Corned Beef (Flats) and Cabbage - a St. Patrick’s Day Tradition?

Corned Beef and Cabbage is one of my family’s favorite one-pot meals. The dish is decidedly Irish, and was first prepared in the United States by the Irish immigrants who settled in New England. Hence, the dish is also known as New England Boiled Dinner.

Many people serve Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day, thinking they are observing the holiday just like the Irish do in Ireland. However, St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland is a serious religious holiday and is celebrated by attending mass and serving special festive holiday dishes, never something as ordinary as Corned Beef and Cabbage. To the Irish, serving Corned Beef and Cabbage for their St. Patrick’s Day celebration would be tantamount to Christians serving tuna noodle casserole for Christmas dinner!

Corned Beef and Cabbage is a great dish to serve for non-special occasions, however, including busy weeknights. In fact, it is a quick and easy meal requiring minimal hands-on time.

In anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day, corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes are featured sale items at almost every grocery store during the month of March (including Harter House Supermarkets), which is reason enough to prepare this simple one-pot meal several times during March.

If you haven’t made corned beef and cabbage before, now is the perfect time to do so. Just make sure if you do serve it on St. Patrick’s Day, don't pass it off to your guests as something the Irish are serving on March 17th!

Easy Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned beef comes in several varieties; flats and points are the most popular and are readily available in grocery stores.

8 Servings

3 to 4 pounds Corned Beef Flats

6 medium potatoes, quartered

1 head green cabbage, cut in wedges

Wash the corned beef and place it in a slow cooker; cover with water and cook on low at least 8 hours or on high 3 hours then low 1 or 2 more hours.

When the corned beef is tender, pour the liquid into a large saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until almost tender. Add the cabbage wedges and cook until crisp tender.

OR, add the potatoes to the slow cooker two hours before the corned beef is done; add the cabbage to the slow cooker about 30 minutes before serving.

To serve, slice the corned beef across the grain and serve with the potatoes and cabbage and lots of real butter.