If you’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, dinner should be a no-brainer: Irish corned beef and cabbage. It’s a comforting and hearty meal that produces some of the best leftovers the next day. But, before you start searching for recipes, consider our test kitchen’s Beer-Braised Corned Beef and Cabbage — which cooks in the slow cooker. This easy method ensures that both the meat and veg become perfectly tender. Since the machine locks in moisture, you have to worry about the dish drying out or burning. This coupled with another trick for infusing flavor into the dish helps create a succulent meal. Keep reading for pointers on making this beloved St. Paddy’s day dish without hassle!
The basics of corned beef and cabbage
This dish largely contains corned beef (a cut of brisket that’s cured in salt and spices) and green cabbage. The beef provides the dish with salty, spiced and tangy flavors, while the cabbage adds a sweet and earthy taste. Other vegetables such as potatoes or carrots are sometimes included to make the dish more filling. This meal originated in the 19th century as a way for Irish immigrants in the US to replicate a homeland dish known as bacon and cabbage. Over time, this affordable dish became a favorite for celebrations and holidays like St. Patrick’s Day. Many corned beef and cabbage recipes either cook it on the stove or in the oven. However, using your slow cooker is the easiest option that delivers on big flavor.
Why you should cook this dish in the slow cooker
Your trusty slow cooker is the superhero of every comforting braise, stew and even mac and cheese dish. Show it some more love by using it to cook your Irish corned beef and cabbage on St. Paddy’s Day, too! The low and slow cooking method allows for all of the ingredients to develop into a richer, more intense flavor. Plus, you can prep it in the morning, put everything in the slow cooker and then enjoy the delicious smells wafting through your home as it cooks all day. A general rule of thumb when braising cuts of meat in the slow cooker is that they’ll be fully cooked and tender after 4 to 5 hours on a high setting and 8 to 9 hours on low. Then, during the last hour of cooking, First for Women Test Kitchen Manager Susan Chiusanosuggests adding 1-inch wedges of sliced cabbage. This allows the veggie to soften without becoming too mushy. Before you know it, you’ll have a rich and hearty meal for your holiday dinner table.
Bonus tip for an extra flavorful dish
Instead of sprinkling whole seasonings like bay leaves and cinnamon sticks directly into the dish, simply make a spice pouch. This involves placing the spices in cheesecloth and tying it with kitchen twine. The pouch can then be added to the slow cooker with the other ingredients. This trick allows the spices to infuse the dish with their aromatic flavors, and keeps them in one place so they’re easy to remove afterwards. All you need is a pair of scissors, a roll of cheesecloth and some kitchen twine. Watch this video from the MyRecipes YouTube channel for a simple guideon how to make a spice pouch.
These simple tricks will ensure that your corned beef and cabbage tastes amazing, but also help you spend less time in the kitchen. They’re great to use when making our Beer-Braised Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe — which boasts hints of caramelized and spiced flavors.
Kissed with cinnamon, our slow-cooker main dish served with tender pearl onions, carrots and fresh herbs makes the perfect centerpiece for your celebration feast!
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh thyme
6 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
3 carrots, cut diagonally into½-inch slices
2 cups frozen pearl onions
1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch wedges
4 lbs. low-sodium corned beef
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 (12 oz.) bottles stout beer, such as Guinness, about 3 cups
¼ cup molasses
1 tsp. mustard seeds
Directions:
Active: 20 mins
Total time: 8 hrs, 30 mins
Yield: 10 servings
Add 2 sprigs thyme, 1 cinnamon stick and bay leaves to center of 8-inch square cheesecloth; tie with kitchen string to enclose. Place herb packet, carrots and pearl onions in 6-quart slow cooker; top with corned beef. Add beef broth, beer, molasses and mustard seeds. Cover; cook on low until very tender, 8 hours.
During last hour of cooking, add cabbage to slow cooker, cover and continue cooking.
Remove herb packet from slow cooker; discard. Transfer beef to platter; surround with cooked carrots and pearl onions, remaining 5 cinnamon sticks and remaining thyme sprigs. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serve corned beef with braising liquid.
Easy variation:Make it Smoky Braised Corned Beef. Omit cinnamon. Add 1 Tbs. smoked paprika and 2 Tbs. liquid smoke. Continue with recipe.
Continue reading for more yummy St. Patrick’s Day recipes!
Homemade Irish Cream Recipe Is So Easy to Make in Just 5 Minutes
Beyond Corned Beef: This Traditional St. Patrick’s Day Recipe Is Irish Chef’s Favorite
Add a tablespoon or two of pickling spice as well as a few garlic cloves, a quartered onion, a carrot, and a few stalks of celery if you like. Bring everything to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer.
You can add seasonings other than salt, like black peppercorns and bay leaves. Keep the brisket submerged at all times as well since it's the water actually transferring heat into the meat and cooking it. Letting the top become exposed will dry out the meat and slow down the cooking process, leading to uneven doneness.
To add some flavor to your boiled corned beef, add some vegetables, such as carrots, onions and potatoes, to the pot. These vegetables not only add flavor but also make for a well-rounded meal. You can add some herbs and spices, such as a bay leaf, garlic and peppercorns, to the water for extra flavor.
Low Temperature: Slow cookers typically cook at relatively low temperatures, which can result in meats like corned beef not reaching a high enough temperature to break down the tough connective tissues and collagen properly. This can lead to a tougher texture rather than the desired tenderness.
Corned beef gets its characteristic sweet and tart taste from the brine. The meat will sit in the brine for a minimum of five days and up to 10 days – an essential step required before cooking. Brisket is a boneless cut of meat made up of two muscles that support the animal's weight.
The flavor profile often includes bay leaf, black peppercorn, mustard seed, dried red pepper and coriander. If that blend sounds familiar, it's because it's same list of spices that are packaged as pickling spice. Not surprising, since corned beef and pickles are commonly made in the same place: a deli.
1. Not Rinsing the Meat Before Cooking. If you cook the meat straight from the plastic packaging or pulled the meat right away from the brine solution in the fridge without rinsing, you just might be in for a saltier meal than you bargained for.
Slow-cooking corned beef is an effective way to achieve tender results with minimal hands-on time. Simply turn on the slow cooker in the morning, then go about your day without worry, leaving the house if need be, while your meat magically tenderizes.
You can overcook corned beef in a Crock-Pot if it's cooked for too long at too high of a temperature. Overcooked corned beef can taste tough and stringy. It's best to follow the recommended cook time and temperature within the recipe.
Place the brined corned beef in a large pot or Dutch oven along with the liquid and spices that accompanied it in the package. Pour in enough water to cover the beef, then bring the water to a boil on the stovetop. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover the pot.
Regardless of whether you cure the meat yourself or buy a ready-to-cook corned beef, chances are there's excess salt lingering on the surface and tucked into folds on the outer part of the meat.
It's a good idea to do so. Don't worry that you will be rinsing away flavor. Rinsing the corned beef means it will be less salty. Also, keep the seasoning packet if one came with it.
Please note that crock pot cooking times may vary greatly depending upon brand and style. It is important to check the meat with a meat thermometer to ensure it has reached at least 160°F for food safety; for optimal tenderness, cook to an internal temperature of 190°F. For best results, monitor at regular intervals.
Information. Corned beef is made from one of several less tender cuts of beef like the brisket, rump, or round. Therefore, it requires long, moist cooking. Corned beef is safe once the internal temperature has reached at least 145 °F, with a three minute rest time, but cooking it longer will make it fork-tender.
Blood is removed from beef during slaughter and only a small amount remains within the muscle tissue. Since beef is about 3/4 water, this natural moisture combined with protein is the source of the liquid in the package.
Cover the corned beef with water. Add several tablespoons of pickling spices, or make your own blend with bay leaves, whole black peppercorns, mustard seeds, juniper berries, allspice berries and whole cloves.
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