How to Cook Corned Beef in a Crockpot

Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional Irish meal, made popular with Irish Americans. You can cook the meal in a pot on the stove or make it in a slow cooker over the course of a day. You can learn how to cook corned beef in a Crockpot by following the steps below.

Part 1
Part 1 of 4:

Buy Brisket

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    1
    Shop for a brisket at your local supermarket or butcher's shop.
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    Choose a brisket that is about 3 to 4 lbs. (1.3 to 1.8kg). This size will fit well in most slow cookers. If you have a smaller slow cooker, you may need to cut your brisket into a manageable size.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 4:

Prepare Corned Beef

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    Defrost the beef brisket for 24 to 48 hours in the refrigerator if it is frozen.
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    Remove the beef brisket from the refrigerator. Leave it to rest covered on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes. It will come to room temperature.
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    Mix your pickling spices. In place of mixing your own, you can also use the spice packet that is often sold with a corned beef brisket.
    • If you are mixing your own, try 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 tbsp. of pink pickling salt, 1 bay leaf and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Add 1/2 tbsp. of the following: dill seeds, black peppercorns, allspice berries and dried thyme. Add 1/4 tbsp. of hot red pepper flakes, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, celery seeds, ground ginger and whole cloves.
  4. 4
    Rub the brisket all over with the pickling spices. Place it in your slow cooker.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 4:

Prepare Vegetables

  1. 1
    Clean and peel carrots, potatoes, rutabaga and/or onions and a leek. Choose the vegetables you like best.
  2. 2
    Cut into 4 inch (10cm) pieces. Layer them on the brisket in the following order: rutabaga, potatoes, carrots, onions or leek.
  3. 3
    Pour enough water into the slow cooker to almost cover the brisket.
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Part 4
Part 4 of 4:

Slow Cook Corned Beef

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    Plug in the slow cooker. Place the cover over the beef and vegetables.
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    Set the timer for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
  3. 3
    Clean and chop up cabbage into 1.5 inch (3.8cm) wedges.
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    Set a timer to go off either 1.5 hours (on low) or 45 minutes (on high) before the total cook time is done.
  5. 5
    Place the cabbage on top of the brisket and replace the lid.
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    Cook for 45 minutes to 1.5 hours longer.
  7. 7
    Remove and drain the vegetables with a slotted spoon.
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    Remove the brisket. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes while covered, then slice thinly against the grain.
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    Serve immediately with mustard or horseradish.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    What part of the cow is beef brisket?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    The brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal.
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Things You'll Need

  • Crockpot
  • Beef brisket
  • Salt
  • Pickling spice packet/pickling spice mix
  • Vegetables
  • Knife
  • Timer
  • Slotted spoon
  • Brown sugar
  • Pink pickling salt


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References

  1. http://www.marthastewart.com/891899/slow-cooker-corned-beef-and-cabbage

About This Article

Tested by:
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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 80,652 times.
3 votes - 67%
Co-authors: 5
Updated: May 9, 2022
Views: 80,652
Categories: Beef and Lamb
Article SummaryX

To cook corned beef in a crockpot, start by seasoning a beef brisket with pickling spices and placing it into the slow cooker. Then, peel and chop carrots, potatoes, onions, and a leek, and put them in slow cooker on top of the brisket. Next, add enough water to cover the meat and set the slow cooker for 8 hours on low. After an hour, add chopped cabbage to the pot. Once the meat is done cooking, remove it from the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving it with the vegetables. For tips on how to make your own pickling spice blend for your corned beef, read on!

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