Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Let the crockpot do all the work for you – simply throw everything in and you are set. It’s so easy, so tender and so flavorful!
St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays for one sole reason: the corned beef. I wait 364 days out of the year to buy a huge corned beef brisket. And since I only get to do this once a year, I go all out – from the baby potatoes to the lemon roasted cabbage.
It’s quite a spread, and also a bit too much work so this slow cooker version comes in super handy. All you have to do is dump everything into the slow cooker and you’re set! Really. There’s no searing, no dicing, no nothing. Even you veggies can get thrown in there as is.
Easy peasy. Although I should warn you – since this recipe is practically effortless, you’ll be tempted to make this more often than just once a year. There’s no judgment here though – I’ve honestly made it twice just this last month! After all, I can just chalk that up to “recipe-testing,” right?
Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 1 3-pound corned beef brisket, plus pickling spice packet
- 8 whole cloves
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 24 baby carrots, tops trimmed to 2 inches
- 1 pound baby Dutch potatoes
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Place corned beef brisket, fat side up, into a slow cooker; sprinkle with pickling spice.
- Place whole cloves throughout the brisket. Add garlic, bay leaves and 2 cups water, or more water as needed to cover the brisket by at least 1 inch.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours. Add carrots and potatoes to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for an additional 2-3 hours, or until tender.
- Thinly slice the corned beef against the grain. Serve immediately with carrots and potatoes, garnished with parsley, if desired.
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Hello, just a question. Im cooking mine in my instant pot. When I opened at the 5 hour mark on the slow cooker setting there was still a lot of water in it. I took about 4 cups out and then added the potatoes and carrots. There is still quite a lot of water. About 3 inches of the meat is out of water, is that an issue?
Thanks
Water does not evaporate (much) in a slow cooker. The food is meant to be removed from the water after cooking. The food should always be covered by water while cooking in a slow cooker. (usually)
OMG, first time ever making corned beef and it turned out awesome! I used a 2.7 lb corned beef and ended up using close to 6 cups of water in my pressure cooker/slow cooker. I was afraid it was too much water, but nope. Excellent taste without it being too salty. This recipe is pinned and ready to go for the next time! Thank you and I look forward to trying more of your recipes 🙂
PS–I didn’t have cloves and was afraid that would mess up the recipe. I ended up subbing a 3/4 tsp, 50/50 mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg.
I cannot fit the carrots and potatoes into my crock pot! Once meet has cooked for 5 hours, can I transfer the meat, the water into a large pot with carrots and potatoes to cook over the stove for another 1-2 hours?.
Or you could make mashed potatoes and serve the meat atoop!
Cooking now for Ruben Sandwiches. I made the rye bread yesterday. Cooking in so much water should leave behind a broth. Is it used for anything, or is it just a toss?
I use the water to cook cabvage.
Nearly a year late, but the broth makes an excellent soup base, particularly if you’ve made corned beef and cabbage. Chill broth overnight, skim off any congealed fat, and then reheat with shredded leftover corned beef and the coarsely chopped leftover carrots, potatoes, cabbage, etc.
It’s also a great broth to use to make a mustard sauce from for pouring over the top of your dinner! Yummon
Haven’t ate it yet. It smells amazing right now, although I did forget the cloves, can’t wait to try it. I’ve made a few meals from Damn Delishious…they have turned into family favorites and regulars on our table. Thank you guys for great recipes!
Confused about the amount of water to use. “Covered by one inch” means to me that the entire brisket is under water with an inch between the top of the meat and the surface of the water above. Do you mean the water is to come one inch up the side of the meat? Making this according to my understanding and hoping it doesn’t taste drowned
It’s traditionally a boiled dinner. Definitely cover!
I do it with all the veggies at the same time and actually cover the veggies too.
I was confused about this too but have made this recipe about 4 times. I’ve always covered the meat completely and then another inch above the meat, and it’s turned out delicious. My husband has always loved it and said it’s less salty than traditional in his opinion but SO flavorful. We prefer this recipe
Best corned beef I have ever cooked in 30 years!
I’ve been cooking for years. This recipe is super great.
I only cook corned beef like twice a year. This was on point!!
its pretty good, forgot garlic, don’t know what cloves are, and i shorted myself on potatoes. I really should’ve put more.
Besides that, really good for my first “recipe-testing” so my first batch wasn’t as good as I had hoped (my fault), and way saltier than expected. Never had corned beef before, so I don’t have a baseline.
So I was wondering if there’s something that goes with this to turn it into something closer to a meal? Does this go well with anything? I made this for my girlfriend, and I REALLY want batch 2 to be something she enjoys.
And thank you for your site, i enjoy reading it and trying your food. You make cooking sound fun, with a touch of joy and family. So at the very least, thank you for that.
Corned beef is usually served with a white sauce (béchamel sauce) in Australia. That often helps soften the salty flavour and adds some moisture if it’s all a bit dry.
Can this be cooked on high setting?
We find that this is truly best on the low setting. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications. Good luck!
This looks great! I have a frozen corned beef. Do you think I can start this from frozen?
That’s so great, Paige! But I recommend thawing prior to using. Hope that helps!
Thank you!
Do you need to skim off the ‘foam’ that usually rises when you cook the corned beef?
Yes, you can skim off the “foam” as needed.
This was great! I will only make my Corned Beef this way. The meat was juicy and tender in about half the time. I haven’t had my Instant Pot long and am still learning how to use it so that was perfect timing! Thanks again for another super recipe.
I made this for a St. Patrick’s Eve party this year. We made it exactly like the recipe, used a nice corned beef brisket. One of our guests said, this is damn delicious! He had no idea where I had gotten the recipe! How cool is that!!!
The cornbeef was great. The red potatoes and carrots were perfect.
Awesome!
Just making this recipe now and as an inexperienced cook I’m confused about the garlic. calls for 8 whole garlic cloves and 4 peeled cloves. Seems like a lot of garlic for 3 pounds of meat. Whole garlic cloves – just take them off the head and take the papery husk off? Know how to peel. Hope this turns out okay.
Jim, “whole cloves” does not refer to garlic cloves. Cloves are a pungent spice found in savory dishes, desserts, and drinks. Ground or whole cloves flavor meat, sauces, and rice dishes.
cloves and garlic cloves are two different things……
Is there really such a thing as too much garlic anyway?
OH MY, prepare your taste buds for a journey!
What changes need to be made to cook the cabbage with this recipe? I have to have the cabbage! Thank you!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Corned beef came out juicy and very tender. It practically fell apart after a few slices. Family gave it 4 stars because of that. I think my crockpot was too big and I used too much water to cover the meat. It drowned out some of the flavor IMO.
Thanks for sharing, Robin!
This looks great also!!!
Best Corned Beef I have ever made…!!
That’s great!