As a young child, the only thing I knew about St. Patrick’s Day was that if I didn’t wear green to school, I was going to get the fire pinched out of me (lesson learned). In college, I learned the celebratory act of drinking green beer, and lots of it. As I got older, I learned that green was and still is, NOT my color. 

As an adult, I have learned that food is, in fact, a fundamental part of the celebration. St. Patrick’s Day, or The Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17, to mark the passing of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland. While corned beef and cabbage are thought to be an Irish feast on St. Patrick’s Day celebration, it is actually more of an Irish American tradition.

Historically in Ireland, beef was considered an indulgence for the affluent and wasn’t readily available to the general population. The Irish typically exported tons of corned beef to the rest of Europe, while making the dish with ham for themselves. But when many Irish immigrated to the United States, they found corned beef was actually affordable, and it became a common meal. 

The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City in 1762, Irish Americans transformed St. Patricks Day from a religious feast day to a celebration of their heritage and homeland; and of course, this included a celebratory meal. To honor their culture, immigrants splurged on their favored corned beef, beloved potatoes, and the most affordable vegetable, cabbage.

We at White Oak Pastures aren’t Irish, but we want to celebrate alongside our Irish friends. White Oak Pastures IS all about the beef! So here, we offer two of our favorite Corned Beef and Cabbage recipes: one recipe for slow cookers, and one recipe for those who want to speed things up with their Instant Pot.

The “low and slow” cooking process with our grassfed brisket will turn what is typically a tough cut of meat into one that is exceptionally tender. It doesn’t matter if you are Irish American or not; our meal will be pleasing to any palate!

Ingredients

• White Oak Pastures beef brisket (3-5 lbs)
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cups water
• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 small head of cabbage, cut into wedges

Method

1. Chop onion into large chunks and place in the bottom of a 6 qt slow cooker.
2. Top with corned beef and seasoning.
3. Pour water into slow cooker until it almost covers the corned beef.
4. Add garlic and bay leaves.
5. Cook on low 8-10 hours.
6. After the initial 3 hours, add potatoes and carrots to the slow cooker.
7. Two hours before serving, add cabbage wedges to the slow cooker.
8. Remove corned beef from slow cooker and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.
9. Serve with potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.
10. It is essential to cut your corned beef ACROSS the grain. Once cooked, your corned beef should be tender. If it is not, it more than likely needs to cook longer, Let your meat rest before slicing.
    
    

Ingredients

• 1 White Oak Pastures beef brisket (3-5 lbs)
• 1 large onion, cut into ½-inch wedges
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 Tbsp pickling spice
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, split lengthwise, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 4 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 small head cabbage, core intact, cut into thick wedges
• ¼ cup parsley, freshly chopped, loosely packed
• Sour cream, horseradish, and whole-grain mustard

Method

1. Put onion, thyme, garlic, pickling spice, brisket, and 6 cups of water into an Instant Pot. Follow instructions for locking lid and preparing to cook.
2. Seal and cook on high pressure for 85 minutes.
3. Follow the guide for quick release, remove heat, set aside.
4. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and return 2 cups back to pot.
5. Add butter, rutabaga, leeks, carrots, and cabbage to pot.
6. Seal and cook on high for 4 minutes.
7. Quick-release the steam.
8. Thinly slice brisket across the grain and transfer to serving platter.
9. Arrange vegetables around meat.
10. Sprinkle parsley and serve with sour cream, horseradish, and mustard on the side.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 01:30
Total time: 01:45
Yield: 6 servings

Calories: 390
Fat: 26g