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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If the crockpot is big enough, can you place two corned beef briskets in? Will that alter cooking time? Should that be cooked on high, then? Have to make several of these for a crowd and trying to figure out the best way to go about it. Thank you.
Yes, cooking time may need to be adjusted, but as always, please use your best judgment.
If you need to cook multiple, I would suggest borrowing a friend’s crockpot 🙂
Good Day, can you make this days in advance or must it be done 1 day prior to Christmas?
Would like to make this tonight already, thank you
Yes, you can make this ahead of time.
How do you make your lemon roasted cabbage?
It’s really simple – I cut the cabbage into 8 wedges, pop it in the oven and then sprinkle on freshly squeezed lemon juice. Easy peasy!
Can I add the juices from the packet of the corned beef into the crock pot? And do I need to rinse it before placing in crock pot?
You can add the juices or you can rinse it off – it’s up to you!
Made this tonightto celebrate St. Patrick’s Day – I’m Irish – American so this has always been a traditional meal for my family but this was the first time I’ve made it on my own. It is absolutely delicious! Think we’ll be making this for more than just St. Paddy’s Day!
Hi,
When you say cover the corn beef with water by an inch do you mean up over the meat by one inch? The photo doesn’t show that and with slow cookers you always get more liquid than when you started. I don’t want my meat swimming. Please clarify. Thank you and love your recipes!
Yes, the meat should be covered with water, but please feel free to adjust the amount of water used to suit your preferences.
I’m going to follow your lead on this one. Thanks for the quick response.
Happy St. Patty’s Day!
@robin–how did it come out? (two years later….lol) I’m also concerned about the amount of liquid volume and the recipe hasn’t been adjusted to say that you should pour some of it or at what time point. I guess I’ll see what things look like in a few hours! 🙂
Hi, when you say, “Place whole cloves throughout the brisket. Add garlic..” Do you mean to place it on top or make slits in the corn beef and place them that way?
Thanks.
The cloves should be pushed into the brisket, but slits are not needed. The cloves will slide right in!
It’s in the crock pot as we speak! Can’t. Wait to taste it. Love all of your recipes!
I am single, so I bought the smallest corned brisket I could find, and scored a 1.6 lb one (I couldn’t believe it myself). Your recipe is the best, most basic recipe, which in my opinion, IS the best! I’ll temp it, but I think I’ll start with the low end of your cooking time as a start (4 hrs brisket & 2 hrs more for the veg). I cannot wait!
chungah, could you clarify something for me, please? in the recipe, you state 8 whole cloves of garlic and 4 cloves of peeled garlic. is it 8 whole heads of garlic and 4 peeled cloves? thanks in advance! can’t wait to make this on st. patty’s day!
Julianne, the 8 whole cloves does not refer to garlic. The cloves in this sense is a spice. You can read more about it here.
OH! thank you so much for clarifying. that makes way more sense 🙂
Have been making my corned beef in the crock-pot for over 20 years. Now experimenting with doing it in the oven. I LOVE the cabbaged cooked with the rest of the stuff. It picks up the flavor of everything else in the crock. Will have to try your oven roasted version one day Chungah
Did you use a flat cut or point cut corned beef? Does it much matter?
I find that the flat cut is best when it comes to corned beef, but it’s really up to you!
Point cut is often too fatty to eat. I would not recommend buying the point.
Instead of 2 cups of water, use a beer. Preferably a dark brew such as Guiness. That will take it to a whole other level of flavor!
I would use chicken broth, a 14.5 oz can is about 1 3/4 cup and then the balance would be water. Gives it just that much more flavor! 🙂
Could cabbage be added to the ingredients or is the cooking time too long for cabbage? I have to have cabbage with a corned beef dinner!
You can certainly try adding cabbage later on but I personally think it’s better when the cabbage is made separately, preferably in the oven.
I do something very similar in the crock pot every St. Patrick’s Day but instead of water I use Guinness and some brown sugar. Yum! I’ll have to try adding cloves and garlic like in your recipe!
Love all your recipes. Check everyday and that’s usually dinner that evening. Simple and always have the ingredients…..except a slow cooker.
So can I make this brisket in a Dutch Oven? Will heat and time change?
Thank you
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot advise on how to adapt this recipe without a slow cooker. However, here is an article worth checking out on a possible conversion guide from Williams-Sonoma: http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/slow-cooker-vs-dutch-oven-a-conversion-guide/.
> I use my Dutch Oven on the stove. Works basically the same, just make sure you keep the temp to a low simmer. I turn the brisket over, to ensure even cooking, just before I add the veggies. HaPpY St. PaDdY’s DaY!!
Sounds perfect! What is the cooking time for a 5-pound brisket? Thanks!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot advise on the appropriate cooking time. Please use your best judgment to ensure that the corned beef is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 145°F as measured with a food thermometer.
Try 8-9 hours for that much 🙂
Could you add cabbage to this…..Corned Beef and Cabbage is my hubby’s favorite and I am NOT good at cooking it….
You can certainly try adding cabbage later on but I personally think it’s better when the cabbage is made separately, preferably in the oven.
how come when I hit the print button, a blank screen appears. How do I print the recipes
Internet Explorer has recently made some updates that are causing print problems. I recommend using a different browser, such as Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari. But if you can only use Internet Explore, you can highlight the recipe, left-click, and print from there.