Southern Soul Food Corned Beef And Cabbage
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Slowly cooked, enriched with flavors, deliciously soft and tender at the inner, spicy and tasty at the outer. It’s the ultimate comfort food and keto recipe of protein and veggies. And it only takes 90 minutes to make this Sunday dinner feast.
What am I raving about?
The ionic recipe Southern corned beef and cabbage made the soul food way!
This Southern soul food corned beef and cabbage recipe is a complete power pack of the most deliciously seasoned protein surrounded by a beautiful vegetable medley. A one-pot meal – straight to plate!
What culture eats corned beef and cabbage?
Corned beef and cabbage is a featured recipe and originally Irish- American classic cuisine, especially enjoyed on St. Patrick’s Day. However, corned beef and cabbage is also a Southern recipe favorite, and this one is enhanced with soul food seasoning for maximum flavor. The best corned beef cabbage recipe!
Why is it called corned beef?
Corned beef came about in the 17th century, and the word “corned” was used to describe the size of the salt crystals used to cure the meat.
Kitchen equipment for Instant Pot corned beef
Ingredients for Southern soul food corned beef and cabbage
*See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients with measurements.
- Corned beef brisket – 2-3 pounds to fit inside the inner pot
- Beef broth – infuses the seasonings for flavor and keeps the beef tender and moist
- Garlic – adds instant flavor
- Cabbage – the sweet accompaniment to the tender corned beef dish
- Yellow onion – chopped to add flavor to the cabbage
- Carrots (or baby carrots) – chopped to add texture and variation to the cabbage dish
- Butter – adds a buttery rich component to the sweet cabbage recipe
What if your corned beef didn’t come with a spice packet?
Then where do you get the seasoning packet?
When you buy a corned beef brisket, it’s often included in the packaging. Unless your beef is butcher cut. If your corned beef brisket does not come with a seasoning packet, or maybe you want to spice up your dish your way (or the way I do). Then I gotchu!
Here’s my signature soul food seasoning recipe for corned beef brisket. The ingredients below combined as a whole make the corned beef pickling spice.
What is the secret to the best corned beef?
The secret is in the flavorful corned beef pickling spice! This is what gives corned beef its unique flavor.
*See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients with measurements to make a homemade Southern soul food pickling spice.
Homemade pickling spice ingredients
- Yellow mustard seeds
- Brown mustard seeds
- Coriander seeds
- Dill weed
- Allspice
- Whole cloves
- Bay leaves
- Red chili flakes
- Salt
- Black pepper
How do you make corned beef and cabbage in the Instant Pot?
Watch the guided video below.
Instructions for Southern soul food corned beef and cabbage
*See the recipe card below for a detailed list of step-by-step guided instructions.
- Rinse the corned beef after removing from the package.
- Mix the seasonings in a small bowl or open the pre-packaged spice packet.
- Then rub the mixture all over the top, non-fatty side of the corned beef.
- Place the brisket on the trivet rack and place it in the pot.
- Remove the corned beef and place it on a cutting board, to slice.
- Add the cabbage, veggies, and butter to the pot and cook.
- Serve Southern soul food corned beef and cabbage right away, and enjoy!
- Why should you make Southern corned beef and cabbage in the Instant Pot? Easy corned beef and cabbage! Thanks to Instant Pot, only one pot is needed to take this recipe from the cooking liquid straight to the plate. And unlike a slow cooker corned beef recipe, this dish is ready in a matter of minutes instead of overnight or hours stewing over a hot stove.
- How long does it take to cook corned beef and cabbage in the Instant Pot? It only takes 90 minutes for pressure cooking corned beef. And only an additional 4 minutes when you add the chopped cabbage wedges to the Instant Pot.
- How would you change the recipe if you want to cook cabbage, carrots, and potatoes in the Instant Pot at the same time? Check out this Instant Pot corned beef recipe HERE for instructions on cooking corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and red potatoes in the Instant Pot simultaneously. Also, check out my best Southern cabbage recipes HERE for more cabbage variations.
All the reasons why Instant Pot corned beef and cabbage is the first choice over the stovetop, crockpot corned beef, or slow cooker corned beef and cabbage recipes any day!
Can this recipe be cooked on the stovetop in a large pot for several hours?
Yes, Southern corned beef and cabbage can be cooked on the stovetop or in a Crockpot, and it will take 6-9 hours for the meat to cook through. The Instant Pot method is almost foolproof. So there’s no need to cook at a high temperature for long periods.
How long does it take to cook a 2-pound corned beef brisket?
Without an Instant Pot, corned beef bakes at a ratio of an hour a pound. So a 2-pound corned beef will need to bake for 2 hours. A 2.25-pound corned beef for 2 hours 15 minutes, 2.5-pound corned beef will bake for 2 hours and 30 minutes, and so on.
What do you serve with corned beef and cabbage?
This Southern corned beef and cabbage recipe is often served with other soul food vegetable favorites like brown sugar-glazed carrots, Southern creamy mashed potatoes, Southern baked apple slices, or Southern tea cakes (similar to Irish soda bread).
Learn more about what to serve with fried cabbage HERE.
Southern soul food corned beef and cabbage FAQs
Should you rinse corned beef before cooking?
Yes, you should rinse corned beef under cool water to remove any excess salt before cooking it. But, don’t worry, you won’t rinse away the flavor – the meat is fully cured and infused with flavor by this point.
What happens if you don’t rinse corned beef before cooking?
You may be in for a finished corned beef that’s saltier than you intended!
When placing meat in the pressure cooker, do you put the fat side up or down?
Should the fat side of the brisket be facing up or down? That’s one of the most common questions when cooking corned beef. For Instant Pot corned beef, the answer is down. You want the seasoned (non-fatty side) facing up.
How do you know when Instant Pot corned beef is done?
If you have a meat thermometer, that’s a plus point for you! Check the meat’s readiness, and when the thermometer reads 145 degrees F, the beef cooking is done. However, if you don’t have a meat thermometer, there is no need to worry. Instead, check the meat readiness with a fork or knife cut.
Why do you place the meat on a rack instead of in the liquid?
Is it OK not to use a rack? Yes, but the preferred method for cooking Instant Pot corned beef is the brisket on the Instant Pot trivet rack to avoid the meat directly boiling in the heated broth. And functionally, the rack is for ease in placing and removing the brisket from the hot-pot of liquid.
If you double the amount of corned beef, do you double the amount of broth?
“How do you change this recipe?” and “Should you increase the cooking time?” are common Instant Pot questions. Perhaps if you double the recipe, does the cooking time change at all?
For example, if you had a 4.5 or 6-pound corned beef brisket, should you change the cooking time? If you double the recipe, you’ll need an Instant Pot size larger than the standard-6 quart because a second brisket is not likely to fit.
Also, the dynamic recipe card below allows you to adjust the ingredients for the recipe based on the number of servings you desire to make.
Why is your corned beef coming out tough?
It’s probably overcooked. A problem that’s almost non-existent with this Instant Pot corned beef recipe. The meat should be tender, juicy, and easy to break apart.
What can you make with leftovers?
Corned beef and cabbage are easy to make and enjoy. You can even eat the leftover corned beef as corned beef hash or in a Ruben sandwich. Or the leftover cabbage in broth as cabbage soup.
What do you think of this recipe?
Southern soul food corned beef and cabbage is pressure-cooked and enriched with intense flavor! A meat and vegetable dish where the meat’s prepared to be deliciously soft and tender and the cabbage buttery rich in a seasoned beef broth. And with Instant Pot, it only takes about 90 minutes to make this lazy Sunday dinner feast!
Have you had it?
Would you make it?
Comment below and lemme know.
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Equipment
- Instant Pot electric pressure cooker
- Instant Pot trivet rack
Ingredients
Ingredients for Southern soul food corned beef and cabbage
- 2-3 pound corned beef brisket
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3-4 pound cabbage shredded
- ½ cup yellow onion coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup carrots (or baby carrots) coarsely chopped
- ½ cup unsalted butter
Ingredients for Southern soul food corned beef seasoning (pickling spice)
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon dill weed
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves crushed
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Remove the corned beef brisket from the packaging and rinse well.
- If using the spice packet that comes with the brisket, rub the mixture all over the top, non-fatty side of the corned beef. Mix the seasonings in a small mixing bowl if you make your seasoning per the pickling spices ingredients above (yellow mustard seeds, brown mustard seeds, coriander seeds, dill weed, allspice, cloves, crushed bay leaves, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper). Then rub the mixture all over the top, non-fatty side of the corned beef.
- Place the Instant Pot steamer trivet rack on the kitchen counter and put the seasoned brisket on top.
- Open the Instant Pot lid and pour the beef broth and the garlic into the stainless steel inner pot.
- Then using the trivet rack handles, place the brisket inside the Instant Pot stainless steel inner pot, seasoned side up and fatty side down.
- Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 90 minutes.
- When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 15 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release the remaining pressure.
- Baste the corned beef by spooning the beef broth in the pot over the top of the brisket, then carefully remove the meat using the trivet rack handles.
- Place the corned beef on a cutting board, slide out the trivet rack underneath it, and then slice the meat, cover it to keep it warm, and set it aside.
- Add the cabbage, onion, carrots, and butter to the inner pot, sinking the cabbage and vegetables into the beef broth.
- Place the lid back on the Instant Pot (make sure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
- When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 2 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure.
- Us a large spoon to stir the cooked cabbage and a slotted spoon to serve the cabbage with the sliced corned beef.
- Serve Southern soul food corned beef and cabbage right away, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Corned beef (or just beef) and cabbage is a perfect pair!
I agree – corned beef and cabbage are one of the best Southern food pairings!
This is a great recipe! I’m from the south and this is a dish that I always make. I usually use a different type of cabbage, but this recipe is great.
I’m so glad you love this Southern cabbage recipe!