Ubiquitous with St. Patrick’s Day, corned beef and cabbage is a hearty, filling dish featuring tender corned beef simmered to perfection alongside carrots, potatoes and cabbage. While corned beef and cabbage is associated with St. Patrick’s Day in the U.S., in Ireland it’s more common to celebrate the March 17th holiday with a lamb-based meal.

In fact, corned beef and cabbage isn’t really a traditional Irish recipe at all, and is better associated with the significant influx of Irish immigrants to America beginning in the mid 1840s. We still love eating it on St. Patrick’s Day (or any time of year), especially in leftover corned beef recipes like Reuben sandwiches and corned beef hash and eggs the next day.

What is corned beef?

Corned beef is salt-cured beef brisket. This cut of beef comes from a cow’s lower chest, which is quite muscular. As a result, the meat is quite tough. A process of salt-curing and a long cook time serve to tenderize the meat.

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