Corned Beef and Cabbage: The New England Way
- Servings: 6
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Effort Level: Moderate
New England boiled dinner is often viewed as interchangeable with corned beef and cabbage, but this traditional dish actually has a bit more to it. In addition to tender slices of brisket and cabbage wedges, it features an assortment of root vegetables that includes turnips and pearl onions along with the classic carrots and potatoes.
We typically make New England boiled dinner around St. Patrick’s Day, when stores are promoting corned beef, and over the years we’ve developed a few simple techniques to ensure the best results. Changing the initial cooking water to reduce the saltiness of the corned beef and careful timing when cooking the vegetables ensures that the flavors are balanced and each ingredient is cooked to perfection. To complete the dish, we serve it with an easy horseradish cream sauce and whole grain mustard for dipping.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
We believe that great flavor starts with quality ingredients. Here are the small details that make these choices work. For a full list and measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Corned beef – Use a traditional flat-cut corned beef brisket, about 2 to 3 pounds. Corned beef is made from the brisket, an inexpensive cut of beef taken from the breast section of the cow. The meat is brined in a seasoned solution made with salt, pickling spices, and sodium nitrite (pink curing salt) and needs a long, slow simmer to turn tender.
- Green cabbage – When shopping for cabbage look for vibrant green heads that feel firm and moderately heavy for their size. Leaving the core intact when cutting wedges helps them hold together during cooking.
- Baby red potatoes – Small, evenly sized baby red potatoes work well because they cook evenly and can be left whole for serving. Yellow baby potatoes are a good substitute, or you can cut Yukon Golds into large chunks.
- Baby carrots – Baby carrots cook evenly and look attractive on the platter, but peeled and cut whole carrots work just as well.
- Turnips – Purple-top turnips add a mild, earthy sweetness that balances the richness of the beef. If you prefer, substitute parsnips or beets.
- Pearl onions – Fresh pearl onions hold their shape and add subtle sweetness. They take a little effort to peel, but the texture is worth it (see recipe notes for an easy method). You can substitute frozen if you thaw them first and add them later in the recipe, along with the cabbage.
Prep Overview
How to Make New England Boiled Dinner
Here’s a quick overview of the process, with the key techniques that make it work. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
New England boiled dinner starts with gently simmering the corned beef in water. After a brief initial boil and water change (which helps tone down excess salt), the brisket cooks slowly with whole spices until fork-tender. A steady, gentle simmer is key, as cooking too hard can toughen the meat. Low, consistent heat is what allows the connective tissue to break down for proper tenderness.
Once the beef is tender, it rests while the vegetables cook in the flavorful broth. The potatoes go in first, followed by the carrots, turnips, and pearl onions, with cabbage added last. Adding the vegetables in stages ensures each one is properly cooked. When ready to serve, slice the beef across the grain for tenderness and briefly return it to the hot broth to rewarm before arranging everything on a platter.
Tested Tip
Because corned beef is cured in a salt brine, managing saltiness is an important part of making this dish. Briefly boiling the brisket and discarding that first batch of water removes excess surface salt and impurities, giving you a cleaner tasting, more balanced broth for the long simmer.
Some cooks soak corned beef in cold water beforehand, but the quick boil-and-drain method is faster and just as effective. As a bonus, it also removes a bit of excess fat before the main cooking begins.
How to Store and Reheat New England Boiled Dinner
Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for several days. Store the meat and vegetables together with a little of the cooking liquid to prevent them from drying out.
To reheat on the stove, place everything in a covered pan with a splash of water or broth and warm gently until heated through. If reheating in the oven, arrange the meat and vegetables in a single layer on a sheet pan, add a little moisture, and cover tightly so the steam does the work. If your potatoes are large, cut them in half so they warm through without overcooking the cabbage or beef.
More Slow-Cooked Beef Dinners to Try
If you enjoy hearty, slow-cooked beef dishes, there are a few other classics worth exploring. Red Wine Orange Braised Brisket pairs tender beef with citrus and wine for deeper, layered flavor; Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast combines chuck roast, pancetta, and tomatoes in savory pan juices perfect for pasta or polenta; and Pressure Cooker Pot Roast delivers that same long-simmered character in just half the time.
New England Boiled Dinner with Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 lb corned beef brisket, uncooked
- 10 peppercorns
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, (24 ounce bag)
- 8 ounces baby carrots
- 1 lb purple-top turnips, peeled and cubed
- 3/4 lb pearl onions, peeled (see notes)
- 1 head green cabbage, cut into wedges (see notes)
- Whole grain mustard, for serving
Horseradish Cream Sauce:
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the corned beef under cool running water. Place it in a large Dutch oven and add enough cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and discard the water.
- Return the corned beef to the pot and again cover with fresh cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Add the peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to medium-low (or low as needed) to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until the corned beef is fork-tender, 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
- While the corned beef cooks, prepare the vegetables: scrub the potatoes, peel and cube the turnips, peel the pearl onions, and cut the cabbage into wedges, leaving the core intact to hold the wedges together.
- When the corned beef is tender, transfer it to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Let it rest while you cook the vegetables.
- Increase the heat under the cooking liquid to medium-high and add the potatoes. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots, turnips, and pearl onions. Cover and continue simmering for 10 minutes.
- Add the cabbage wedges, ensuring they are mostly submerged in the liquid. Cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes longer, or until all the vegetables are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife but not falling apart.
- While the vegetables cook, prepare the horseradish cream sauce. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and horseradish. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Slice the corned beef across the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a large serving platter. Briefly return the sliced corned beef to the hot cooking liquid for about 1 to 2 minutes to rewarm, then arrange the slices in the center of the platter.
- Serve with horseradish cream sauce and whole-grain mustard.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My family has always been a fan of NE Boiled dinner and your recipe is my new go-to when I make it. I’d never added turnips before and we all really like them.
Hi Annie,
Glad you like the recipe. Turnips are a favorite in our house too!