Slow Cooker Corned Beef

This Slow Cooker Corned Beef recipe comes together in just a few simple steps. Throw everything in your slow cooker before work, set it and be greeted home with the most incredible smells and fall-apart tender corned beef.

This has to be the one meat entree that you can enjoy hot or cold. It’s the perfect recipe for leftovers! Enjoy it hot alongside some cabbage or potatoes, then load up a corned beef sandwich for lunch the next day. On top of that, this recipe could not get any easier. Dump your ingredients into the slow cooker, set it, try to forget it, and enjoy.

What Is Corned Beef?

Corned beef is typically made with beef brisket. It’s salt-cured in a brine with nitrate rich salt which gives the meat that distinctive pink color we all know and love. The term “corned” comes from the large pieces of salt, or “corns” of salt, that were originally used to cure the meat. These days it has a distinct flavor from the pickling spice that is used to brine and boil the brisket.

When you buy corned beef, it typically comes with pickling spices, so normally you don’t need to make your own or buy it separately. Read more about pickling spice below. If you can’t find corned beef at your local grocery store, you can always ask your butcher for it. I usually call ahead a couple days and my butcher will order it for me.

Ingredients

• Cured brisket – Go to your local butcher to find this. If they don’t have it on hand, they are more than happy to prepare it for you.
• Red pepper flakes – Use as much or as little as you like to give your corned beef the perfect amount of spice.
• Cloves – Make sure to find whole cloves rather than ground.
• Pickling spice blend – Your butcher will usually be able to supply this ingredient when you buy cured brisket. Keep reading for instructions on how to make your own pickling spice.
• Garlic – The more garlic the merrier! You can use more or less cloves as you like.
• Bay leaves – Fresh or dried will work.
• Cinnamon stick – Like the cloves, make sure you use whole cinnamon and not ground.
• Water – This will help carry all those amazing flavors and infuse them into the meat.

How to Make Your Own Pickling Spice Blend

This pickling spice recipe will give you exactly how much you need for this corned beef. You can multiply these ingredients, use 3 tbsp of your homemade pickling spice for the corned beef, and store the rest in a jar.

• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 bay leaves, crushed
• 8 allspice berries
• 2 tsp dill seeds
• 2 tsp peppercorns

How to Cure Brisket

I highly recommend picking up or ordering an already-cured brisket from your butcher to save you some time and trouble. If you’d like to make this corned beef completely from scratch, start with these curing instructions.

1. Using a pointy knife or metal skewer, stab the brisket to create channels for the brine to saturate. Leave about an inch or two between holes.
2. Bring 1 gallon (16 cups, 4L) water to a boil. Add 2 cups Kosher salt, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 2 tbsp pink curing salt to the water and stir to dissolve. You can add a few tbsp of the pickling spice to this mixture if you’d like.
3. Once everything has dissolved, let the mixture cool to room temperature then transfer to the fridge until completely cold.
4. Add the brisket to the brine and let it cure for 5-7 days, flipping 2 or 3 times. Rinse well before using for this recipe.

How To Make Slow Cooker Corned Beef

This recipe is so simple! The hardest part will be waiting while your house fills with incredible smells.

1. Prepare the brisket: Rinse the beef brisket with cold water and thoroughly pat dry.
2. Cook the brisket: Place the corned beef in the slow cooker, fat side up. Add the rest of the ingredients to your slow cooker and pour 2 cups water over the beef. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
3. Finish and serve: Carefully remove the beef from your slow cooker. Cover with foil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

Instant Pot Option

If you follow my blogs, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of cooking in my pressure cooker and this corned beef is actually perfect for your instant pot, especially if you want corned beef in a fraction of the time. So guess what? Great news! Here’s my recipe for corned beef in the Instant Pot that I just shared with you on my Craving Home Cooked blog. It comes complete with step by step photos and detailed instructions on how to make it.

Some Tips

• Prick the fatty side of the beef brisket with a fork to ensure our liquid and spices penetrate the meat fully.
• Slice up your corned beef against the grain, this will ensure that each bite is perfectly tender and scrumptiously juicy.
• Since corned beef is brined in with nitrate rich salt, it is already pretty salty, so there’s no need to add anymore salt to it.

How to Store

Store your leftover corned beef in an airtight container or freezer bag up to 3-4 days. Leftovers taste fantastic hot or cold! Reheat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until heated through. You can also let the slices heat up on a skillet over medium heat.

Corned beef will also do well in the freezer. Wrap well with plastic and store in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and enjoy cold or reheated.

How To Serve

We enjoyed this corned beef sliced up on a sandwich with lots of mustard. You can also try it how it’s served traditionally, with cabbage! Reserve the cooking liquid in your slow cooker, and strain off the spices. Add a head of cabbage, sliced into large chunks, and cook on high for 1 hour.

You can also serve your corned beef with these classic sides:

• Mashed Potatoes
• Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
• Easy Potato Salad
• Garlic Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Easy Coleslaw
• Creamy Cucumber Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Avocado Tomato Salad

More Must Try Recipes:

• Instant Pot Beef Brisket
• Beef Brisket Gyros
• Oven Baked Brisket
• Easy Pot Roast
• Prime Rib Roast
• The Best Crock Pot Roast
• Mongolian Beef
• Easy Beef Lasagna
• Beef and Broccoli