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

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. The cabbage was brimming with flavor.

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide, pronounced “sue-veed” literally translates from French to “under vacuum.”

It is a cooking technique whereby food is slow-cooked in a water bath to a precise level of doneness. Because the focus is on precise temperature control, sous vide produces perfectly cooked food without fail.

It didn’t disappoint here. Sous Vide was the perfect technique for cooking corned beef. 

Why Use Sous Vide

For some time, upscale restaurants have used the Sous Vide technique to produce perfectly cooked meals in what may appear to be a fraction of the time normally required. Why? Because the items can be cooked to the precise temperature utilizing Sous Vide and quickly seared to produce the flavorful Maillard reaction.

Everything that I’ve cooked utilizing the Sous Vide technique has turned out amazingly good.

My absolute favorite is Sous Vide Crème Caramel, with this Sous Vide Corned Beef coming in a close second. Both the Master Taster and I were totally blown away by the amazing transformation of the crème caramel from the traditional way of cooking it in a water bath to the Sous Vide method.

If you have a relatively tough piece of meat, like corned beef or a cheap cut of beef, you can use Sous Vide to break down the meat’s tough muscle structure.

The result is tenderized meat that can rival expensive cuts of meat. Chicken and pork also benefit from the Sous Vide technique.

What Equipment Do You Need?

The most important piece of equipment that is needed is an immersion circulator.

An immersion circulator is a piece of electrical equipment that is immersed in a container of water.  It circulates and heats the water to a precise, consistently maintained temperature.

I use the Anova immersion circulator. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued. However, if you Google immersion circulator or search for it on Amazon, you will find a number of products that will work well.

You also need a large vessel that is deep enough to hold the water and keep what you are cooking immersed. I use the Cambro 12-quart polycarbonate square container. Rubbermaid also makes a comparable container. If you have a deep stockpot, you could use that as well.

Over the years, I learned that it helps to have a cover for the vessel to minimize water evaporation. I started using a piece of aluminum foil but ultimately got a silicon cover for the Cambro container. 

For the Sous Vide, the food needs to be packaged in an air-free container so that it doesn’t float. For this, I vacuum seal the food. However, you could also use a Ziploc bag with as much of the air removed as possible.

That’s it! 

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 corned beef. I was right! 

To start, I rinsed and patted dry a 3-½ pound piece of corned beef brisket. I didn’t want to use any of the liquid that the corned beef came in because it was pretty gross.

Then, I vacuum-sealed the corned beef. I didn’t include the spices that came with the corned beef because I didn’t think that they were necessary.

Following Serious Eats’ advice, I placed the vacuum-sealed corned beef in a water bath at precisely 180° F for 10 hours.

After 10 hours, I removed the vacuum-sealed bag from the water bath. It was way past dinner time, so I put it 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 the corned beef dry and cut the layer of fat off the top (Photo 1). Then, I wrapped the corned beef in aluminum foil and heated it in a 375°F oven for about 20 minutes. For serving, I cut the corned beef into pieces (Photo 2).

Irish Fried Cabbage with Onion and Bacon

I had parted with tradition in how 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 the cabbage, I decided to fry it with onions and top it with crispy bacon.

First, I cut some thick sliced bacon into ½-inch pieces and cooked it over medium heat until it was crispy brown (Photo 3). 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 bacon fat to the skillet and sautéed some chopped onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes until they began to soften (Photo 4). Next, I added the chopped cabbage and some salt, and freshly ground black pepper (Photo 5).

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 (Photo 6).

Finishing the Meal

I decided to make Irish Stacked Potato Bites to serve with the nontraditional corned beef and cabbage.

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!

What to do with Leftover Corned Beef

Sous Vide Corned Beef is amazing. Equally amazing are some of my favorite recipes using leftover corned beef.

• Reuben Quesadilla – If you like Reubens, you’ll go crazy over this easy-to-make Reuben Quesadilla. Mounds of corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese are sandwiched between a flour tortilla with Russian dressing on the side.

• Mini Reuben Croustades – you’ll love these delectable bite-sized morsels with all of the fixin’s that you love in your Reuben.

• Ultimate Reuben – The Ultimate Reuben is piled high with tender thinly sliced corned beef, amazing homemade sauerkraut, tangy Russian dressing, and gooey melted Swiss cheese. All of this goodness is sandwiched between slices of rye bread that have been buttered and grilled.

• Reuben Egg Rolls – Reuben Egg Rolls are the perfect St. Patrick’s Day appetizer and the perfect way to use any leftover corned beef. Like the traditional Reuben, these Reuben Egg Rolls are brimming with not only corned beef but also sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian Dressing.

• Easy Reuben Sliders – If you like Reubens, you’ll absolutely love these Easy Reuben Sliders. They’re perfect for appetizers, brunch, lunch, or anytime. You can use leftover corned beef or deli-sliced corned beef for these tasty morsels.

Recipe Frequently Asked Questions

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Don’t be tempted to Sous Vide the corned beef in its packaging from the grocery store. The packaging isn’t designed to withstand the heat from the cooking. I like to discard the liquid in the package as well as the packet of spices. 

• The best cut of corned beef is the flat cut. It’s long and thin with a thick layer of fat on top that keeps the meat moist when cooked. The flat cut is the most likely cut that you will find at the grocery store and is best for slicing. 

• I don’t remove any of the fat from the corned beef before cooking it. Once the corned beef has cooked, it is easy to scrape the fat off the top.

• You can also use regular bacon for the fried cabbage if you don’t have thick cut bacon.

• Oftentimes, I refrigerate the Sous Vide corned beef once it comes out of the water bath. When I’m ready to serve it, I remove it from the vacuum sealed bag, rinse and pat it dry, wrap it in aluminum foil and heat it in a 375°F oven for about 20 minutes to take the chill off it.

• For a special treat, serve the corned beef with creamy horseradish sauce (½ cup low fat sour cream, 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar, ⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt and pinch of freshly ground black pepper).

• The leftover Sous Vide Corned Beef is just as good, and make amazing sandwiches and other corned beef dishes!

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Recipe

Sous Vide Corned Beef With Irish Fried Cabbage With Onion And Bacon

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.

4.91 from 32 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Irish, St. Patrick’s Day

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 hours hours

Total Time: 10 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 126kcal

Author: Chula King

Equipment

• ▢
  Immersion Circulator
• ▢
  Large container to hold the water and the corned beef.

Ingredients

Sous Vide Corned Beef

• ▢ 3 to 4 pounds corned beef brisket, rinsed and patted dry (See Tips 1, 2, and 3)

Irish Fried Cabbage

• ▢ 4 slices thick bacon, about 5 ounces cut into ½-inch pieces (See Tip 4)
• ▢ 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• ▢ ½ small head of cabbage, chopped (about 4 cups)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Sous Vide Corned Beef

• 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. (See Tips 5, 6, and 7)

Irish Fried Cabbage

• 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.
• 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.
• Sprinkle cooked bacon on top of cabbage and serve.
• Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Chula’s Expert Tips

1. Don’t be tempted to Sous Vide the corned beef in its packaging from the grocery store. The packaging isn’t designed to withstand the heat from the cooking. I like to discard the liquid in the package as well as the packet of spices. 
2. The best cut of corned beef is the flat cut. It’s long and thin with a thick layer of fat on top that keeps the meat moist when cooked. The flat cut is the most likely cut that you will find at the grocery store and is best for slicing. 
3. I don’t remove any of the fat from the corned beef before cooking it. Once the corned beef has cooked, it is easy to scrape the fat off the top.
4. You can also use regular bacon if you don’t have thick cut bacon.
5. Oftentimes, I refrigerate the Sous Vide corned beef once it comes out of the water bath. When I’m ready to serve it, I remove it from the vacuum sealed bag, rinse and pat it dry, wrap it in aluminum foil and heat it in a 375°F oven for about 20 minutes to take the chill off it.
6. For a special treat, serve the corned beef with creamy horseradish sauce (½ cup low fat sour cream, 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar, ⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt and pinch of freshly ground black pepper).
7. The leftovers are just as good, and make amazing sandwiches!

Nutrition

Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 270mg | Potassium: 202mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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