St. Patrick’s Day in my family has changed over the years. It went from being a fun, silly sort of holiday, to a celebration of faith, and now a celebration of not only faith but heritage. Years ago I learned that my Great-great-grandmother was born in Belfast, Ireland! It is so neat to learn where you came from, isn’t it?! As we have our annual Pressure-cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage, I will certainly be reflecting on the bravery of one Miss Maria Carr.

I don’t know how or when she came to America (at least not yet, Ancestry.com is helping me with that) but I do know that bravery is definitely a trait of all immigrants. A certain amount of gumption as well.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Isn’t Actually Irish.

Can you believe it??

There is most definitely Irish influence but not technically an authentic Irish dish. I read this super interesting article on smithsonianmag.com just the other day. The article is chock full of some really interesting facts. Check out the comment section as well. It never ceases to amaze me how much knowledge people have!

Pressure-cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage is RIDICULOUSLY easy to make!

Go buy yourself a corned beef at your local grocery store, get some veggies and Guinness, throw it in your Instant Pot or whatever pressure cooker you have and voila!

There are a few different cuts of corned beef brisket that you should be aware of when choosing your corned beef. The “point” cut, which is what I bought is the thicker end of the brisket. It typically has more fat which as you know adds tons of flavor!

The “flat” cut is comparatively lean and has a more consistent thickness. A “whole” corned beef brisket is the whole brisket which includes the point and the flat in one cut.

The point cut is great for a shredded style serving, which is what my family likes. A flat is better if you want slices. Am I the only one who thinks it’s odd that people serve it sliced like a regular roast. We serve it up like a soup. The juice that is leftover in the pot is SO FREAKING delicious! It reminds me of the best collard greens pot liquor you’ve ever had in your life!

NOM!

Don’t forget the Guinness!

Okay, so you don’t HAVE to use Guinness or any beer for that matter. But…people…let me tell you, so stinking good!! The Irish know what they’re doing when it comes to beer. Oh…and whiskey!

Speaking of which a Guinness Tomato Beer Spiked with Irish Whiskey pairs very well with Guinness Corned Beef and Cabbage.

Use whatever beer you like. If you don’t want to use beer you can use water or any type of stock. Most of the flavor comes from the brined brisket so you really don’t lose a whole lot of flavor.

READ THESE RECIPE NOTES FIRST!!

These notes are very important to the individual success of this recipe.

When I was searching Pinterest for ideas on how exactly to cook corned beef in the pressure cooker, there was a mix of methods. The main difference in most cooking methods was to put the potatoes in with the corned beef or NOT.

There is a mixed reaction with both methods it seems. Some folks despise the “overcooked” potatoes while others say they are delicious.

HERE IS MY PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE:

Cooking the potatoes with the meat adds INSANE flavor but when they cook under pressure for 90 freaking minutes they tend to disintegrate. Which is not great for the way I like to serve my corned beef and cabbage.

They taste good but they literally disappear! I like to bite into a potato or two. Like a really hearty beef stew. Know what I mean??

So…with that said, MY PERSONAL OPINION IS that the potatoes are better when cooked with the carrots and cabbage! Separate from the meat. With this recipe, I cooked the potatoes with the corned beef by making a potato trivet. I got this idea from The Typical Mom.

I figured since the potatoes were large and not cut that maybe they would not disintegrate. Not so. However, very tasty but I think most folks who like corned beef and cabbage expect a bite to the potatoes.

I recommend to quarter or dice your potatoes and then cook them along with the cabbage and carrots.

Alright, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way let’s do this!

You will need one 3-4 lb corned beef brisket for this recipe. Two (If you like lots of juice to serve it soup style, one otherwise) bottles of Guinness. Five large potatoes, one medium whole cabbage quartered, and one 16 oz bag of baby carrots.

You don’t need any additional spices because the pickling spice pack is included with the corned beef.

How stinking easy is that?!

Don’t rinse the meat but definitely rinse the spice packet! First things first get the corned beef unwrapped and put in the Instant Pot. You can do what I did and make a trivet out of the potatoes or use the trivet that came with your pressure cooker.

In the case that you use your Instant Pot trivet, you will dice your potatoes and set them aside for after the corned beef is done.

Place the corned beef on your trivet of choice.

Sprinkle the packet of pickling spice that came with the corned beef on top of the meat.

Next pour in the Guinness.

Cook on high pressure for 90 minutes.

Release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually. When the pressure has fully released, remove the corned beef and the trivet. If you used potatoes as your trivet you will want to remove them as well.

Vegetables

Leave the liquid in the pot and add the carrots, cabbage, and diced potatoes. (IF YOU DIDN’T USE THE POTATOES AS A TRIVET)

Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes and do a quick release of the pressure.

Serve this beautiful “kinda” Irish meal up in a deep bowl. Make sure you get plenty of that yummy Guinness juice. We had Mimi’s Dinner Rolls with ours but I think cornbread or rye bread would be just as tasty with this meal.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day my friends! ♣

Leigh Ann ♥

Pressure Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Printable Recipe

Super tender corned beef and cabbage with Guinness!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Equipment

• Pressure cooker

Ingredients

  

• 1 3-4 lb corned beef brisket
• 5 large potatoes, diced or quartered
• 1 16 oz bag baby carrots
• 1 medium cabbage
• 2 bottles Guinness

Instructions

 

• Place the corned beef in the Instant Pot on a trivet of potatoes or the metal trivet included with your pot.
• Sprinkle the pickling spice packet included with your corned beef on the beef brisket.
• Pour both Guinness beers on top of the corned beef.
• Cook on high pressure for 90 minutes.
• Release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes.
• Release the pressure the rest of the way manually.
• Remove the corned beef and set aside. Be sure to leave the liquid in the pot.
• Add the quartered cabbage, baby carrots, and diced potatoes.
• Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. When the Instant Pot beeps hit the cancel button and release the pressure manually.
• Shred the corned beef and serve it in a deep bowl along with some of the cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and that yummy juice!
• ENJOY! ♣

Keyword cabbage, carrots, corned beef and cabbage, Guinness, Irish dinner, pickling spice, potatoes, St. Patrick's Day

Leigh Ann

Leigh Ann Schooley is the owner and founder of Making My Abode, a blog dedicated to helping homemakers live well and simply on one income. She is a believer, wife, and mother of three with more than sixteen years of homemaking experience. Leigh Ann is the recipient of the Wife of The Year award eighteen years running. She has also won the Mother of The Year award every year for the past sixteen years. She is a Colorado native raised by her dad who taught her almost everything she knows. Leigh Ann lives with her husband and family in Colorado.