Boiled Dinner

If you’re unfamiliar with traditional boiled dinner, don’t be fooled by the name—it’s really a fancy way of saying corned beef and cabbage. While this one-pot meal takes a few hours to reach maximum tenderness, it’s really about as simple as bringing a pot of water to a boil. Ideal comfort food, this traditional Irish recipe is not only a staple for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, but expands beyond the holiday for an equally hearty and comforting winter dinner.

History of traditional boiled dinner.
This dish is also known as New England boiled dinner, due to its roots on the East coast. It’s thought to have originated with Irish immigrants in New England, especially near Boston. The simple, hearty meal was most likely made with brisket instead of ham, because it was easier to come by. An enduring classic, this simple Irish-American meal has now become a staple traditional St. Patrick’s Day recipe.

What’s in boiled dinner?
While there’s a few variations of boiled dinner out there that vary on the meat of choice, we’re going with the traditional Irish version. This one-pot recipe combines corned beef brisket with carrots, potatoes, and cabbage. If you'd like to switch up the veggies, you totally can, but if you're looking to go traditional, keep with the classic veggies.

The corned beef brisket.
While the spice pack that comes with corned beef brisket will work perfectly fine, if you want an extra-flavorful brisket, try creating your own mixture with allspice, coriander, cloves, brown sugar, and black pepper, just like we did in our corned beef brisket recipe!

Can I make this in the slow-cooker?
Absolutely! Follow our slow-cooker corned beef and cabbage recipe if you're looking to "set it and forget it" with this classic dinner.

Storage.
If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for around 3 days. Psst: This would be a great excuse to make some corned beef sandwiches!

Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below!