When my mom made them she used to take a big meat fork and put it in the core of the cabbage, submerge the whole head in boiling water. Every few minutes she would pull out the head and cut off a few, return the thing to the pot and repeat.
As much as I love them there are no fans in my house, and since my mom has passed away I make a simpler version that I call inside out stuffed cabbage. Saute the beef and onions. Add some rice, chopped cabbage, canned tomatoes and some sauce and simmer covered until everything is done.