Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage is something that I had to figure out by trial and error. Growing up the only corned beef that my family ate was the canned version. Leaving home is when I started about this quasi-Irish American food. As you may know, us Hawaii folk love to eat corned beef with, you guessed it, rice. With age, I’ve learned to eat it with less rice, though there is still a small scoop of rice on my plate next to my corned beef.
When I did learn how to cook fresh corned beef, it was by boiling it in a large pot on the stove and you had to watch it to make sure you always had enough liquid in the pot. Not feasible when you are a mom with younger children that always need your help and attention! Slow cookers, crock pots, and multipurpose cookers are perfect for the job.
What makes this recipe so great?
This recipe, inspired by the recipe from 40 Aprons, doesn’t require babysitting like on a stove top. My recipe is a simpler version and doesn’t use beer. Less ingredients means more money in your wallet since the price of fresh corned beef has gone up by 50% over the past two years!
You’ll have about 8 servings of this dish depending on your appetite. If you have family members that feel strongly against eating leftovers, then use the leftovers as your base for corned beef hash!
What is corned beef?
My son kept asking me, “Mom, why is it called ‘corned beef’ if there’s no corn in it?” So, I finally looked it up online and found an article that explained that the salt that was used to preserve the beef was the size of corn kernels. With my son satisfied with the answer, I could focus on preparing the meal!
If you want even more history, corned beef isn’t even historically an Irish dish because the Irish primarily ate lamb and pork. The British invented the term corned beef and it was produced in large quantities from Ireland
because the salt was much cheaper there. When the Irish immigrated to America and were able to make more money, they were able to afford corned beef made by Jewish Americans and ate it with cabbage and potatoes.
You’ll find corned beef in the meat section of your grocery or warehouse store. The weight of the corned beef brisked includes the weight of the liquid in which it is packaged, so keep that in mind when you are shopping. The bags will be a minimum of 2 pounds of meat and brining liquid.
Corned Beef Health Benefits
With corned beef, I focus on the good and not on the less good. It is less fatty than pastrami because it uses a slightly leaner cut of beef. It has lots of protein and is softer and more tender than beef that hasn’t been cured. Get the flats for a leaner cut of corned beef (see more below).
The best part is that my son to eat his boiled vegetables with the meat! The cabbage, potatoes, and carrots are eaten with gobs of mustard, a tasty low-calorie condiment.
When the stars align, it can be an affordable piece of beef per pound. There are always sales of fresh corned beef after Valentine’s Day and leading up to St. Patrick’s Day.
If you are watching your nitrates, nitrites, salt, and fat intake, it’s probably best to stay away from regular corned beef consumption. Let me know if you found any corned beef without nitrates or nitrites!
Corned Beef Flats vs Points
The grocery and warehouse stores will sell corned beef flats or points. Flats are more expensive because they have less fat. What’s nice about the flat cut is that you will have a uniform thickness throughout the cut of meat, and it looks much nicer when sliced for serving.
Points are literally the point end of the flat that doesn’t look very pretty and is much fattier. If you don’t mind the uglier cut, it is MUCH more affordable than the flat cut per pound. You can save anywhere from $2.00 to $4.00 per pound if you choose the point cut over the flat cut.
If you go with the cheaper cut, don’t bother trimming the fat off the brisket. Rather, leave the fat on and once the meat is fully cooked, just slice and serve. It is way easier to remove the fat while you are eating the corned beef because it is marbled between the strands of meat. You can just pull it off the meat while eating and you won’t have to deal with attempting to cut the squishy fat off before it is cooked.
Tips for Tender Cuts of Corned Beef
Cut the brisket against the grain for soft tender slices of meat. When you look at the meat, you will see that there are long strands of meat going from one end to the other. That is the direction of the grain of the meat. If you cut it along the grain (in the same direction that the meat strands are running) then you will have long strips of meat that are hard to bite and chew. Cutting the brisket against the grain will avoid this problem of tough meat.
It is easier to cut the brisket when it is cooler, so let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes after it’s cooked. This will also help to minimize the chances of the meat shredding at the edges or at unevenly shaped parts of the meat when you try to cut it.
If you love this simple recipe, check out more slow cooker recipes below!
Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker or multipurpose cooker
- 1 Colander or slotted spoon or strainer
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 Cutting board for cutting cooked meat
Ingredients
- 1 package fresh corned beef brisket 3 to 3.5 pounds, with spice packet
- 6 cups water
- 1 pound potatoes red, yellow, or white (about 3 to 4 large)
- ¾ pound carrots (about 5 small)
- ½ large cabbage (about 2 pounds)
- mustard or creamy horseradish optional
Instructions
- Take the corned beef brisket out of the package and save the spice packet. Rinse the corned beef to get out some of the salt from the brining process. (Optional: If you are really watching your salt intake, soak the corned beef in water for 30 minutes before cooking then rinse.)
- Place the corned beef brisket into the slow cooker pot. Sprinkle spice packet over the top of brisket.
- Add enough room temperature water to cover brisket (about 6 cups, no more than 8 or you won’t be able to fit the remaining ingredients). Secure lid on slow cooker or multipurpose cooker and cook on low heat for 4 ½ hours.
- While the corned beef is cooking, wash and cut the potatoes into halves then cut each half into eight equal pieces. If you have some smaller potatoes, cut them so they are about the same size and cut pieces from the larger potatoes.
- Wash, peel, and cut the carrots into about 1 ½-inch pieces. Cut the thicker top end of the carrots into half lengthwise. Cut the cabbage into wedges.
- After the corned beef has cooked 4 ½ hours, add the potatoes and carrots and cook for another 2 hours on low heat.
- After the 2 hours of cooking with the potatoes and carrots have ended (6 ½ hours total), add the cabbage wedges to the slow cooker and cook for 30 minutes on low for firm cabbage, 1 hour for soft cabbage.
- Once the vegetables are done, remove the corned beef brisket from the slow cooker and transfer to a cutting board. Let this cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
- Pour the vegetables and cooking liquid into a colander. (Alternatively, you can use a slotted spoon or strainer to remove the vegetables if you plan on cooking more cabbage, see tips below.)
- Slice the corned beef against the grain into ¼-inch to ½-inch thick slices. Serve with the vegetables and a mustard or creamy horseradish (optional).
