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Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional Irish meal, made popular with Irish Americans. You can cook the meal in a pot on the stove or make it in a slow cooker over the course of a day. You can learn how to cook corned beef in a Crockpot by following the steps below.
Steps
Buy Brisket
Prepare Corned Beef
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1Defrost the beef brisket for 24 to 48 hours in the refrigerator if it is frozen.
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2Remove the beef brisket from the refrigerator. Leave it to rest covered on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes. It will come to room temperature.
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3Mix your pickling spices. In place of mixing your own, you can also use the spice packet that is often sold with a corned beef brisket.
- If you are mixing your own, try 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 tbsp. of pink pickling salt, 1 bay leaf and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Add 1/2 tbsp. of the following: dill seeds, black peppercorns, allspice berries and dried thyme. Add 1/4 tbsp. of hot red pepper flakes, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, celery seeds, ground ginger and whole cloves.
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4Rub the brisket all over with the pickling spices. Place it in your slow cooker.
Prepare Vegetables
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1Clean and peel carrots, potatoes, rutabaga and/or onions and a leek. Choose the vegetables you like best.
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2Cut into 4 inch (10cm) pieces. Layer them on the brisket in the following order: rutabaga, potatoes, carrots, onions or leek.
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3Pour enough water into the slow cooker to almost cover the brisket.
Slow Cook Corned Beef
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1Plug in the slow cooker. Place the cover over the beef and vegetables.
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2Set the timer for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
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3Clean and chop up cabbage into 1.5 inch (3.8cm) wedges.
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4Set a timer to go off either 1.5 hours (on low) or 45 minutes (on high) before the total cook time is done.
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5Place the cabbage on top of the brisket and replace the lid.
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6Cook for 45 minutes to 1.5 hours longer.
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7Remove and drain the vegetables with a slotted spoon.
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8Remove the brisket. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes while covered, then slice thinly against the grain.
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9Serve immediately with mustard or horseradish.
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat part of the cow is beef brisket?Community AnswerThe brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal.
Things You'll Need
- Crockpot
- Beef brisket
- Salt
- Pickling spice packet/pickling spice mix
- Vegetables
- Knife
- Timer
- Slotted spoon
- Brown sugar
- Pink pickling salt
About This Article
To cook corned beef in a crockpot, start by seasoning a beef brisket with pickling spices and placing it into the slow cooker. Then, peel and chop carrots, potatoes, onions, and a leek, and put them in slow cooker on top of the brisket. Next, add enough water to cover the meat and set the slow cooker for 8 hours on low. After an hour, add chopped cabbage to the pot. Once the meat is done cooking, remove it from the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving it with the vegetables. For tips on how to make your own pickling spice blend for your corned beef, read on!