How to Cook Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Crock Pot

Corned beef and cabbage is especially tender and juicy when prepared in a slow cooker. Using a crock pot is one of the easiest methods you can use to prepare this dish, which is otherwise a little complicated. Corned beef and cabbage is the perfect dish to make on St. Patrick's day, or any time of year when you're in the mood for something hearty.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Corned Beef

4 lb (1800 g) corned beef brisket
2 cups (500 ml) frozen pearl onions
1 lb (450 g) baby red potatoes
2 stalks celery
1 lb (450 g) bag baby carrots
12 oz (360 ml) bottle stout, dark ale, or any unflavored beer
1 medium head green or savoy cabbage
Dijon mustard (optional)

Pickling Spice Blend

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) mustard seeds
2 bay leaves, crushed
8 Allspice berries
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) black pepper

Horseradish Sauce

1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (60 ml) sour cream
1/4 cup (60 ml) prepared horseradish, drained
Dash hot sauce
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Preparations

1
Cut the vegetables. The potatoes, celery, and cabbage will all need to be cut into smaller pieces.
- The baby red potatoes should be briefly rinsed with cool water and scrubbed with a vegetable brush. When done, cut them in half crosswise.
- The celery stalks should be cut into pieces that are roughly 3 inches (7.6 cm) long. Rinse under cool water if necessary.
- The cabbage must cut into six or more wedges. Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise and remove part of the core, leaving just enough intact to hold the leaves together. Cut each half into three or four wedges. Rinse under cool water, if necessary.
- The baby carrots and pearl onions do not need to be cut for this recipe. If, however, you are using standard carrots and standard onions, the carrots must be cleaned and cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces, and the onion should be peeled and cut into wedges.
2
Rinse the corned beef brisket. Quickly rinse the brisket under cool, running water for a few seconds to remove any traces of ice or other substances. Pat dry with clean paper towels.
- If you stored the corned beef brisket in the freezer beforehand, it should be thawed before you begin the cooking process. Thaw meat in your refrigerator overnight in order to defrost it carefully and effectively.
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3
Spray the Crock Pot with nonstick cooking spray. Coat the bottom and sides of the slow cooker with a fine spray.
- Alternatively, you could use a slow cooker liner, instead. Either option will be enough to minimize or prevent the amount of burnt, stuck-on food.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Mixing the Pickling Spice Blend

1
Crush the mustard, bay leaves, and Allspice. Place the mustard seeds, bay leaves, and Allspice berries in a mortar and grind them together using a pestle.
- If you do not have a mortar and pestle, you could use the handle of a meat tenderizer or other utensil and a small dish, like a custard dish or ramekin. Similarly, you could place the spices in a resealable plastic bag, seal it, and crush them with a rolling pin.
2
Combine all the spices together.^{[1]
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Research source} In a small mixing bowl, stir together the ground spices with the salt and pepper until each spice is evenly distributed.
- The spices can be mixed together with a spoon or fork.
- Set aside once combined.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Cooking the Corned Beef

1
Place the onions and potatoes at the bottom of the slow cooker. Arrange these hardier vegetables at the bottom of the slow cooker in even layers.
- Onions are less likely to stick to the sides of the slow cooker as much as many of the other ingredients might. Moreover, as fragrant vegetables, the aroma and flavor of the onions can seep upward and into the less dense, more permeable ingredients.
2
Set the corned beef brisket on top. If you cannot fit the brisket in as a whole piece, cut it into two pieces and rearrange as needed to make it fit.
3
Top with the celery and baby carrots. Scatter the celery and carrots over the beef in even layers.
- These are the only vegetables you should add at this point. Do not add the cabbage yet. It cooks too quickly and will disintegrate if cooked for the full time.
4
Pour the ale and seasoning blend over everything. Drizzle the ale or beer over the beef and vegetables in the slow cooker. Sprinkle evenly with the spice blend.
- Make sure that the ale completely covers the meat in the slow cooker. If it does not, add just enough water to bring the level of the liquid up to the top of the brisket.
- Use the spice blend provided in this article, or, if you would prefer, you could also use a pre-made pickling spice blend or the spice blend that usually comes with the corned beef brisket.
5
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. Leave the lid on the entire 7 hours.
- If you do not have a full 7 hours, you could cook the corned beef and vegetables on high for 4 hours, instead.^{[2]
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- Keeping the lid on is crucial. Crock Pots and other slow cookers work by building up heat, and when you remove the lid, you let a portion of that heat escape. This could lengthen the overall cooking time.
6
Add cabbage and cook for another 1 hour. Arrange the cabbage wedges in an even layer across the top of the slow cooker. Cover again and cook on low for another hour, until the cabbage becomes tender.
- Alternatively, you could switch the slow cooker to high and cook the cabbage and other ingredients for only 20 to 30 minutes longer.
- You do not need to stir the ingredients previously in the slow cooker before adding the cabbage. Simply rest the cabbage on top, spreading it out as evenly as possible.
7
Serve with Dijon mustard and horseradish sauce. Transfer the cooked corned beef and vegetables to serving plates while still hot. Pour the remainder of the juices from the slow cooker over the meat, if desired, and serve with sides of mustard and horseradish sauce.
- When slicing the corned beef, cut it into thin slices across the grain. Doing so creates tender slices, while cutting with the grain will produce tougher slices.
- You could also consider pouring the remaining juices into a gravy boat and placing it alongside the Dijon mustard and horseradish sauce on the table.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Making the Horseradish Sauce

1
Whip the heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat the heavy cream in a medium mixing bowl until soft peaks form.
- If you do not want to use an electric mixer or do not have one on hand, you could beat the whipping cream by hand, using a whisk. You will need to whip rapidly and for several minutes, however.
- To determine when the whipping cream has reached the soft peak stage, turn the whisk or mixer attachment upside down, breaking the surface of the cream. The peaks should take shape and hold for a second or so before melting back into the rest of the cream.
2
Fold in the sour cream and horseradish.^{[3]
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Research source} Add the sour cream and prepared horseradish to the whipped cream and gently fold them in with a rubber spatula until evenly distributed.
- If you beat the sour cream and horseradish into the cream with too much force, you will end up deflating the cream, thereby negating all the effort you put into whipping it and causing the sauce to become too runny.
- Use more or less horseradish according to your own tastes.
3
Season with hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Add as much of these seasonings as desired and fold them in with the rubber spatula.
- If you are not sure about how much of each ingredient to use, start with 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt, 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) pepper, and a dash of hot sauce. Taste with a clean spoon and adjust the seasonings as needed.
4
Serve on the side. This sauce should be served on the side of your prepared slow cooker corned beef.

Community Q&A

Question

Do I cover corned beef with water in the crock pot?

Community Answer

You will need some type of liquid to stop your dish from going dry, but covering it is unnecessary - about an inch or 4cm of water (or broth, for more flavor) in the bottom should suffice.