you check.
- Scoop it out, let it rest for about ten minutes and then slice it. If there is any left over, store it in some of the cooking liquid. Slainte!
Notes
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying!
Oh wow, I can’t wait to try this. Though we’re Irish, we never cooked Corned Beef at our house growing up. But, we had lots of roast beef and mashed potatoes and your Colcannon recipe brought back the memory of the smell of boiling cabbage in the house.
I’m especially excited about ideas for leftovers. I love corned beef hash!
Thanks for another great recipe, Kate. This looks like perfect comfort food and I’m off to buy my corned beef this weekend.
Emily
p.s. do you put anything on the corned beef when you eat it? mustard?
★★★★★
Emily! I’m so glad you will be trying this recipe (and yes on the leftovers! My husband loves the Irish Eggs Benedict made with the leftovers even more than the original corned beef! We do have some hot mustard around for those who want to spice it up even more, but I am a purist, although I do love a forkful of both corned beef and colcannon all in the same bite! :)
I just couldn’t wait for St. Patrick’s Day and made corned beef two weeks early. I looked on your site and didn’t find a recipe–and that means the corned beef I made was just terrible! I am grateful to have this here for future years! I will try it. Thank you, Kate! Your recipes are always terrific and I know I can count on you!
Isn’t corned beef THE BEST? And next time you need something that’s not on the site, email or call me, my friend – I bet it’s somewhere in my pile of “waiting to be posted.” In the meantime, this is a GREAT reason to make corned beef again soon! Miss you and xoxoxoxo!
Thank you, Kate! I should have called you for a recipe. Mine was a dud. Next time! Miss you, too!