Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
This Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe is not only a classic Irish-American dish, but it’s also a Southern New Year’s tradition believed to bring good luck in the New Year! This recipe is about as easy as it gets! Place the brisket, vegetables and seasonings in the slow cooker and walk away.
The funny thing is, you won’t find this “traditional Irish dinner” on the tables in Dublin or Cork-it’s purely a Irish-American recipe here in the United States. Why? Irish immigrants to America were generally poor. Their traditional fare on St. Patrick’s Day in their native homeland was boiled bacon, but when they got to America, they couldn’t afford pork, so they opted for a cheaper, tougher cut of meat–brisket.
Today in Ireland, traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinners typically consist of lamb or mutton, Shepherd’s Pie, coddle, colcannan and champ.
You’ll love this recipe!
Everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but there’s no need to wait till March to enjoy this dish! You can have this any day of the year! In the South, we often pair corned beef and cabbage with purple hull peas and cornbread for a New Year’s Day “Good Luck” dinner!
- Easy – no big mess to clean up; makes great leftovers for sandwiches
- Flavorful – seasoned brisket with a variety of spices
- Balanced meal all-in-one: beef, green cabbage and potatoes- simple ingredients and some of the cheapest vegetables at the grocery store! A no fuss dinner, for sure!
Ingredients
Simple ingredients you probably already have these in your kitchen-
- Corned Beef – Most of the pre-packaged briskets are around 2-3 lbs. During the low and slow cooking process, the meat shrinks resulting in a yield of about 40-50%.
So, a 3 lb. brisket shrinks to about 1.5-2.0 lbs. If you allow 6 oz. per person, you’ll get a little over 5 servings per piece of meat.
An easier way to determine the yield is to buy one pound per person. That way, you know you’ll have plenty and there will be some leftovers! And don’t forget the Irish Soda Bread!
- Potatoes – I recommend waxy potatoes; either small red potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes. These hold up best during the cooking time.
- Cabbage – a small to medium head of cabbage
- Carrots – peeled and cut; I do not recommend using baby carrots.
- Onions – onions are optional, but I recommend sweet yellow onions, but you can use white or plain yellow
- Beef broth – or beef stock
- Seasonings – If you buy a pre-packaged corned beef at the grocery store, you’ll notice it includes a small spice packet. This seasoning packet consists of allspice, peppercorns, coriander seeds and mustard seeds.
- This tiny packet is rarely enough spices to thoroughly season the corned beef, so I usually add a teaspoon more of each spice, plus a few bay leaves, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper and a dash of cinnamon.
How to make easy slow cooker corned beef and cabbage
- Rinse the corned beef and place it in the slow cooker with the fat side up. Add 2 1/2 – 3 cups of beef broth- (you’ll need enough water to reach the barely cover the fat cap on the top of the meat.) Add the seasoning packet and additional pickling spices to the crock pot. Top corned beef with sliced onions (optional). Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- An hour before serving, cut a head of cabbage into quarters and place the cabbage in the slow cooker around the brisket. (If you want to add potatoes and carrots, add them two hours before you’re ready to serve.)
- You know the meat is done when it is “fork tender” or use a meat thermometer; when the internal temperature is 145ºF, it’s done!
- Use a heavy duty spatula to remove the corned beef from the slow cooker to a cutting board. If you find your brisket falls apart, or begins to shred when removing it from the crockpot, just use tongs to remove the tender shreds of beef.
Recipe Tips
- Make note of which way the grain is before you put it in the slow cooker; you’ll want to cut against (or perpendicular) to the grain
- Cook on low heat for 4-6 hours; add vegetables an hour or two before you’re ready to serve
- Let the meat rest a few minutes before slicing; you can slice off the fat cap if you prefer
What is corned beef?
It’s actually a brisket–the point cut of meat from the front lower portion of a cow. It is a tough cut of meat, so you’ll want to cook it low and slow. The slow cooker is one of the best cooking methods for braising the meat, resulting in a delicious and tender cut of meat. The term “corned” refers to the corning, or brining process where the meat is cured and brined in salt.
Why is it pink?
Pink curing salt is responsible for the pink color of the pre-packaged corned beef. Pink curing salt is not the same as Himalayan salt. The brisket is pink due to the process of curing and brining in a mixture of pink curing salt and sodium nitrite.
If the pink color bothers you, purchase a flat-cut brisket and use the recommended seasonings. Your slow-cooker brisket will turn out as flavorful as the pink version, only it will not be pink, but brown.
How to slice corned beef
Place the meat on a cutting board and slice corned beef against the grain. If you’re not sure which way to slice it, look at the direction of the “threads” in the meat; hold your knife perpendicular to the threads and slice.
If you cut against the grain, the beef is easier to chew; if you slice the corned beef with the grain, you’ll find it harder to chew.
What can I make with leftovers?
If you have any leftover the next day, sandwiches are usually the easiest way to use leftover corned beef.
Buy a nice sesame seed bun and add a little corned beef, sauerkraut, provolone cheese and 1,000 Island Dressing and you’ve got a great pseudo-Hot Pastrami sandwich!
Or, re-heat in a skillet with diced potatoes and onions, making a homemade corned beef hash! Top it with a fried egg and call it breakfast!
Storage and reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, you can heat it on the stovetop in a skillet or place it on a rimmed baking sheet and heat in in a 300 degree oven.
This classic recipe of slow cooked, corned beef brisket is a simple recipe and it makes an easy dinner! Some folks believe Corned Beef and Cabbage represent good luck and prosperity in the New Year! The green cabbage represents cash and the corned beef represents health!
Add a side of black eyed peas and cornbread and you’re in good shape for a prosperous New Year! Perhaps you’ll have a little luck of the Irish, too!
Related recipes:
- How to Season and Cook Peas (Black-eyed and Purple Hull)
- Southern Cornbread
- Collard Greens
- Irish Soda Bread
- Irish American Guinness Stew
- Colcannon Potatoes (Irish potatoes)
If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a rating and comment! I love to hear from you! Thank you!
Easy Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. point-cut corned beef brisket
- 4-8 cups beef broth , low-sodium
- 1 large cabbage head , quartered
- 1 large onion sliced (optional)
- 1 pound potatoes (optional); use Yukon Gold or Red Creamer (see notes)
- 6 large carrots (optional); sliced
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon of each: Ground allspice, dried bay leaves, ground coriander, ground cloves (optional), ground cinnamon, mustard seeds, ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Combine homemade seasonings and the packaged seasonings in a small bowl and set aside1 teaspoon of each: Ground allspice, dried bay leaves, ground coriander, ground cloves (optional), ground cinnamon, mustard seeds, ground nutmeg
- Place corned beef in slow cooker, fat side up (See Recipe Notes below)3 lbs. point-cut corned beef brisket
- Add sliced onions to slow cooker (optional)1 large onion
- Add 4-8 cups of beef broth (just enough to reach the top of the meat)4-8 cups beef broth
- Sprinkle seasonings over meat and liquid
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours (See Recipe Notes)
- Add carrots and potatoes 2 hours before serving time; add cabbage 1 hour before serving time1 pound potatoes, 6 large carrots
- Remove corned beef using spatula or tongs; slice against the grain; serve with vegetables
