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Tender, flavorful, and easy, my recipe for Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage is a must-try for a cozy Sunday dinner with leftovers to last the week, or as a holiday meal everyone loves. Set it at the start of the day and enjoy a hands-off meal of delicious crock pot corned beef and cabbage in the evening!
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What is Corned Beef?
If you've only ever seen it sliced in stores, you might not even know what corned beef is made from! Corned beef is flat cut beef brisket that is then pickled in brine ("corned"), then boiled in pickling spices such as mustard seed, coriander seeds, allspice, whole black pepper corns, and garlic cloves.
Crock Pot Corned Beef Ingredients
- Corned Beef Brisket (With spice packet!): Get a nice large beef brisket for this meal! I like to slow cook briskets ranging between 3-4 lbs. Keep the spice packet, which is chock full of pickling spices, mustard seeds, and peppercorns.
- Water: You'll need plenty of water to fully immerse the brisket! I used 9 cups.
- Dark Beer: A good dark beer will go a long way in adding lots of rich flavor to the beef. Don't worry too much about alcohol content; this corned beef cooks for almost 10 hours, and all the alcohol will be long gone by then. But, if you don't want to use beer, you can use beef broth instead.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Just a bit of Worcestershire sauce acts like steak sauce and brings in a lovely savory tang.
- Bay Leaves: An ever-important addition to any slow-cooked roast!
- Red Potatoes: Red potatoes have the perfect texture for slow cooker dishes, with waxy flesh that soaks up flavor without disintegrating or getting too starchy.
- Carrots: The mild sweetness of carrots pairs beautifully with the savory, salty broth and acts like a flavor sponge!
- Cabbage: You can't have an Irish dinner without cabbage! I like green cabbage, but red works too. Slice it into nice thick chunks.
- Celery: By adding in celery and carrots, you're basically making a soup base! The celery adds a delicious touch of unique flavor, and the long cook time ensures it doesn't stay stringy.
- Salt & Pepper: With all the salt in the beef itself, you won't need too much of it, but a little more helps bring out the flavor of the vegetables!
- Parsley (optional): I love topping my corned beef with a bit of fresh green parsley, but it's optional.
Corned Beef Brisket Slow Cooker Instructions
1: Prep the Beef
Remove the beef from its packaging, and wipe it down with paper towels to soak up any leftover brine. Then add it to the bottom of the crock-pot.
2: Add the Liquid
Pour in the dark beer, Worcestershire sauce, and enough water that it fully covers the brisket. I needed to use 9 cups, but it depends on the size of your beef and crock pot.
3: Add seasonings
Sprinkle the spice packet and the bay leaves into the crock pot, and stir lightly.
4: Cook the beef
Turn the slow cooker to LOW, and let cook for 4-5 hours.
5: Add vegetables
Slice the carrots, potatoes, and cabbage into large chunks, and the celery into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the slow cooker and cook another 4-5 hours.
6: Slice and Serve
After the full 8-10 hours, remove the beef from the pot and slice against the grain. Serve with the vegetables on the side, and enjoy!
What to Serve with Corned Beef in the Slow Cooker
Alternate Cooking Methods
Instant Pot
- Place the trivet in the Instant Pot. Pat the corned beef dry, then place it on the trivet.
- Sprinkle the pickling spices and bay leaves on top of the beef.
- Pour the beer, Worcestershire sauce, and 4 cups of water over the beef.
- Place on the lid, and pressure cook for 90 minutes.
- Once the time is up, quick release the pressure. Remove the beef and place it on a plate or cutting board covered in foil while you prepare the veggies.
- Without discarding the water in the pot, add in the vegetables and season them with salt and pepper. Pressure cook for 5 minutes, then quick release the pressure.
- Slice or shred the corned beef, then serve with vegetables and enjoy!
Stove
If you want to make this dish in the oven, see my recipe for Corned Beef with Cabbage and Potatoes!
Tips for Slow Cooking Corned Beef
- Feel free to add more flavorings to the broth! Garlic cloves, extra pickling spices, and beef broth all add extra flavor for an incredible beef dinner.
- You can also shred the beef! It'll come out of the pot beautifully fork tender and perfect for slicing or shredding.
- Short on time, but don't have a pressure cooker? Check out my stovetop corned beef recipe!
- You don't need to use beer, but I highly recommend it! The alcohol will almost entirely boil off with the long cook time, and slow cooker corned beef with beer has an incredible flavor you won't want to pass up.
How to Store Leftover Corned Beef
To store, fully slice the beef and then store it in an airtight container with a little of the broth. This will help keep it moist in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, without the risk of getting too dry..
You can also freeze corned beef! I store the slices in a flat container and add some broth to ensure they don’t get freezer-burned. Then seal tightly and store for up to 3 months.
To thaw, place the frozen corned beef in the fridge overnight or place in a pan and heat over medium-low heat until warmed through. My favorite? Warm it up into an incredible Corned Beef Sandwich!
FAQ
To slow cook corned beef on High, cook it for about half the time; 2.5 hours, then add the vegetables and cook for another 2.5 hours. It won't be quite as tender, but will taste delicious!
You absolutely can, and I have the perfect recipe for you! Stovetop corned beef takes a few more steps, but it's done much faster than in the slow cooker and results in easier to slice beef. In comparison, slow cooker corned beef is so tender, it sometimes falls to shreds!
Place the corned beef fat side up in the slow cooker. The fat will melt into the meat, resulting in much more tender and flavorful corned beef.
The secret to tender corned beef is to cook it over a low heat, slowly, in addition to cooking it fat side up. Brining corned beef also aids in tenderizing the meat. Pre-brined corned beef is available at most grocery stores.
Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Video
Equipment
- Instant Pot (Alternative)
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound corned beef brisket - with spice packet
- 9 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cups dark beer - or beef broth
- 5 large red potatoes - halved
- 3 large carrots - peeled and halved
- ½ head cabbage - cut into wedges
- 2 stalks celery - roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley - for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Place corned beef brisket inside the bottom of your slow cooker.3-4 pound corned beef brisket
- Pour beer (or beef broth) over brisket, enough water to cover completely (I used 9 cups of water), and Worcestershire sauce.9 cups water,4 cups dark beer,¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- Sprinkle the spice packet that your corned beef came with inside of the pot. Toss in your bay leaves.2 bay leaves
- Place the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
- Toss in your potatoes, carrots, celery, and cabbage. Season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook on low for another 4-5 hours, until the vegetables are tender and the meat shreds with a fork.5 large red potatoes,3 large carrots,½ head cabbage,2 stalks celery,1 teaspoon salt,1 teaspoon pepper
- Remove the meat from the slow cooker and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Slice the corned beef against the grain or shred it.
- Garnish with fresh parsley (optional). Serve vegetables and sliced corned beef on a plate, and enjoy!1 tablespoon fresh parsley
Notes
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- Feel free to add more flavorings to the broth! Garlic cloves, extra pickling spices, and beef broth all add extra flavor for an incredible beef dinner.
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- You can also shred the beef! It'll come out of the pot beautifully fork tender and perfect for slicing or shredding.
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- Short on time, but don't have a pressure cooker? Check out my stovetop corned beef recipe!
- Want Instant Pot instructions? See the post above for instructions on how to make this recipe in the Instant Pot!
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