Corned beef is brisket that’s been corned with seasonings and then brined for several weeks. Trust me: It is not worth attempting to corn beef yourself. Buy a nice one at the store and just boil it. I do have a trick for you, however: Add crab boil to the mixture. It will not taste like crab or be noticeably spicy—just good.

The cabbage component will be better if it’s boiled all by itself. Also, you need some salt in the water for the cabbage, but the corned beef will get tough if