This is my all time favorite way to cook corned beef and cabbage. Corned beef brisket and cabbage cooked in a Guinness spiked broth until the meat is so tender it falls apart and the cabbage is soft and buttery.
Right before serving, glaze the brisket with brown sugar mustard sauce & serve with creamy parsley buttered potatoes.
This recipe includes instructions for making Corned Beef and Cabbage in your Slow Cooker or in your Instant Pot.
Rather watch than read? Here's a short video tutorial that will show you how to make Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Instant Pot.
Corned beef and cabbage originated in Ireland as a traditional Easter Sunday dinner, a tradition that, I understand, has waned considerably over the past couple of decades. At least in Ireland. Here in the US, many of us consider it mandatory fare on St. Patrick's day.
I, for one, rarely let the holiday go by without cooking a large batch of Corned Beef and Cabbage, intentionally making enough for Corned Beef Hash and Reuben Sandwiches later in the week.
This recipe is just about as simple as you can get. But it also includes a couple of not-so-traditional elements:
- Dijon mustard brown sugar glaze
- Parsley buttered potatoes that are cooked separately from the corned beef and cabbage
How to Make Corned Beef and Cabbage in an Instant Pot
Cooking corned beef and cabbage in an Instant Pot only takes about 90 minutes, start to finish.
About an hour and a half before you want to eat, remove the brisket from the package, reserving the pickled spice packet. Rinse the meat under cold water then pat dry with paper towels.
Peel an onion and cut it into 8 wedges. Set the wedges in the bowl of an Instant Pot and lay the corned beef brisket on top.
Remove the brisket from the package, reserving the pickles spice packet. Rinse the meat under cold water, pat it dry with paper towels, and lay it in the Instant Pot over the onions.
Add the pickled seasoning, brown sugar, and Guinness to the pot and cook on high pressure for about an hour and a half.
Remove the corned beef from the Instant Pot, strain the liquid and pour about 1 ½ cups back into the bowl of the Instant Pot. Cut a head of cabbage into 8 wedges and add them to the IP along with some baby carrots. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
Spread the mustard sauce over the cooked corned beef brisket and set it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce begins to brown in spots.
Place the mustard-covered brisket on a serving platter and arrange the cooked cabbage and carrots around it. Serve with parsley buttered potatoes.
Slow Cooker Instructions
I love using a slow cooker on those days on which I know I won't have any time to mess with dinner later in the day.
- In the morning, remove the brisket from the package, reserving the pickled spice packet. Rinse the meat under cold water and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Peel an onion and slice it into 8 wedges onion wedges. Place the wedge in the bowl of a slow cooker and lay the corned beef brisket on top. Sprinkle the pickled seasoning plus 3 tablespoons of brown sugar over the brisket.
- Pour two bottles of Guinness over the meat. (You can use water, chicken or beef broth instead of Guinness if you prefer.)
- Set the slow cooker to cook the brisket on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours.
- Nestle the cabbage and carrots into the slow cooker along with the brisket and sprinkle them with a bit of salt. Cook for another 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
3 Ingredient Mustard Glaze
A few years ago, a friend of mine served corned beef for dinner that had been coated with a delicious slightly sweet mustard glaze. It was sooooo good that it forever changed the way I make this dish.
You only need 3 ingredients and 3 easy steps to make this tangy mustard sauce:
- Mix a bit of dijon mustard with salt and brown sugar
- Brush the glaze over corned beef brisket after the brisket is done cooking
- Place the glazed brisket under the broiler for a couple of minutes, just until the glaze is beginning to brown in a few places
For such simple thing, that mustard glaze is heaven on the salty, tender corned beef.
How to Make Parsley Buttered Potatoes
Most corned beef and cabbage recipes include potatoes that have been boiled in the same pot as the corned beef and cabbage. This is not my favorite way to cook them.
Boiled potatoes have the tendency to become overcooked and water logged to the point that they just fall completely apart on your fork. Plus, boiled potatoes are kinda bland.
Mushy and bland. We can do better than that.
Instead, I like to cook the potatoes separately from corned beef using a simple method of boiling them for only a few minutes, then finishing them in a skillet with butter and parsley.
This results in potatoes that are meltingly tender on the inside, buttery, salty, and slightly crisp on the outside. They are the antithesis of mushy and bland, each bite creamy, crispy, and flavorful.
Here's how to make them:
Add the potatoes to a medium or large saucepan and add enough water to cover the potatoes by 2 or 3 inches. Stir in 3 tablespoons of salt and s the pan over high heat. When the water begins to boil, cook the potatoes for 5-8 minutes, until just barely fork tender. Remove the potatoes from the water.
Add some butter and oil to a large skillet and set it over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the potatoes.
Sprinkle the potatoes with another teaspoon of salt and roll them around in the pan so that they are coated on all sides in butter and oil.
Cover the pan and turn the heat down to low. Let the potatoes cook for 20 - 25 minutes. Every once in a while, shake the pan so the potatoes roll around and do not burn.
The potatoes are done when a fork pricked into one of the potatoes slides in like butter.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped parsley. Stir the potatoes around in the pan to coat in the butter and parsley, then turn them out into a serving bowl.
How to Use Leftover Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Corned Beef Hash is a delicious way to transform leftover Corned Beef and potatoes into the kind of casual comfort food that will turn anyone into a leftover lover.
- The classic Reuben Sandwich is made with toasted slices of dark rye bread packed with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and tangy homemade Russian dressing. This sandwich is the perfect reason to make extra corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day.
More St. Patrick's Day Recipes
- Bangers and Mash with Guinness Onion Gravy
- Irish Apple Cake with Custard Sauce
- Slow Cooker Irish Beef and Guinness Stew
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #alittleandalot on Instagram.
📖 Recipe
Corned Beef and Cabbage with Mustard Sauce and Parsley Buttered Potatoes
Corned beef brisket cooked in a Guinness broth until meltingly tender, coated with a brown sugar mustard glaze & served with cabbage, carrots, & parsley buttered potatoes.
This recipe includes Slow Cooker AND Instant Pot instructions.
*The Cook Time listed below reflects Instant Pot instructions. The Cook Time for a slow cooker is 6 hours on high or 10 hours on low.
Rather watch than read? Here's a short video tutorial that will show you how to make Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs corned beef brisket
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
- Pickled seasoning packet that comes with corned beef brisket (Or, 1 ½ tablespoon pickle seasoning.)
- 4 tablespoon dark brown sugar, divided
- Two 11.2 ounce bottles of Guinness beer
- ½ cup broth (any kind) or water
- 1 medium green cabbage
- 16 ounces baby carrots
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup dijon mustard
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
For the Parsley Buttered Potatoes:
- 24 ounces (1 lb 8oz) baby potatoes
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Remove the brisket from the package, reserving the pickled spice packet. Rinse under cold water then pat dry with paper towels.
- Put the onion wedges in the bowl of a slow cooker OR Instant Pot and lay the corned beef brisket on top. Sprinkle the pickled seasoning and 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar over the brisket. Pour in the Guinness and water or broth.
- SLOW COOKER: Cook the brisket on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours.
- INSTANT POT: Select pressure cooker setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 1 hour 25 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Remove any tough outer leaves from the cabbage and slice it in half. Slice each half into two pieces and remove the core. Then, slice each quarter in half so that you have 8 wedges of cabbage.
- SLOW COOKER: Nestle the cabbage and carrots into the slow cooker along with the brisket. Sprinkle the vegetables with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for another 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
- INSTANT POT: Remove the cooked corn beef from the Instant Pot and place it on a baking sheet that's been lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Pour the liquid in the Instant Pot bowl through a strainer that's been set inside a bowl. Discard the onions and pour 1 ½ cups of the liquid back into the Instant Pot. Add the carrots and cabbage wedges. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon salt. Select pressure cooker setting; adjust pressure to high and set time for 4 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
Glaze the Cooked Corned Beef with Mustard Sauce:
- Preheat the oven broiler and place a rack in the center of your oven. In a small bowl, mix the dijon mustard with the remaining tablespoon of brown sugar and ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Set the cooked corned beef on a baking sheet that's been lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Spread the mustard sauce over the top of the brisket. Put the brisket in the oven and let broil for 2-3 minutes, just until the mustard begins to brown in a few places.
- Remove from the oven and place on a serving platter along with the cooked carrots and cabbage. Sprinkle the corned beef brisket with chopped fresh parsley. Serve with Parsley Buttered Potatoes.
Parsley Buttered Potatoes:
- Add the potatoes to a medium or large saucepan and add enough water to cover the potatoes by 2 or 3 inches. Stir in 3 tablespoons of salt. Set the pan over high heat. When the water begins to boil, cook the potatoes for 5-8 minutes, until just barely fork tender. Drain.
- Add the butter and oil to a large skillet and set it over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes with another teaspoon of salt and roll them around in the pan so that they are coated on all sides in butter and oil.
- Cover the pan with a lid or sheet of aluminum foil, turn the heat down to low, and let cook for 20 - 25 minutes. Every once in a while, shake the pan so the potatoes roll around and do not burn. The potatoes are done when a fork pricked into one of the potatoes slides in like butter.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped parsley. Stir the potatoes around in the pan to coat in the butter and parsley, then turn them out into a serving bowl.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 895Total Fat: 46gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 245mgSodium: 1331mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 6gSugar: 13gProtein: 71g
Karen Greenleaf says
Oh, my! I cooked another recipe from your website and we loved it! A few days after St. Patrick's Day last week I saw your recipe, Corned Beef and Cabbage with Mustard Sauce and Parsley Buttered Potatoes, and decided I had to make it. My husband and I are still talking about how delicious it was and how tender the corned beef was. I usually only make corned beef once a year but I am going to make it again soon. I wish I had made more! Thanks again for an amazing recipe.
RebeccaBlackwell says
Karen! This comment just made my whole night. I am so happy to hear that you liked this recipe! Thank you so very much for taking the time to leave a comment for me. I appreciate it so much! xo
Patty Scharlach says
Dear A Little and A Lot - 49 years ago, my mother-in-law served up corned beef with the mustard and brown sugar topping. The only changes I made to her recipe was to cook the corned beef in apple cider and to add whole allspice and cloves, whole black pepper, a cinnamon stick, and two bay leaves. Not very Irish, but sure is delicious. We cook the corned beef the day before and slice it when cold the following day; then let it come to room temperature, top it with the brown sugar and mustard glaze and pop it under the broiler. Like you we cook our potatoes separately, skinned, browned in salted butter in a cast iron pan, and then put into a 350 degree oven until tender. Carrots are roasted whole and the cabbage is coarsely cut, quickly steamed hot but still crunchy and tossed with garlic butter - which comes out very sweet and crunchy. Anyway...it was a pleasure to see this old corned beef recipe revived on your website. I hope a new generation of cooks will give it a try and make it a winter staple and not reserve it just for St. Patrick's Day. Thank you maintaining such a nice website and for all the work you do to bring us these recipes.
RebeccaBlackwell says
Patty! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this comment. I so enjoyed reading it! I am feeling quite inspired to try cooking corned beef in apple cider now. The apple flavor must be divine with the mustard glaze. I am also going to try cooking the cabbage separately and tossing it in garlic butter, as you mention. I totally agree with you that this dish should be a winter staple instead of a once a year treat. It's one of my favorite dishes and doesn't deserve to be relegated to only one day of the year. Thank you so much for reading and for reaching out to me! xo
Renae Nowak says
this is with out a doubt the best corned beef and cabbage recipe ever, I have made it for years ,usually in the slow cooker. But this year I used your recipe in the instant pot...and I have never made a mustard glaze...I think that made it...Thank You so much...I will make it this way forever!
RebeccaBlackwell says
Renae! Your comment just made my whole morning! I am so happy to hear that you liked this recipe! The mustard glaze is my favorite part of this dish. I'm so glad you liked it too! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me. I truly appreciate it! xo