How to Make Corned Beef and Cabbage

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Here's a slow cooker recipe for corned beef and cabbage, a St. Paddy's Day favorite. But why wait until March? The one-dish dinner tastes great any time.

Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
10 hrs
Total Time:
10 hrs 15 mins
Servings:
6

Juicy corned beef is truly something special. You’ve had your fair share on St. Paddy’s and never met a Reuben you didn’t like. Make corned beef at home with our easy recipe. Here we'll walk you through how to make corned beef in the slow cooker. Plus, we're sharing our go-to Reuben recipe for using up the leftovers.

What Is Corned Beef?

Corned beef is a tough cut of meat (often brisket) cured in a brine then boiled over low heat for several hours. The result: salty, tender deliciousness. No corn (of the cob variety) is involved; rather, the term corned comes from the Old English for grain, referring in this case to the typically large grains of salt used to preserve the meat.

Corned Beef Ingredients

Here's a quick look at what you'll need to make homemade corned beef and cabbage.

  • Pickling Spice: Great corned beef starts with a great pickling spice. Here we're using the blend that comes with purchased corned beef.
  • Veggies: Slow cook cabbage, carrots, yellow potatoes, and onions with the corned beef for a simple, satisfying dinner.
  • Meat: Brisket is an inexpensive cut from the pectoral muscles often sold as flat or point cuts. For this slow cooker corned beef recipe, you'll need a 3-4 pound brisket.

Homemade Corned Beef Spice Blend

If your brisket doesn't come with a spice packet you can make your own. Our blend is a robust riff on a classic combination of spices, but you can play around as you would with a BBQ rub, tweaking amounts or adding heat to suit your taste.

Combine 2 Tbsp. mustard seeds; 2 Tbsp. coriander seeds; 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns; 1 Tbsp. whole allspice; 1 Tbsp. whole cloves; 8 whole cardamom pods; 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces; 4 bay leaves, crumbled; 1 tsp. ground ginger; and 1 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional).

How to Make Slow Cooker Corned Beef

Here's a quick look at how to cook corned beef in the slow cooker.

  1. Trim the fat from the brisket and cut it to fit in the slow cooker.
  2. Add the vegetables and spice blend to the slow cooker and place brisket on top. Add water.
  3. Slow cook until tender.

Ingredients

  • 1 3-4 pound corned beef brisket with spice packet*

  • ½ small head cabbage, cut into 3 wedges

  • 4 medium carrots, peeled, and cut into 2-inch pieces

  • 1 medium onion, quartered

  • 2 medium yellow potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces

  • ½ cup water

Directions

  1. Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut brisket to fit into a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle spices from packet evenly over meat; rub in with your fingers. Place cabbage, carrots, onion, and potatoes in the slow cooker. Pour water over vegetables. Top with brisket.

  2. Corned Beef and Cabbage
    Jason Donnelly

    Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. Transfer meat to a cutting board. Thinly slice against the grain. Serve vegetables with a slotted spoon. Makes 6 servings.

How to Make a Reuben Using Leftover Corned Beef

Epic Reuben sandwiches might be the reason you make corned beef. And we say that’s more than reason enough. Let this killer melt be your jumping-off place to using corned beef leftovers, knowing that hash, pizza, and pasta are yet to be had.

  • Make the Pickled Onions: In a saucepan combine 1 cup leftover corned beef cooking liquid or water, 1 ⁄4 cup cider vinegar, and 1 Tbsp. sugar. Bring to boiling. Place a thinly sliced red onion in a medium heatproof bowl, and pour the vinegar mixture over the onion. Let stand at least 1 hour; drain before using.
  • Assemble: Spread the bread slices with Dijon-style mustard and Thousand Island dressing. Layer with slices of corned beef, shredded Fontina cheese, and the pickled onions.
  • Grill Sandwiches: Spread butter on the outside of the bread slices. Cook in a skillet over medium heat until toasted, turning once.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

457 Calories
27g Fat
16g Carbs
35g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Calories 457
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 27g 35%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 115mg 38%
Sodium 1543mg 67%
Total Carbohydrate 16g 6%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 35g 70%
Vitamin C 72.6mg 81%
Calcium 50.5mg 4%
Iron 5mg 28%
Potassium 867mg 18%
Folate, total 36.3mcg
Vitamin B-12 2.4mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.5mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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