Our Traeger Smoked Corned Beef and Cabbage is an ideal festive main course for your next St. Patrick’s Day meal. The brisket is slow-smoked for several hours, then braised with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots until everything is tender and flavorful. This version leans into wood-fired smoke for an extra depth that elevates the classic comfort dish.
Smoked Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
If you want one of the best plates of corned beef and cabbage you’ll ever eat, fire up a pellet grill and get smoking. This recipe uses a pre-brined corned beef brisket, a pellet grill for smoke, and a Dutch oven for braising. The result is a traditional Irish-American meal with a smoky twist—perfect with a hearty bread or a pint alongside it.
This method is straightforward: smoke the brisket low and slow, then braise with cider and aromatics until tender. Add your vegetables toward the end so they remain tender without overcooking, and you’ll end up with a dinner that’s both comforting and aromatic.
More Easy Traeger Recipes available on recipe sites and blogs.
Where Did Corned Beef and Cabbage Come From?
Many people associate corned beef and cabbage with Ireland, largely because the dish is popular around St. Patrick’s Day. However, traditionalists and food historians note that the specific version of corned beef and cabbage familiar in the United States is tied to Irish immigrants in America rather than being a common rural Irish dish.
Irish immigrants in 19th-century American cities often shopped at Jewish kosher butchers and encountered salted or cured brisket—corned beef—there. They adapted what they found into meals that included cabbage and potatoes, creating the Irish-American classic we recognize today. So while the dish has Irish cultural roots, its popular American form developed after immigration and cross-cultural influence.
More Traeger Beef Recipes are frequently shared by pitmasters and food bloggers.
Recipe Shopping List
These are the essentials you’ll need to make this smoked corned beef and cabbage. Quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Corned beef brisket (pre-brined)
- Hard apple cider (or apple juice)
- Yellow potatoes
- Carrots
- Green cabbage
- Fresh parsley
- Black pepper
Try a smoked brisket or burnt ends recipe for another smoky beef option.
How To Make This Recipe
Below is a concise overview of the key steps and timing. Follow the full instructions in the recipe card to achieve the best results.
- Smoke it – Smoke the brisket at 225°F for about 4 hours on a pellet grill to add a rich wood flavor.
- Braise it – Transfer to a Dutch oven, add cider and water, and braise for another 2–4 hours until fork-tender.
- Cook the vegetables – Add cabbage, potatoes, and carrots during the final 30 minutes of braising so they finish tender but not mushy.
- Enjoy – Remove the brisket, slice against the grain, and serve with the braised vegetables and cooking liquid spooned over.
For variety, try smoked corned beef in sandwiches, hashes, or pot pies.
Recipe FAQ
Corned beef is typically made from the brisket cut. Brisket is a tough, well-exercised muscle that becomes tender and flavorful after long, slow cooking methods like braising or smoking.
No. While both are cured and smoked, pastrami and smoked corned beef differ. Pastrami is often coated in a spice rub (black pepper, coriander, garlic, paprika) and can come from the navel or brisket. Smoked corned beef is usually a brined brisket that lacks the heavy spice crust of pastrami, which gives pastrami its signature peppery exterior.
Try corned beef in breakfast hash or a hearty sandwich for leftovers.
More St. Paddy’s Day Recipes
- Colcannon
- Irish Beef Stew
- Guinness Pot Pie
- Smoked Beer-Braised Corned Beef Brisket
Smoked Corned Beef and Cabbage
Tender smoked corned beef braised with apple cider, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots—perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day feast or any comforting family dinner.
Ingredients
- 6 pound brined corned beef brisket
- 24 ounces hard apple cider (or apple juice)
- 2 cups water
- 1 pound yellow potatoes
- 6 peeled carrots
- 1 small head green cabbage
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chopped parsley for garnish
- Spice packet that may come with the pre-brined brisket (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your pellet grill to 225°F.
- Remove the brisket from its brine and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside any spice packet that came with the meat.
- Place the brisket directly on the grill grates and smoke at 225°F for about 4 hours to develop a good smoke ring and flavor.
- Carefully transfer the smoked brisket to a large Dutch oven. Pour in two cans (about 24 ounces) of hard apple cider and add enough water so the brisket is almost covered.
- Add the reserved spice packet and bring to a simmer. Cover and braise on low heat for 2–3 hours, or place the covered Dutch oven on the pellet grill set to ~250°F if you prefer to continue on the grill. The goal is fork-tender meat.
- While the meat braises, prepare the vegetables: cut cabbage into wedges, slice carrots into 3-inch sticks, and halve the potatoes.
- When the brisket is nearly tender, add the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage to the pot and simmer for an additional 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork-tender.
- Remove the brisket and slice against the grain. Serve slices with the braised vegetables, spooning some cooking liquid over the plate. Garnish with parsley.
Nutrition Information (per serving estimate)
Calories: 1095 • Total Fat: 63g • Saturated Fat: 25g • Cholesterol: 361mg • Sodium: 197mg • Carbohydrates: 26g • Fiber: 3g • Sugar: 11g • Protein: 100g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate.