Sous Vide Corned Beef with Irish Fried Cabbage with Onion and Bacon

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Corned beef and cabbage is traditional fare for St. Patrick’s Day. For a nontraditional twist, I made Sous Vide Corned Beef with Irish Fried Cabbage. The corned beef was moist, flavorful, and fork tender, and the cabbage was brimming with flavor.

Sous Vide Corned Beef with Irish Fried Cabbage

Sous Vide Corned Beef

Initially, I was going to cook the corned beef in my slow cooker, along with some cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. However, the more I thought about it, the more I thought that sous vide would be a perfect way to cook the corned beef. I was right! In case you don’t know, sous vide is a technique of cooking vacuum sealed food at a precise temperature in a water bath.  Because the focus is on precise temperature control, sous vide produces perfectly cooked food without fail.

To start, I rinsed and patted dry a 3-1/2 pound piece of corned beef brisket. Then, I vacuum sealed it. I didn’t include the spices that came with the corned beef. Following Serious Eats’ advice, I placed the corned beef in a water bath at precisely 180° F for 10 hours.

Sous Vide Corned Beef with Irish Fried Cabbage

After 10 hours, I removed the vacuum sealed corned beef from the water bath. It was way past dinner time, so I put the corned beef in the refrigerator for another day. When the moment of truth arrived, I removed the corned beef from the vacuum sealed bag, rinsed it well, and gave it a taste. Oh my – it was fork tender and full of flavor! I patted it dry, and cut the layer of fat off the top. Then, I wrapped the corned beef in aluminum foil, and heated it in a 375° F oven for about 20 minutes.

Sous Vide Corned Beef with Irish Fried Cabbage

Irish Fried Cabbage with Onion and Bacon:

I had parted with tradition in the way that I cooked the corned beef. Therefore, I thought that I would part with tradition in the way that I cooked the cabbage. Rather than boil it, I decided to fry it with onions, and top it with crispy bacon.

First, I cut some thick sliced bacon into 1/2-inch pieces, and cooked it over medium heat until it was crispy brown. This took about 10 minutes. Then, I drained the bacon on paper towels, and poured the fat from the skillet. I returned about a tablespoon of the fat to the skillet, and sautéed some chopped onion over medium heat for about 5 minutes until it began to soften. Next, I added the chopped cabbage and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. I continued cooking the mixture over medium heat for another 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage was nicely softened. Finally, I sprinkled on the cooked bacon.

Sous Vide Corned Beef with Irish Fried Cabbage

Finishing the Meal:

I decided to make Irish Stacked Potato Bites to serve with the nontraditional corned beef and cabbage. Instead of using Dubliner cheese, though, I used extra sharp cheddar cheese. It was just as good!

The Sous Vide Corned Beef was moist, flavorful, and fork tender. The Irish Fried Cabbage with Onion and Bacon was absolutely delicious. The Irish Stacked Potato Bites were a perfect complement to a perfect St. Patrick’s Day meal. Yum!

Sous Vide Corned Beef with Irish Fried Cabbage

4.96 from 22 votes
Sous Vide Corned Beef
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Sous Vide Corned Beef With Irish Fried Cabbage With Onion And Bacon
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 hrs
Total Time
10 hrs 10 mins
 
Corned beef and cabbage is traditional fare for St. Patrick’s Day. For a nontraditional twist, I made Sous Vide Corned Beef with Irish Fried Cabbage. The corned beef was moist, flavorful, and fork tender, and the cabbage was brimming with flavor.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Irish, St. Patrick's Day
Servings: 6
Calories: 126 kcal
Author: Chula King
Ingredients
  • 3 to 4 pounds corned beef brisket rinsed and patted dry
  • 4 slices thick bacon about 5 ounces cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1/2 small head of cabbage chopped (about 4 cups)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Sous Vide Corned Beef
  1. Vacuum seal corned beef brisket. Submerge in temperature controlled water bath at 180° F. Cook for 10 hours. Remove from water bath. Either refrigerate for another day, or remove from vacuum seal package. Rinse well and pat dry. Remove fat layer, slice, and serve.
Irish Fried Cabbage
  1. Cook bacon over medium heat in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crispy brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels; set aside. Pour fat from skillet.
  2. Return 1 tablespoon of fat to skillet. Add onion and sauté over medium heat until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add cabbage, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage begins to soften, about 10 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle cooked bacon on top of cabbage and serve.
  4. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
Nutrition Facts
Sous Vide Corned Beef With Irish Fried Cabbage With Onion And Bacon
Amount Per Serving
Calories 126 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 14%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 270mg 11%
Potassium 202mg 6%
Total Carbohydrates 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 3g
Protein 4g 8%
Vitamin A 1.7%
Vitamin C 35.2%
Calcium 3.4%
Iron 2.7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. c2king says

    March 19, 2017 at 3:58 pm

    You won't be disappointed! Both my husband and I were no end impressed with how moist and tender the corned beef was.

  6. Michael Lake says

    December 31, 2018 at 11:49 pm

    I like to reverse-brine my corned beef before cooking it. I let it sit in clean water overnight in the refrigerator and change the water in the morning.Just as regular brining transport salt deep into meat, this process draws out the salt and lets the flavor of the corned beef shine. It's also a lot healthier.

  8. WineCanine says

    March 10, 2019 at 12:38 pm

    I too like to soak my corned beef in plain water before cooking to remove some of the salt.Some other sous vide recipes go up to 48 hours at 145°F, but I really don’t see the point when it can get this good in 10. The time and temperature in this recipe are spot on as far as I’m concerned!I did pat corned beef spices onto the meat before sealing it in a bag (Penzey’s, not those that were packaged with it), then rinsed them off just before finishing in the oven. I also left the fat on, since there wasn’t that much of it and it tastes good.The fried cabbage was also excellent. Red onions and/or cabbage make the presentation even more festive.

  9. PudgeFactor says

    March 11, 2019 at 8:22 am

    It's amazing to me how much better the corned beef is when using the sous vide method! I'm glad that you liked both the corned beef and the fried cabbage. I'm going to try using red onions next time!

  10. Gayle says

    March 18, 2019 at 9:25 pm

    I made all 3 recipes this St. Patrick's Day. After 35 years of making boiled corned beef and cabbage, just like my mother used to make, my whole family said this was the best they ever had. The meet came out perfect - moist, not chewy, sliced like perfection and delicious. The sauteed cabbage was great and the small potato bites were like mini scalloped potatoes where you get the best parts of the crispy, melted cheese and potato. This will be my new go-to.

  11. Susan Barnes says

    March 19, 2019 at 2:46 pm

    We always have corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day and decided to try this sous vide recipe after so many rather disappointing experiences with baking, boiling, and cooking in a slow cooker. My husband, our sous vide chef, wasn't sure that cooking the corned beef at a high temperature for 10 hours was really going to work, as many online recipes recommended cooking it up to 48 hours at a lower temperature. But he was willing to give it a try. It turned out wonderfully; it was firm (sliced well without falling apart) and plenty moist. This is our new go-to recipe for corned beef!In the past we've cooked the cabbage with the corned beef. I love cabbage cooked almost any way, so I was OK with what we had been doing. But frying the cabbage with onions and topping with bacon was a real hit. I made more the next night to serve with leftovers.Thanks, Chula, for two more great recipes.

  12. PudgeFactor says

    March 19, 2019 at 4:32 pm

    Thanks so much Gayle for taking the time to let me know how these recipes turned out for you. My corned beef is consistently cooked to perfection utilizing the sous vide technique. I love the crispy melted cheese parts of the potatoes!

  13. PudgeFactor says

    March 19, 2019 at 4:34 pm

    Susan, I can't imaging cooking the corned beef for up to 48 hours. After my first experience of using sous vide to cook the corned beef, I've never gone back to the more traditional methods. I absolutely love using the leftover corned beef for Reubens! I'm so glad that the recipes turned out well for you.

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