Canadian recipe

Newfoundland Jiggs Dinner

Name: Newfoundland Jiggs Dinner
Prep time: 11 h
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 14 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Canadian cuisine
Ingredients: 1500 g salt beef, cut into large pieces; 2000 ml cold water for soaking, plus fresh cooking water; 250 g yellow split peas, rinsed; 1 clean pudding cloth or muslin bag; 700 g rutabaga, peeled and cut into 4 cm pieces; 600 g carrots, peeled and cut into 5 cm pieces; 1000 g potatoes, peeled and halved; 900 g green cabbage, cut into 8 wedges; 2 g black pepper; 30 g unsalted butter for pease pudding; 2 g fine salt only if needed after tasting

Salt beef, pease pudding and a generous pot of cabbage, turnip, carrots and potatoes make a traditional Newfoundland Sunday dinner.

Newfoundland and Labrador, Atlantic Canada

Prep: 11 hr
Cook: 3 hr
Total: 14 hr
Servings: 8

Newfoundland Jiggs dinner with salt beef, root vegetables, cabbage and pease pudding — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by AlycmySource page · Original file · CC BY-SA 4.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

1500 g
salt beef, cut into large pieces
2000 ml
cold water for soaking, plus fresh cooking water
250 g
yellow split peas, rinsed
1
clean pudding cloth or muslin bag
700 g
rutabaga, peeled and cut into 4 cm pieces
600 g
carrots, peeled and cut into 5 cm pieces
1000 g
potatoes, peeled and halved
900 g
green cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
2 g
black pepper
30 g
unsalted butter for pease pudding
2 g
fine salt only if needed after tasting

Method

01
Desalt the beef overnight
Cover the salt beef with cold water and refrigerate for 10 hours. Drain and taste a small cooked edge; if very salty, cover with fresh water and simmer for 10 minutes, then drain.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Prepare the pease pudding
Place the rinsed split peas and pepper in the clean pudding cloth, leaving room for expansion. Tie securely into a loose bundle and rinse the outside.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Start the salt beef and peas
Put the beef in a large stockpot and cover with fresh water by 4 cm. Bring to a boil, skim the surface, then lower to a gentle simmer. Lower the pea bag into the pot and cook for 60 minutes.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Add the rutabaga and carrots
Add the rutabaga and carrots to the pot. Keep at a gentle simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Add the potatoes
Add the potatoes and continue simmering for 20 minutes. The potatoes should be almost tender when pierced but still hold their shape.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Add cabbage and finish the vegetables
Nestle the cabbage wedges into the liquid and simmer for 15 minutes until tender but not disintegrating. Remove the pea bag and beef to a warm platter.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Finish the pease pudding
Open the pea bag carefully. Mash the cooked peas with the butter until cohesive and season only if needed after tasting.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
08
Serve the Sunday dinner
Slice the salt beef across the grain and arrange with the vegetables and pease pudding. Spoon a little hot pot liquor over the plate if desired.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Salt meat early and keep the simmer gentle; a covered low simmer tenderizes salt beef without making the vegetables collapse.
Add vegetables in stages according to their density so potatoes hold their shape while cabbage becomes tender.

Common mistakes

Using salt beef without soaking or blanching can over-salt the entire pot.
Adding potatoes too early can make them break apart during the long meat simmer.

Substitutions

Salt pork may replace part of the cured beef; reduce any added salt and taste the cooking liquor before serving.
Rutabaga can replace turnip; cut all root vegetables to similar pieces for even cooking.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed until piping hot throughout.

Cultural context

Jiggs dinner is a Newfoundland and Labrador Sunday meal with household variations. Parks Canada describes it as a cornerstone of outport cuisine; salt meat, seasonal roots and cabbage reflect the region’s preserving and fishing histories.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Jiggs Dinner.jpg — Photograph by Alycmy; CC BY-SA 4.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Canadian recipes

Newfoundland Jiggs Dinner

Ingredients

Method

Desalt the beef overnight

Prepare the pease pudding

Start the salt beef and peas

Add the rutabaga and carrots

Add the potatoes

Add cabbage and finish the vegetables

Finish the pease pudding

Serve the Sunday dinner

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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