With the help of the electric pressure cooker, this corned beef and cabbage recipe is made simple (i.e. Instant Pot). Corned beef that is tender and flavorful, with cabbage that is perfectly cooked (but not overcooked). It’s a festive meal that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any other special occasion.
What are your plans for St. Patrick’s Day?
When my son came home from school one day and asked me about the little green elf who came to leave treats in his shoes on St. Patrick’s Day, I was surprised at how much some people get into it.
I had to confess to him that I’d never heard of him before.
Our main St. Patrick’s Day tradition is to eat corned beef and cabbage for dinner.
That’s all there is to it.
My kids, on the other hand, look forward to corned beef and cabbage. They are completely enamored with it. Yes, even the cabbage is included.
My husband and both boys requested corned beef and cabbage for their birthday meals one year, and we were fortunate enough to have it several times that year. And no one objected.
Have you had corned beef and cabbage before?
It’s not something I grew up with, but one year on St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to make it just for fun to be a little festive.
Nobody in my family has allowed me to forget about our new tradition.
It’s funny how they start reminding me about it months in advance every year. My kids are still begging to have corned beef and cabbage, which I served a little early this year (so I could photograph it for this post).
So, yes, on St. Patrick’s Day, we’ll have it again.
Some family customs are hard to break.
I usually serve it with roasted vegetables and a side of these delicious rolls. We usually make a variation of these roasted vegetables (without the sausage) or these roasted garlic rosemary potatoes for the potatoes. If you wanted, you could even mix in a few carrots with the red potatoes.
This time, I made some delicious garlic sweet potatoes to go with the corned beef and cabbage. I adore the pop of color they add, and you can bet I’ll be making, perfecting, and sharing them in the future.
Corned Beef and Cabbage Full Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pound corned beef brisket (see note)
- 2 cups water
- 1 medium onion
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 medium head of cabbage
Instructions
- Remove corned beef from package and reserve seasoning packet (if there is one). Rinse corned beef under water and trim any excess fat.
- Add a small trivet to the base of the pressure cooker. Place 2 cups water to the bottom of the cooker along with the seasoning packet. Place corned beef (fatty side up) on the trivet.
- Remove onion peel and chop roughly in eighths. Wash celery stalk and roughly chop as well. Add vegetables to the top of pressure cooker and lock lid in place.
- Cook corned beef on high pressure for 50-65 minutes. The exact amount of time will depend on the size of corned beef (see note). When cooking time is up, release pressure naturally.
- Test meat tenderness with a fork. The corned beef should be tender enough for a fork to slide in an out easily. If it is not done, replace lid and bring back up to pressure for the 5 to 10 minutes (depending on how tender you want it).
- While meat is cooking wash cabbage and cut in quarters. Remove the core and then cut each quarter in half.
- When meat is completely cooked and pressure is released, remove lid and carefully add cabbage to pressure cooker on top of the meat, making sure you still have plenty of room for the lid to lock properly in place. Replace lid and cook on LOW pressure for 1 minute. Then release pressure naturally.
- When pressure has released, remove cabbage and corned beef to a serving platter and serve warm.
Recipe Notes
- Any cut of corned beef brisket should work in this recipe. The amount of time it takes to cook the meat will be determined by its weight. A 3.6 pound beef brisket took about 55 minutes in my 6 quart Cuisinart pressure cooker, plus the time for the natural release. Start with 65 minutes if you’re cooking a 4 pound beef brisket. Start with 50 minutes for a 3 pound beef brisket.
- Allow the corned beef to cook and keep warm if making this recipe ahead of time. Add the cabbage to the pressure cooker about 20-30 minutes before you want to eat it and cook it for a minute. Allowing the cabbage to sit warm for an extended period of time will cause it to lose its flavor.
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