This corned beef and cabbage is a hearty and delicious comfort meal with tons of flavor! The brisket simmers in the crockpot all day, giving it a wonderfully seasoned and tender taste. Perfect dish for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day!
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Traditional St. Patrick’s Day Dinner
Corned beef and cabbage is a hearty meal that’s traditionally served on St. Patrick’s Day, but can really be served all year long. If you’ve never made it before, this recipe is a great place to start. It cooks in the crockpot and is so simple to throw together. You can’t mess it up!
Once cooked, the beef is extremely tender, flavorful and delicious! It simmers on low all day, giving the meat a wonderfully seasoned and yummy taste. If you haven’t tried corned beef, it has a unique and distinct pickled flavor that some love and some don’t (my family is about half and half). It’s definitely worth giving a shot though!
I love to add in fresh vegetables like carrots, potatoes and cabbage. The broth from the brisket gives them such a nice flavor. You can also serve with mustard or horseradish if desired. Making this recipe is a fun tradition and is definitely worth trying out. Enjoy!
What is Corned Beef?
Corned beef is beef brisket that has been cured in a rock salt brine. The large grains of salt are referred to as “corns” of salt, hence the name. They help to give the meat it’s pickled (salty and sour) flavor. The beef cooks slowly all day, creating a tender and seasoned taste. It’s often served with vegetables like carrots, potatoes and cabbage.
What is in the spice packet that comes with it? It will often come with a spice packet consisting of seasonings that help give it that briny taste. Some of these common spices might include peppercorn, mustard seed, bay leaves, allspice, ginger, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Please note that the meat is extra flavorful and salty, so no need to add extra salt!
Yes, rinse in water prior to placing in crockpot.
Once cooked through, I let mine rest for about 5 to 10 minutes. This helps it hold it’s shape when slicing.
If cooked correctly, corned beef should be very soft and tender. Brisket is a tougher cut of meat, so it’s important to cook it low and slow. That’s why I like to cook it in the crockpot on low heat for at least 8 hours. If you cook it too fast and on a higher heat, you’ll end up with meat that’s tough and chewy.
How to Make Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Rinse. Rinse the meat with water, then add to bottom of crockpot.
- Add seasonings. Sprinkle the seasoning packet on top. Next add the onion on top and tuck into the sides. Pour broth around the sides. Then fill the broth can with water and add until it just about covers the beef.
- Cook. Cook in crockpot on low for 8 to 10 hours.
- Add veggies. About 3 hours prior to serving, add potatoes and carrots. Then add cabbage 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve. Remove from crockpot (make sure it’s fork tender) and let rest for a few minutes. Slice and serve with vegetables.
Cooking Tips
- Low heat. The key to making tender and juicy brisket is cooking the meat low and slow. It’s a tougher cut of meat, so cooking on low heat for about 8 to 10 hours makes all the difference.
- Don’t over salt. If you’re using the salt brine seasoning packet that comes with the meat, make sure NOT to add in any additional salt. The seasoning already has a salty flavor, so anything additional would be overkill.
- Add the veggies in later. Because the meat cooks on low heat for so long, you don’t want to add the veggies in at the very beginning or else they’ll overcook and get super mushy. Add them in the crock pot with about 3 hours left on the timer.
- Let rest. This allows the juices to flow back into the meat and makes it super moist and juicy. I let mine rest for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Slice against the grain. Once rested, slice the meat against the grain in order to break up the long muscle fibers. This results in slices that are more tender (and less chewy).
- Using leftovers. Make corned beef sandwiches with leftovers! The brisket tastes delicious on a Reuben sandwich served on rye or Irish soda bread.
More Slow Cooker Comfort Dishes
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Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 3 pounds corned beef brisket , with spice packet
- 1 onion , quartered
- 15 ounce can low-sodium beef broth , or water
- 1 pound red potatoes , quartered
- 2 cups carrots , sliced
- ½ head cabbage , cut in wedges
Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the corned beef in water and then place into the crockpot. Then place the seasoning packet on top of the beef. Next add the onion on top and tuck into the sides. Pour the beef broth around the sides. Then fill the can with water and add until it just about covers the brisket. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Three hours before serving add the potatoes and carrots. Then 30 minutes before serving add the cabbage.
- Remove corned beef from slow cooker when fork tender and allow to rest for a few minutes. Then slice against the grain and serve with vegetables.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
People laugh at how much my family loves this and how often we make it. Not just for St. Patricks Day! Such a great recipe!
Thanks for this recipe! Delicious and so easy!
My brisket did not come with a spice packet. Can you please email the ingredients for me to create my own spice packet.
Thank you
Sharon
Hi Sharon – I’ll send you an email :)
Thank you for sharing these easy to follow (without 20+ ingredients) recipes. I’m busy all day but my husband loves to eat and in the morning is already asking what am I making for dinner. So much for retirement.😕 when I start making them, I will let you know.
Hope you enjoy! Thanks for stopping by! :)
Thank you for sharing this easy-to-follow recipe. The aroma has been drifting thru my home since mid-day. We are not Irish but we are eating this dish tonight complete with Irish Bread and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream pie. I have been receiving your posts this is the first of many recipes I want to try. Thx agaim ❤️
Hope you enjoyed it! Sounds like a delicious meal!
This sounds so incredible!
We love this corned beef recipe! So good.
I’m so glad you enjoy it!
This!!! So delicious and tender! Love everything about this dish!
This was so easy to do in the crockpot. Tasted great and the cleanup was a breeze! Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This looks delicious!! That meat looks so tender! It definitely looks hearty & healthy! I’ll be making this asap!