This slow cooker corned beef and cabbage is seasoned corned beef cooked with potatoes, carrots and cabbage. A crock pot meal that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
Whether you’re looking to celebrate the Irish holiday or simply want a hearty yet easy meal, this crock pot corned beef is a great choice. Complete your holiday meal with a loaf of Irish soda bread and a Shamrock Shake for dessert!
St. Patrick’s Day is the one day a year that many people flock to the grocery store in search of ingredients for a corned beef dinner. This slow cooker corned beef and cabbage only has a few minutes of active prep work, and produces a festive and delicious meal that the whole family will love!
What is corned beef made of?
Corned beef is a beef brisket that soaks in brine and then cures with salt and seasonings. This cut of meat has a distinctive pink color from sodium nitrate which is an ingredient in the curing process. Corned beef comes in multiple cuts, and it’s always best to cook corned beef for a long period of time so that it becomes tender. Typical cooking methods include boiling, slow cooking or oven roasting the meat.
How do you buy corned beef?
The first step to this recipe is to choose your meat. Most stores sell pre-seasoned corned beef, especially in March. There are a few different cuts of corned beef to chose from, including corned beef round roast, flat cut brisket, and point cut brisket. The round roast tends to have the least fat, but is also much more prone to drying out for that same reason.
Flat cut brisket and point cut brisket tend to be the better corned beef options. I used a flat cut brisket for these photos, as you can see by the uniform size and shape of the slices. Point cut brisket is the fattiest cut, but can also sometimes be the most tender. So it’s really up to you which cut you use!
How do you make slow cooker corned beef?
Corned beef comes pre-brined and pre-seasoned, so all you have to do is put it in a slow cooker with carrots and potatoes, then walk away. I add the cabbage during the last part of the cooking process so that it doesn’t get overly soft. Slice your beef, then serve it on a platter with the potatoes, carrots and cabbage.
Crock Pot Corned Beef Tips
- This recipe really works best on the low heat setting. I know the temptation is there to crank up the heat and have your meal done in half the time, but you run the risk of a tough corned beef if you do that. I recommend putting your meat in the crock pot first thing in the morning to ensure perfection by dinner time.
- The potatoes and carrots get quite soft from cooking all day in the crock pot. If you prefer your veggies on the firmer side, try adding them halfway through the cooking time.
- Corned beef makes for great leftovers, it’s great in sandwiches, hash or in a reuben dip.
- Be sure to slice the meat against the grain for the most tender bites of beef.
You don’t need to add any extra seasoning to your crock pot other than the packet that comes with the corned beef; the meat is plenty salty to flavor the potatoes and vegetables. However, I prefer to add a little drizzle of garlic and herb butter over the top of the veggies. It adds a nice finishing touch that you typically don’t see with corned beef meals.
This slow cooker corned beef is on our table every St. Patrick’s Day and we always look forward to it!
More St. Patrick’s Day favorites
Slow Cooker Corned Beef Video
Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 corned beef brisket 3-5 lbs
- 3 carrots peeled and cut into large chunks
- 3/4 lb small yellow potatoes halved
- 1/2 head green cabbage cut into wedges
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- grainy mustard for serving optional
Instructions
- Remove the corned beef from the package. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place the corned beef brisket (fat side up), carrots and potatoes in a slow cooker. Add 3 cups of water to the slow cooker, plus the seasoning packet that comes in the corned beef package.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
- Add the cabbage on top of the corned beef and cook on LOW for another 2 hours.
- Remove the cabbage, corned beef, potatoes and carrots from the slow cooker. Slice the corned beef against the grain.
- Place the butter, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments or until melted.
- Drizzle the garlic butter over the carrots, potatoes and cabbage. Place the meat, potatoes and vegetables on a platter and serve with mustard on the side if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on February 19, 2018 and was updated on February 19, 2020 with new content.
Dani Rogers says
This turned out very well, but the flavor was absent from the veggies because it was water based. ight go with a broth or beer next time. Thank you!
Kathleen says
My husband and sons raved about this meal. I’ve been making corned beef and cabbage in the slow cooker for years, but there were several aspects of this recipe that made such a positive difference. Those were: rinsing the corned beef before slow cooking, adding the potatoes and carrots at the half-way point, adding the cabbage two hours before the end of cooking time, not using the entire head of cabbage, and adding the garlic batter sauce to the veggies. Thanks for the delicious recipe, Sara.
Lala says
Excellent we added a beer to the crock pot while cooking grandma always used a beer. The garlic butter for the veggies was delicious.
Sami says
Corned beef and cabbage is one of my husbands favorite meals, this St. Patrick’s day I decided to try to make it myself and hopefully even better than how he has prepared it before. He LOVED this recipe! The meat was so tender. Thank you!
Kat says
This recipe was delicious and easy. I cooked my flat corned beef as directed for 8 hours on low. The veggies were added half way since that was the only time available. Everything came out perfect. Thank you.
Meredith says
Amazing! The best corned beef and cabbage I’ve had!
Nancy says
My first time cooking corned beef and it came out so good. I used the flat cut, added the potatoes and carrots at the halfway point, then the cabbage with two hours to go. Everything was delicious, especially the vegetables with the garlic herb butter. Thank you for this recipe and all the tips.
Craig Randle says
I’m using this recipe, and am looking forward to an amazing St Patty’s Day dinner. I did add turnips, in addition to the other veggies.
Thanks for sharing your awesome recipes.
Craig
Bea Mohr says
I followed your recipe exactly. It was really easy and perfect!!
Tricia says
My brisket did not come with a seasoning packet . What can I use to season it?
Sara says
It’s fine to omit it, most likely the corned beef is pre-seasoned. Or you can use a teaspoon of pickling spice.
Caitlin says
I want to put this in the crock pot for St. Patrick’s day, but won’t be home at the 6 hour mark to add the cabbage- can I add it while it is being kept on warm or cook it separately?
Thanks!
Sara says
It’s fine to cook the cabbage separately!
Dan says
What is the desired temperature tp assure safety of cooked meat?
Sara says
Beef should be cooked to at least 145 degrees F, but in this case you’re going to want to cook it past that temperature because corned beef is a very tough cut of meat and requires a long cooking time to tenderize.
Andrew says
I’m interested in trying your recipe looks delicious. I was curious if store shelf beefstock or beef broth could be substituted for the water. Thanks.
Sara says
Yes but you’d want to use low sodium broth, corned beef is very salty which is why I don’t cook it in broth!
Bernadine Alix says
I use beer instead of the water
Caitlin says
What kind of beer do you use?
Kris says
Guinness stout! 1 bottle
Cassie says
So I will be trying the beer (Coors Light-which is basically water anyway) in place of the water. This recipe sounds amazing!! I can’t wait to make it on Thursday. I’m not a fan of cabbage, but hopefully this recipe makes it taste yummy to me.
Barbie says
I have used Coors Light before, as well as Guinness Stout! Both taste great, it’s just a slight difference, with Guinness adding a bit hartier flavor. Happy St. Patrick”s Day!
Samantha Kingston says
Guinness the only way to go🍀🇮🇪
Todd greene says
I’ve made the corned beef a few times using this recipe… It comes out amazing I do put the cabbage in later and the carrots go in about halfway and it comes out amazing… Definitely five stars from me
Sue says
This recipe made the best corned beef ! Thanks for the recipe
Evelyn Gonzalez says
As i read and see all the recipe i cant help but go home and try them, i love them all.
Sheila says
Easy & was amazing again this year! Thanks from Tampa, Florida
Ellie says
Hi! I couldn’t find a 4 lb brisket so I purchased two separate briskets that are around 2 lbs each.
They do not fit side by side in my slow cooker- could I stack them and once they shrink a bit, try and put then side by side?
I used your recipe last year and it was amazing- hence the reason I’m trying to do it with more meat this year!
Sara says
Yes that should work fine!
Maryann says
Made this on St. Patrick’s day. Best corned beef we ever had! Butter sauce amazing.
Wendy says
Getting started a little late, can I cook on high for an hour and then turn down on low for 7 hours?
Sara says
You can try that but I don’t recommend it as it really needs the low cooking temperature to get tender.