What to Eat with Corned Beef: 21 Delicious Recipes for Sides (2024)

FAQs

What sides go well with corned beef? ›

The top five accompaniments for a corned beef sandwich include tangy pickles, fresh and crunchy coleslaw, crispy potato chips or French fries, flavorful potato salad, and a cup of soup, such as tomato or vegetable.

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Traditional Irish foods like corned beef and cabbage, Boxty, and Irish soda bread, are often served on Saint Patrick's Day. Drinking green beer or Guinness on St. Patrick's Day is also a popular tradition. People drink a lot of Guinness on this holiday!

Yet the corned beef the Irish immigrants ate was much different from that produced in Ireland 200 years prior. The Irish immigrants almost solely bought their meat from kosher butchers. And what we think of today as Irish corned beef is actually Jewish corned beef thrown into a pot with cabbage and potatoes.

Place corned beef, fat side up, on top of vegetables and sprinkle with pickling spice.

While it provides protein and nutrients like iron and vitamin B12, corned beef is relatively high in fat and sodium. It's also a source of certain compounds that may increase your risk of cancer.

In North America, corned beef is brisket, taken from the lower chest of a cow or steer, that has been brined in salt and spices. (In general British usage, fresh corned beef is called “salt beef,” while the canned version retains the “corned” designation.)

Corned beef is made from brisket, a relatively inexpensive cut of beef. The meat goes through a long curing process using large grains of rock salt, or “corns” of salt, and a brine. It's then slowly cooked, turning a tough cut of beef into one that's super tender and flavorful.

Always Rinse Corned Beef Before Cooking It

That's why the very first thing you should do is rinse the uncooked piece of meat several times under cool running water to remove this residual salt. Many recipes don't include a step for rinsing the meat, but it's worth doing it anyway.

Patrick's Day, but did you know the tradition of eating corned beef and cabbage is a strictly American Irish custom and not done on the Emerald Isle? In fact, it wasn't even the Irish who coined the term “Corned Beef;” it actually came from the British. In Ireland, cattle were too important to be raised for food.

Because corned beef comes from brisket, a tough cut of meat. You need its connective tissue to break down so you can have tender results. Some like to braise their corned beef in an all-water liquid, with various spices and salt; others add beer to the mix to further tenderize the meat.

What makes corned beef taste good? ›

The flavor profile often includes bay leaf, black peppercorn, mustard seed, dried red pepper and coriander. If that blend sounds familiar, it's because it's same list of spices that are packaged as pickling spice. Not surprising, since corned beef and pickles are commonly made in the same place: a deli.

The most common method for cooking corned beef and cabbage is boiling. Put the meat in a large pot, cover it with water or beef broth, add a seasoning packet and boil before lowering the heat to a simmer. Cook for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat is tender and cooked to your liking.

The Last Bite: Brisket and Sides

For those who prefer traditional favorites, coleslaw, baked beans, mac and cheese, classic potato, and corn are all great options to complement your brisket. But why not add a twist with some veggie delights like Brussels sprouts, grilled bell peppers, or fried okra?

The best side dishes to serve with Reuben sandwiches are potato salad, blooming onion, fried pickles, deviled eggs, tater tots, baked potatoes, coleslaw, pickles, French fries, sweet potato fries, German-style potato pancakes, onion rings, and green salad.

Canned corned beef qualifies as one of the wonders of the food world. It takes an otherwise tough piece of meat, the beef brisket or beef round, immerses it in a brine filled with pink curing salt and other brining yummies and comes out the other side tender and spreadable with just a fork.

Because corned beef was a big part of their culture in Ireland and new home in America, they would eat corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. And as for pairing cabbage with corned beef, it was simply one of the cheapest vegetables available to Irish immigrants, so it was a side dish that stuck.