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The easiest way to cook your corned beef in the slow cooker! It turns out tender and delicious every time.
Since discovering I was 30 percent Irish I love to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I have lots of fun green food ideas for you too. You can find all my St. Patrick’s Day recipes here.
I know a lot of people have a green dinner to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I like green food but I don’t like food that is green that is not suppose to be green (i.e., eggs, potatoes, pancakes etc.) So instead of celebrating with a “green dinner” I’d rather celebrate with a little more traditional cuisine. Corned Beef seems to be a favorite choice. Now I have been to Ireland and must admit I never was served or ate corned beef while I was there. I’m thinking maybe we in the US eat a lot more corned beef to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than they do in Ireland?? Any Irish readers want to weigh in on this? Would love to know what you have to eat to celebrate!
What is Corned Beef?
That is the question my husband asked me the other day after having eaten corned beef.
Honestly, I couldn’t answer him so guess what I did? Yes, I Googled it. Here’s what I found: Corned Beef is a salt cured beef product and probably became popular in the 17th century when they began curing meat with salt. For me, corned beef is more like ham than it is like beef. It has the salty flavor and similar texture.
I decided to try cooking the corned beef in the slow cooker. It works and it works well. You end up with a really nice tender, tear apart piece of meat and it is so simple to do.
Flat Cut Vs. Point Cut
Corned Beef is usually available in two different cuts, flat cut and point cut. Which should you use?
After a little research I discovered that a flat cut corned beef was the way to go. It is easier to find and it is lean and when cooked properly, it is tender and flavorful. Sliced across the grain, the slices of corned beef are fantastic for sandwiches the next day, or they can be diced for a wonderful meal of corned beef hash. A Point Cut, looks like it’s name, it comes to a point at the end. The Point Cut is better for shredding. I used a flat cut.
How to Make Slow Cooker Corned Beef
- Place the corned beef in the slow cooker and sprinkle with the seasoning packet it comes with. Add in 4 cups of beef broth.
- Turn your slow cooker onto low for 8-9 hours.
- Half way through the cooking time, add the potatoes and carrots. This prevents them from over cooking and getting too mushy. To make it more authentic, you could also add in some cabbage. I don’t care for cabbage and care even less for the way it smells while it is cooking. The smell takes me back to those days when the school cafeteria fixed it! Don’t add the cabbage until the last hour though if you are going to use it.
- Remove the corned beef from the slow cooker and slice it like you would a brisket. It will be nice and tender and basically pull apart.
What Do You Serve Corned Beef With?
In addition to the corned beef, carrots and potatoes, I love to bake up a loaf of Soda Bread. For dessert, serve your family a Shamrock Shake for a bit of green!
Of course leftovers make this delicious Corned Beef Reuben Sandwich.
You can also make your Corned Beef in the Instant Pot with these directions.
Some other fun St. Patrick’s Day treats include:
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Slow Cooker Corned Beef Recipe
Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 1 3-4 lb. corned beef with spice packet flat cut
- 4 carrots cut into pieces
- 8 small red potatoes halved or quartered depending on size
- 1 onion peeled cut into chunks
- 4 C beef broth
- 1/2 head cabbage coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Place brisket into slow cooker
- Add beef broth
- Sprinkle meat with seasoning packet
- Cook on low for 8-9 hours
- Half way through cooking process add vegetables
- If using cabbage add that one hour before ready to eat.
Nutrition Facts:
Originally posted March 11, 2014
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Pat Rule says
I basically cook my corned beef the same way. However, I remove. The meat and top with a combination of marmalade, brown sugar and dry mustard and place in the oven at about 400 to warm and caramelize the top. I always get rave reviews. I place the carrots and potatoes in a casserole topped with a small amount of seasoning, butter and warm in the microwave. Slice the corned beef and sprinkle fresh parsley on carrots/potatoes. I make a traditional whole wheat Irish soda bread from Bon Appétit and serve key lime pie or crepe de me the pie for dessert.
Susan Pull says
We have booked bacon and cabbage ,basically gammon, but dad back home in Ireland had corned beef, love to know the English name for it ,as it looks very much like brisket .
Jan says
I love this, it sounds a great recipe for the slow cooker. I do love my slow cooker 🙂
My grandparents and my husbands parents are Irish and have Ham, cabbage and potato’s as their traditional St Patricks Day meal.
x
Missy says
You’re right about it not being a traditional Irish meal. The Irish side of my family never made it, my German/American side did.
Kaitlin says
Leigh Anne- I have an answer for you! My great-grandmother was an Irish immigrant and I asked her the same question when I was younger. Corned beef and cabbage is an Irish-American dish, not a traditional Irish meal. Pork is a staple in Irish cooking, and when we started to come to the United states, pork was not as readily available like beef was. ( due to cost and supply) Irish were also discriminated against like the Jews and Italians were, and would find themselves in Jewish delis for lunch eating cured or corned beef. That is how corned beef came about! When the beef is cooked with cabbage and potatoes, which were both inexpensive, it was hearty and able to feed your whole family. I hope that helps (-:
Leigh Anne says
Thanks so much for the great info!