Best Corned Beef with Horseradish Sauce

This dish is wildly popular for a St. Patrick's Day feast. But, it's so good, you'll want to make it all year.

Our Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage is easy and very delicious. But, there is something special about preparing it on the stove. Traditionally, this is called a New England Boiled Dinner and is a well-known Irish-American tradition. The horseradish chive sauce brings it all together. An amazing one-pot wonder!

The Ingredients You Will Need

Corned beef briskets are often braised in nothing more than water and they are delicious. To really crank up the flavor profile, we made a deeply flavorful braising liquid that makes the meat and vegetables not only tender, but incredibly tasty. Here's what you'll need to have on hand:

Corned beef brisket - You can find corned beef in most supermarkets, especially in March around St. Patrick's Day. It's vacuum-packed and almost always includes a seasoning packet. Don't lose that packet!
Beef bouillon - 1 cube, roughly crumbled with your fingers.
Garlic - Minced.
Mustard - Whole grain Dijon is excellent, but any variety of mustard will work.
Worcestershire sauce
Whole peppercorns - Black is recommended. These can usually be found in the pepper area of the spice section in most supermarkets. If you can't find them, just omit them. The spice packet will most likely include some.
Guinness beer - Go with the dry stout version. You'll need just one bottle. If you don't want to braise with beer, just omit it, or increase the amount of beef broth.
Beef broth - Broth or stock is perfect.
Water - Just enough to almost completely submerge the brisket.
Potatoes - Baby yellow or gold potatoes are perfect. If going with large potatoes, you'll need to half or quarter them. No need to peel the potatoes.
Carrots - Peeled and cut into strips.
Onion - One medium-sized onion cut into 4 to 6 wedges.
Green cabbage - Try and find a medium-sized cabbage. Cut the bottom of the core off and then carefully cut the cabbage into 4, 5, or 6 wedges.
Seasonings - Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

EXPERT TIP: Guinness beer adds a wonderful depth of Irish flavor to the corned beef, but, if you don't want to cook with beer, simply omit it.

Tips for Making Perfect Corned Beef

Braise with Aromatics - A combination of stout beer, beef broth, water, garlic, and mustard is a wonderful base for simmering corned beef. Be sure to use your fingers to press the spice packet contents into the top of the brisket (not the fat side).

Don't Overcook the Vegetables - The size of the vegetables will determine the length of time they should cook, but if you keep them bite-sized, then they will only need about a total of 30 minutes to become tender. The cabbage only needs 10 minutes. If you cook them longer, they will become mush.

Season Meat and Veggies After Plating - The corned beef naturally will be somewhat salty, but a liberal sprinkle of coarse sea salt and crushed black pepper over the sliced meat and plated vegetables adds incredible taste, and even texture.

Simmer Low and Slow - The key to a successful corned beef with vegetables is to simmer the ingredients gently over low heat for an extended period. This slow cooking allows the flavors to meld and the meat to become tender and succulent. Don't rush the process.

EXPERT TIP: Depending on the size of your cabbage, you may not be able to fit every one of the wedges into your pot. Try and let each wedge sit in some of the braising liquid. The steam will soften the cabbage. Don't overcook it, however!

How To Serve

Use a couple of large spatulas to carefully remove the brisket from the pot onto a cutting board. You can tent the meat for up to an hour, and it will stay warm.

Look for the grain on the brisket, and then slice perpendicular to it. The grain will appear as long, parallel lines (or grains throughout the cut of beef).  This will give your guests tender meat with every single bite.

The horseradish chive sauce is not too intense, but is the perfect complement to the briny meat and vegetables. Even guests who aren't fans of horseradish sauce usually like the combination of flavors.

For a true New England Boiled Dinner feast, have plenty of Irish rye bread and Guinness on hand. It all goes together for an amazing profile of flavors. And the next morning, enjoy a big batch of Corned Beef Hash! We also love to start our feast off with Creamy Irish Potato Soup!

Other Classic Irish or Irish-American Recipes to Try

Irish cuisine is stick-to-you- ribs delicious. Hearty and fulfilling is what it's all about. Here is a collection of our favorites that we are certain will be a huge hit with you and your loved ones:

Pub-Style Guinness Beef Pie
Instant Pot Irish Guinness Beef Stew
Shepherd's Pie
Slow Cooker Dublin Coddle
Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes)
Homemade Irish Soda Bread
Guinness Ground Beef Pot Pie
Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Irish Apple Cake with Custard Sauce
Classic Fish and Chips

These are all nothing short of amazing, without a doubt. But, in the meantime, isn't this classic dish calling your name?

If you're looking for a way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with friends and family, this is the perfect feast.

It's one of the best one-pot wonders you'll ever make, eat, and serve. Leftovers make incredible corned beef hash or reuben sandwiches!

And don't forget the horseradish chive sauce, it really is the perfect match for the delicious meat.

Ready to make the best Irish-American dish this side of Boston? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!

Corned Beef with Horseradish Sauce

Corned Beef with Horseradish Sauce is one of the best one-pot wonders in the world. The braising liquid infuses incredible taste into the corned beef and the vegetables. Be sure not to overcook the vegetables. Leftover corned beef makes amazing hash and Reuben sandwiches!

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Entree

Cuisine: Irish, Irish-American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Resting time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 428kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Video

Equipment

• ▢
  1 large (5 to 6-qt) pot with lid A Dutch oven is ideal

Ingredients

• ▢ 2½ lb corned beef brisket with spice packet
• ▢ 1 beef bouillon cube crumbled
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic
• ▢ 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 2 cups beef broth
• ▢ 11 oz Guinness beer one bottle
• ▢ 8 whole peppercorns black or green
• ▢ 12 oz baby gold potatoes
• ▢ 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch strips
• ▢ 1 medium onion peeled and cut into wedges
• ▢ 1 medium green cabbage base cut off and then cut into wedges
• ▢ Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Horseradish Sauce

• ▢ 1 cup sour cream
• ▢ ¼ cup prepared horseradish
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chives fresh, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Cut excess fat away from the brisket, leaving a thin layer. Cut open the spice packet and sprinkle it over the top side (not the fat side) of the brisket. Use your fingers to press the spices into the meat.
  2½ lb corned beef brisket
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the bouillon cube, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire, and broth.
  1 beef bouillon cube, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 cups beef broth
• Place the brisket in a large pot (with lid), fat side down. Pour the braising liquid into the pot around the brisket. Pour the beer around the side of the brisket. Toss the peppercorns into the liquid. Add enough water to almost completely submerge the meat.
  11 oz Guinness beer, 8 whole peppercorns
• Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
• Carefully remove the lid and gently place the potatoes, carrots, and onion around the meat. Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove the lid and place the wedges of cabbage on top of the meat and vegetables. Cover, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
  12 oz baby gold potatoes, 3 medium carrots, 1 medium onion, 1 medium green cabbage
• Remove from heat and use two large spatulas (or spoons) to very carefully remove the brisket from the liquid onto a cutting board. Loosely cover with foil.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables from the liquid.
• Use a sharp knife to slice the corned beef brisket against the grain. Place the sliced meat on a platter and place the vegetables around it. Liberally sprinkle the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper over the sliced brisket and vegetables. Serve with horseradish sauce on the side.
  Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare the Horseradish Sauce

• In a medium-sized bowl, stir together all of the ingredients for the horseradish sauce. Cover and chill if not serving immediately. The sauce can be made several days in advance.
  1 cup sour cream, ¼ cup prepared horseradish, 1 tablespoon chives, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. 

If you don't want to cook with beer, simply omit it. You can increase the amount of beef broth, or water. 

Leftovers will keep covered in the fridge for up to five days. The meat and vegetables (other than the cabbage) can be frozen for up to several months. 

Use leftover corned beef to make corned beef hash or Reuben sandwiches. 

Nutrition

Calories: 428kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 2979mg | Potassium: 1120mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 5582IU | Vitamin C: 114mg | Calcium: 150mg | Iron: 5mg

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