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This Slow Cooker Corned Beef is tender, flavorful, and incredibly easy to make. Cooked low and slow with simple ingredients, the beef comes out juicy and perfectly seasoned every time.
Slow cooker corned beef is one of the easiest ways to make a classic comfort food dinner with almost no work. By letting the slow cooker do the work, the meat becomes tender and flavorful while you go about your day.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re serving it for a holiday meal or just a cozy family dinner, this slow cooker method delivers great results every time. Pair it with potatoes, carrots, and cabbage for a traditional plate, or use the leftovers for Reuben Sliders and Corned Beef Hash later in the week.
Ingredients You’ll Need
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- Corned Beef Brisket
- Onion
- Potatoes
Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Ingredients
Instructions
- Open the corned beef brisket and dump out the liquid. Save the seasoning packet, and do not rinse the meat. Place in the crockpot.3-4 pound corned beef brisket
- Sprinkle the seasoning packet over the meat. Pour the water around the edges, and add chopped onion to the pot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.1 ½ cup water , 1 onion
- After 4 hours add the potatoes to the crockpot to cook with the meat.1 pound potatoes
- If you want to add cabbage, coarsely chop and add during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Remove everything from the crockpot and slice the corned beef to serve.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use beef broth.
- You can use baby potatoes (slice in half) and leave the peel on, or russet potatoes and peel and chop.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Slow Cooker Corned Beef
- Prepare the beef brisket. Take your beef brisket and seasoning out of the packaging and discard any liquid. Place the beef directly into the crock pot, and sprinkle over the seasoning mix.
- Combine and cook. Pour in some water, add the chopped onions, then cover and set the pot to cook on low for 8 hours. At the 4-hour mark, add your potatoes.
- Add cabbage. This part is optional, but if you’d like to add cabbage, chop up the cabbage and chuck it into the pot for the last half-hour.
- Serve! Once the cooking time is up, remove your beef, potatoes, and veggies from the pot. Slice up the beef, and serve.
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- Don’t rinse the beef. Once you’ve removed your corned beef from the packaging and dumped the brine, you can place the brisket right into the slow cooker. There’s no need to rinse it first.
- Slice against the grain. The “grain” is the direction that the muscle fibers (lines) run in the meat. You’ll want to use a sharp knife to cut across the grain, not along it, for tender cuts of beef.
- Use waxy potatoes. Baby potato varieties are better for slow cooking, unlike larger, starchy potatoes like Idaho or Russets, which tend to break down in the heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Place the beef brisket fat-side-up in the cooker before adding the pickling spices and water.
Yes. Make sure your slow cooker model is large enough for the water to circulate on all sides, and the brisket to be completely submerged while it cooks.
If your beef is tough coming out of the slow cooker, it could be that it’s overcooked or undercooked. A 3-4 pound brisket needs 8 hours on low, so check the meat for doneness after 7 hours and go from there.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store this beef and vegetables together or separately in airtight containers. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, warm the meat and potatoes in the oven or microwave. Slice up leftover beef to use in sandwiches, or dice it to toss with oven-roasted potatoes for an easy corned beef hash.
Freezing
Yes! Freeze any leftovers airtight for up to 2-3 months. Defrost the beef in the fridge overnight before reheating.
The hubs looks forward to this every single year. I love that it is so easy to make in the slow cooker too!
I’ve always believed the key to really good corned beef is cooking it nice and slow. This recipe proves that because it’s really good!
This corned beef was absolutely amazing!! Everyone wants me to make it again soon. It was a real hit and made our meal together special.
We really loved the slow cooker corned beef! It was a delicious and comforting meal that I’m excited to make again. It’s definitely going to be one of my go-to recipes!
This is one of my new favorite meal! So easy to make in a slow cooker and very little ingredients! And it was yummy!
Perfect recipe – delicious and so easy to make. I can’t wait to make it again!
I love corned beef, gonna have to make this in the crockpot soon