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Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

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When I think of St. Patrick’s Day, I think Corned Beef and Cabbage. The weird thing is that history tells us this dish probably has no true connection to Ireland, but rather the Irish immigrants that came to America.  The dish likely found its beginnings in the New England Boiled Dinner, a similar dish that used a ham rather than beef. Corned beef was less expensive than ham in those days , so the Irish immigrants started using it.  

Slow cooker corned beef and cabbage in blue serving dish

This easy preparation results in a super tender, yummy roast beef brisket that is even better the next day on a Reuben sandwich or better yet… Corned Beef Hash!   Sometimes the leftovers are better than the original dish, right!?    

Just keep in mind that the corned beef shrinks a lot when it cooks, so make sure you grab one big enough to feed the whole family.  I usually plan on about 1 pound (precooked) per person.

Slow cooker corned beef and cabbage

A few things to note:

Many recipes call for you to rinse the corned beef before placing it in the slow cooker. Every time I’ve ever done this, I end up with a rather flavorless corned beef and even worse vegetables. On the package I once noticed that they recommended using the juices from the package when cooking.  Despite the rather unpleasant look of the stuff, it added tons of flavor to the dish and I’ve done it that way ever since. If you’re watching your sodium intake, you can certainly rinse it first – just know you’ll be sacrificing flavor as well.

Speaking of flavor, I also add more pickling spice because I find that the tiny packet they include with the corned beef is just too small for a 5 to 6 pound brisket. Again, it’s totally optional, but I highly recommend it. 

When it comes to the cook time, this is a super long one. I like my brisket pull apart tender. Yes, you can cook it for a shorter amount of time if you want it more “sliceable.” 

When it comes to the veggies, I like big chunks for the long cook time so they won’t all cook to mush. I prefer using a small waxy potato that’s about 1 1/2 inches in size – something like a small red or yellow potato.  Leaving the skin on helps it keep its shape as well.  But this recipe makes super tender potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery. If you want more texture to them, proceed with the recipe and just add the potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery about halfway through the cooking time. I’d only ever add the cabbage about 1 hour before the cook time is over, though.

 

Slow cooker corned beef and cabbage in blue serving dish
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5 from 3 votes

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time9 hrs
Total Time9 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 4 to 5 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 5 to 6 pound flat cut corned beef (with pickling spices)
  • 4 to 6 small potatoes, halved if they are larger than 2 inches (I like to use red "new" potatoes or something like Yukon Gold.)
  • 1 large onion, quartered
  • 1 1/2 cups baby carrots
  • 2 ribs of celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons pickling spice (optional)
  • 2 to 4 cups beef broth
  • 1 medium head cabbage, cut into 1 inch wedges

Instructions

  • Place the potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic cloves in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.
  • Add the corned beef to the slow cooker on top of the vegetables with the fat side up. I also add any juices from the package to the slow cooker as well for extra flavor. Add the packet of pickling spices that came with the corned beef. If you like lots of flavor, add an additional 2 tablespoons of an all-purpose pickling spice.
  • Add enough beef broth to just barely reach the top of the corned beef. I usually use about 3 cups but it will vary based on the size of your slow cooker and the size of your corned beef. Cover and cook on low for about 9 hours.
  • About an hour before serving, add the cut cabbage into 1 inch wedges and add it to the broth around the brisket. Cover and cook for about an hour or until the cabbage has reached your desired tenderness.
  • Once done cooking, remove the brisket from the slow cooker and remove the fat layer, if desired. Shred or slice the beef against the grain and serve with spicy mustard or a horseradish sauce along with the cabbage and other vegetables.

Notes

Recipe Updated: 03/03/2020
Making This Recipe?Tag me on Instagram: @SouthernBite using the hashtag #SouthernBite, so I can see how it turned out!

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Slow cooker corned beef and cabbage for Pintrest

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. This sounds so good and easy! Love slow cooker meals. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to your cookbook!!!

    Reply

    • This was the best Corned beef I have ever made. Instead of using beef broth, I used 2 bottles of Guinness. I did not rinse the meat and I did not add extra spice and it was perfect, great flavor and not too salty. Crackpot, for 9 hours in 2 bottles of Guinness with the seasoning packet and onions. With about 3.5 hours left I added colored carrots cut in half and red potatoes uncut if they were small. With an hour remaining I added 2/4 of a cabbage.

      Reply

  2. My grandmother, who was born in Ireland and came to the United States when she was 15 years old in the early 1900s, would have agreed with you about the origins. Potatoes and cabbage are definitely Irish, but they seldom had meat of any kind. When they did, it was often mutton.

    Reply

  4. Hey, Stacey!
    I’m making this today! (Going to fix some good old cornbread in my iron skillet to have with it!)

    I know it’s going to be tasty! All your recipes are!!

    I’m planning on making your chocolate silk pie soon. It looks heavenly in your picture!

    Happy Saint Paddy’s Day! (A little bit early!)

    Reply

  5. All ingredients ready to go for tomorrow. I also add rutabagas to mine. I have never cooked this in a crock pot so I am a little nervous.

    Reply

  7. Hi Stacey!

    We’re making this today though the meat came marinated in the pickling spices, etc. Looking forward to dinner already.

    I’ll let you know how it turns out,

    Pam Hoffman
    EverydaySpacer.com

    Reply

  9. Actually there IS a difference between a rib of celery and a stalk of celery.
    A rib is one long piece of celery whereas a stalk is the entire bunch of celery. To use celery, one usually removes a rib for chopping or using whole as in the corned beef recipe here.

    Reply

    • I would disagree and so would most modern food writers, but to each his own. Regardless, common sense reigns in this situation and I think most would understand that you would not want 2 entire bunches of celery in any recipe. 🙂

      Reply

  10. I grew up in Newfoundland, Canada and we make the same meal but we add rutabagas and call it Jiggs Dinner. It was a great meal to make for fishermen who only had one pot on hand on their boat to cook. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  11. I’ve just printed a few of your recipes and will make the meatloaf tomorrow night. can you please tell me which
    plug in widget you use for your ability to print out the recipes. I like the format. Thanks!

    Reply

  13. Hi Stacey, I have never cooked corned beef, but I think I would like this recipe. My husband and I do not like spices in anything so if I make this can I omit all the spices and pickling juices?

    Reply

  15. Well Stacey, I am giving this a go today. I will let you know how it goes. I just love your recipes!
    This is a first time making corned beef for me so….we will see!

    Reply

  17. Best corned beef and cabbage I’ve ever made! Super tender and juicy. I left it in the crockpot for 10 hours, and roasted my potatoes in the oven instead. So good, I completely forgot to serve the rye bread and butter. No one even missed it!

    Reply

  18. I followed the recipe except I did not have celery. I’m not sure how anyone ever has leftovers. It was so good there was no corned beef left for sandwiches. 😢 I think I will be making this again very soon with a larger piece of meat.

    Reply

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