Cooking Two Corned Beefs At Once? The 98 Correct Answer

Combine your corned beef with your favorite vegetables for a complete meal. Credit: bhofack2/iStock/Getty Images

The debate between chefs over whether to cook corned beef fat-side up or fat-side down often becomes as contentious as the argument between St. Patrick and the snakes.

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Corned beef brisket is not a delicate cut of meat, so almost any cooking method will yield a tender and juicy result. The best way to decide how to cook yours is by the cooking method.

Here’s a good rule of thumb: Breasts cooked in liquid should be fat-side up, and breasts cooked directly on the heat source should be fat-side down.

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Things You Need Corned Beef

Big pot with lid

olive oil

onions, sliced

Beer

water

Instant Read Thermometer ($9.39, Amazon)

flat pan

Nonstick Cooking Spray

aluminum foil

Bold side up

1. Coat the bottom of a heavy saucepan with a light coat of olive oil (not too much, just enough so nothing sticks).

2. Turn the heat to medium-high and add sliced ​​onions. One small onion for every 2 pounds of corned beef is a good rule of thumb.

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3. Place the corned beef on the onions, fat-side up. The corned beef must fit completely in the pot. Sprinkle over the corned beef seasoning, which usually comes in a small packet with the beef.

4. Pour enough beer into the pot to come halfway up the side of the corned beef. Add enough water to cover the fat layer, but don’t cover it.

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5. Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and turn the beef down to a simmer. Cook the corned beef for about an hour per pound.

6. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of the corned beef. It’s safely done when the internal temperature reaches at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit and the flesh is uniformly light pink and completely opaque.

7. Let the brisket rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Fat side down

1. Preheat your grill on medium or prepare the charcoal in your grill.

2. Spray a flat pan with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Place breast fat-side down in oiled pan and cover with aluminum foil.

4. Place the pan on the hot grill and cook the brisket for one hour per pound of meat, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the brisket reads at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Let the breast rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing the meat.

Warning Never place a coated brisket directly on the grill without a drip tray underneath as the drippings could cause a fire.

St. Patrick’s Day is coming! To celebrate the holiday, we propose the legendary Irish-American classic, corned beef and cabbage. Not only is this meal a delicious way to celebrate the Irish-American holiday, but making corned beef at home is also a satisfying cooking project! Whether you’re preparing corned beef for the first time or you’re a pro chef curious to see how others do it, take a look at the list below of the five mistakes to avoid and what you can do instead ensure a perfect corned beef.

1. Do not rinse the meat before cooking

If you cook the meat straight out of the plastic wrap, or pull the meat straight out of the brine in the fridge without rinsing it, you may end up with a saltier meal than you expected.

Instead: Whether you bought ready-to-cook corned beef or cured your own, rinse the meat several times under cold water to remove excess salt. Don’t worry about the flavor washing away, the meat is completely saturated with flavor by this point.

2. Cooking at high temperature

Brisket is not a fan of high temperatures. If corned beef is cooked on high for too long, it will become tough and chewy rather than soft and tender.

Instead, regardless of cooking method, corned beef is best cooked over low heat. A low, gentle simmer on the stovetop or in the slow cooker are two excellent methods for preparing soft, tender slices of corned beef every time.

3. Not filling the pot with enough water

Cooking corned beef on the stovetop is a time-tested method that results in very tender beef. One of the keys to cooking corned beef properly is the amount of water in the pot. When there’s not enough liquid to cover the meat, your dreams of tender corned beef can be replaced with a tough, chewy result.

Instead: Start by filling a large saucepan with enough water to completely submerge the corned beef. Remove the lid to check the liquid level during cooking and add more water if needed. This small step ensures the end result is a super tender corned beef.

4. Not cooking the meat long enough

Brisket, the cut typically used for corned beef, is an inherently tough cut of meat. Cooking corned beef is a process that cannot be rushed. Even when the meat is cooked through, it takes even more time to turn the chewy bite into a wonderfully tender one.

Instead: Cooking corned beef requires patience as it is a tough cut of meat that benefits from a long cooking time. Allow at least three hours for stovetop cooking for a 3-pound corned beef, or 8 to 10 hours for a 3- to 4-pound joint cooked on low in the slow cooker.

5. Cut meat wrong

The way you cut your cooked corned beef actually makes a big difference. Always avoid cutting meat along the grain (or in the same direction as the muscle fibers) as this will give you a tougher cut of meat.

Instead: Treat corned beef like steak. Notice the lines of visible muscle fibers on the meat as this is the “grain” of the meat. Always cut corned beef against the grain instead of cutting with it. Cutting the muscle fibers shortens them, making each piece easier to chew.

source

Corned beef is a brisket that has been salt-cured. Its name comes from the salt particles formerly known as “salt grains”. Because of its high sodium content, people with high blood pressure should limit their consumption of corned beef. In the past, corned beef was part of the cuisine of Great Britain and Ireland. The ubiquitous corned beef and cabbage is an Irish-American St. Patrick’s Day custom. In Ireland, bacon and cabbage is the preferred offering. Although corned beef is traditionally boiled, it can also be baked in the oven or cooked in a crockpot.

First, let me say that I’m not a corned beef fan. I decided this morning on a whim to imbibe my 12.5% ​​Irish blood and do something in honor of St Patrick’s Day. I stumbled across this recipe to such rave reviews that I took to the market looking for a 3lb corned beef and some soda bread, using the reviewers suggestions and giving up two of the bottles for the pot. I warned my husband almost 25 years ago that if we don’t like the meat, there are plenty of vegetables to feed us. All I can say is that I can no longer say I’m not a corned beef fan… although so far I’ve only liked my own recipe (see how quickly something I learn becomes my own – it is a Greek thing)! I added a whole onion, 3 cloves of garlic (I love garlic and will add more next time), 1 tbsp allspice and doubled the carrots and cabbage. I don’t particularly like potatoes, but the family does, and potatoes are just so Irish. Cooked for 3 hours, then added potatoes for 15 minutes, then the carrots for another 15, and then cabbage for the last 15. I reheated store-bought Irish soda bread while the cabbage simmered. I served the food on a large platter with the meat on one side of the platter, with the vegetables around the meat – I put the potatoes on one side of the meat, the carrots on the other side, and the cabbage in between, around the meat Meat for a colorful presentation. The adults got Guinness bottles a

Nothing says St. Patrick’s Day like a delicious feast of corned beef and cabbage. But believe it or not, this classic holiday meal isn’t nearly as popular in Ireland as it is in the United States. St. Patrick’s Day has become more of a tradition here, thanks to waves of Irish immigrants, many of whom left the Emerald Isle during the Great Famine of 1845-1852 and moved to New York. They brought dishes from their homeland that have been adapted and changed over the years.

A popular Irish dish called “bacon and cabbage” consisted of cabbage, potatoes and Irish bacon, a salt pork tenderloin. Pork was the preferred meat because it was cheap in Ireland. But in the United States, pork was very expensive, so it was swapped out for the much cheaper corned beef, which was similarly cured but more aggressively seasoned. The rest is history.

The process of “corning” is a long (at least ten days) process using a salt solution with various spices. But these days, it’s much more convenient for the home cook to buy corned beef that’s already vacuum sealed in its brine.

Break out the slow cooker

Slow cookers are the best way to prepare corned beef.

By far the best way to cook packaged corned beef is in your slow cooker. A decent chest of around five pounds will generally fit in a 6 liter unit. If you prefer the rounds, you can usually get two of these to fit in a large slow cooker. 2-5lb each. A pack of corned beef is enough for 4-6 people after cooking and cutting. But for hash and sandwiches, prepare a little more.

If your corned beef doesn’t come with a seasoning packet, you should purchase or prepare a batch of what’s known as “pickling seasoning.” It contains crushed cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, allspice berries, dill seeds, cloves, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, dried ginger, crushed bay leaves, as well as red pepper flakes to add during slow cooking.

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Crock pot corned beef is so easy, you don’t have to save it just for St. Patrick’s Day! Super tender and juicy, and the leftovers are amazing!

We love easy crock pot recipes like this for dinner. Also try our Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers for the most tender, juiciest sausage or these Overnight Slow Cooker Ribs – both perfect for parties!

A slow cooker corned beef recipe

Making corned beef in your slow cooker or crock pot is such an easy dinner recipe for parties or just a family dinner at home. There really isn’t much more than adding the corned beef to a casserole dish along with the seasoning packet and some water, broth, or wine.

Or all of the above.

To cook the corned beef properly, the liquid should only come about halfway over the corned beef and not cover it. Covering the corned beef completely would result in a cooked corned beef, which is not what we are aiming for here.

I also like to add cabbage and potatoes to the casserole, but only in the last 3 hours of the cook time. Otherwise the potatoes and cabbage will become too mushy. But the cabbage also adds a lot of flavor to the corned beef when it’s cooked.

The potatoes come out tender and flavored with the corned beef broth, we like to mash them up on our plates and add a few knobs of butter.

You can also try our Roasted Cabbage recipe if you want to add some extra flavor to your cabbage, but be sure to add some to your casserole too for some flavor in this easy corned beef recipe.

What exactly is corned beef?

People are confused about corned beef.

I understand, I was too. Corned beef is made from a piece of beef called a brisket. Brisket is a tougher cut of meat, so it’s usually braised or smoked, or used in slow cooker recipes, or in this case, pickled in brine.

Corned beef is made through a long aging process that uses large chunks of rock salt, also known as corn. The “grains” are mixed with a liquid marinade, the so-called brine. Then the corned beef can be cooked using the method of your choice, resulting in a very tender cut of meat.

How long does crock pot corned beef take to cook?

Ideally, this corned beef recipe is better cooked over low heat as I feel it yields a more tender, flavorful corned beef.

But you can cook this recipe on high heat about half the time, and it’ll still be super tasty. If you have the time to let it cook, the low setting is definitely a better choice.

All in all, if you’re looking for a super tender corned beef, this crock pot recipe is for you!

Can you overcook corned beef?

You absolutely can.

As with many low and slow-cooked foods, people tend to think you want a crumbling, “off-the-bone” texture. This may be true in some cases, but in most cases you don’t want a super tender end product, but cooking it too long will make the meat mushy.

We’ve done this before, which is why we love this easy corned beef recipe because it comes out perfect every time. Still intact enough to cut, but very tender.

But for fork-tender, crazy-juicy corned beef, it’s the slow cooker to win.

Because we know you’re busy preparing all those side dishes and fun foods for your St. Patrick’s Day party…no need to worry about that corned beef in the oven either.

Which side dishes go well with corned beef?

This corned beef recipe already comes with the side dishes! We also love roasting carrots in the oven with salt, pepper and olive oil. But here are some other great side dish recipes for you to choose from!

Corned beef leftover recipe

leftovers? we have you Any of these leftover recipes will be a hit! We actually find ourselves making larger cuts of corned beef than we need to make these delicious leftover recipes!

Crock Pot Corned Beef ★★★★★ 5 out of 2 Reviews Author: Dan

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 8 hours

Total time: 8 hours 10 minutes

Yield: 1 0 1 x Print Recipe Pin Recipe This Crock Pot Corned Beef Recipe is so tender and juicy, you won’t want to make corned beef any other way! Scale 1x 2x 3x Ingredients 4-5 pounds of corned beef and curing seasoning

– chopped corned beef and pickling spices 2 pounds red potatoes, cut into four

Pound red potatoes, cut into ths 1 cabbage

head of white cabbage 1/2 cup white wine

White wine 1/2 cup chicken broth Instructions Place the corned beef in a Dutch oven and add the pickling spices included in the package to the corned beef. Pour in the wine and chicken broth, then add water until it comes to about halfway up the side of the corned beef. If you have a thinner cut of corned beef, you may not even need to add water. Just make sure you only cover the meat halfway in liquid or it will cook instead of stew. Cook on low for 4 hours. After 4 hours, add the potatoes and cabbage to the slow cooker, dipping as much as possible into the liquid. Cook for another 3-4 hours, then place the corned beef on a cutting board. Place the cabbage and potatoes in bowls, then slice the corned beef and serve. Category: Dinner

Method: slow cooker

Cuisine: Irish Tags: corned beef and cabbage, corned beef recipe, slow cooker corned beef, crock pot corned beef, st. Patrick’s Day recipes

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Learn about the two different cuts of chest pieces – the flat cut and the lace cut. What are the pros and cons of each cut? What is more tender?

What’s better when buying corned beef?

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Life comes with choices.

paper or plastic.

Would you like fries with that?

And when it comes to bust, you want a pointed or flat cut. This theme really flares up around St. Patrick’s Day each year. The most commonly served meal that day (at least in America) is corned beef.

Where does corn beef come from? The answer is the brisket (and sometimes round). The part of the cow’s chest is at the front of the cow, down, near the cow’s front legs. The Niman Ranch Cookbook has great charts showing where the different cuts are in the cow.

Because the cow uses its front muscles heavily, this is a tough cut of beef, so a slow cooking method must be used. Yet it’s worth your time because it’s a tasty cut.

When choosing a breast you will have to choose between a flat cut and a pointed cut unless you buy the whole breast. It’s very easy to tell the difference just by looking at the cuts.

You can see a lot of fat there. It’s pretty clear why they call it a point cut.

🐄 Point cut brisket

A point cut comes to a point at one end. A lot of fat flows through the point cut, so that it becomes nice and juicy when cooking. This cut is harder to find in supermarkets as it is not as attractive as the flat one. This is a good choice if you plan on shredding the meat after cooking.

Much less fat in this cut but still enough to keep the meat juicy.

🐮 Flat-cut chest piece

The flat cut is a much slimmer cut than the point. However, it still has a layer of fat on the underside that keeps the meat juicy. This is the cut that you will find most often in supermarkets as it looks more appealing than the top cut.

If you’re looking for brisket that cuts well, Flat Cut is your best bet. It’s also the most commonly used cut when purchasing packaged corned beef.

🏆 What is best?

It just depends on what you’re going to do. Point cut is better for shredding (flat cut will shred too) and is a bit more tender. But for corned beef, I recommend the flat cut.

In the Good Eats episode “Pickled Pink”, Alton Brown chooses a flat cut to make his own corned beef. I agree with him that the flat cut is the best cut for corned beef. I prefer the flat cut as the point cut is too fat for my liking. I tend to get heartburn from very fatty cuts of beef.

🚀 Quick corned beef in brine

Once you’ve chosen your type of brisket, unless it’s already pre-cured, you’ll need to brine or salt it to get the flavor you want. I came up with a method to do this quickly (overnight or 24 hours) – it’s a dry rub, applying some dry aging methods and using a meat tenderizer. Check out my post – How to quickly pickle corned beef

It’s not the same as buying a corned beef that’s already been cured, but it still makes something delicious.

A whole prime brisket. This would feature a point cut and flat cut ends.

🛒 Where to buy Prime Brisket

I’ve seen several times that Costco offers prime brisket. I featured it in one of my posts on Costco Food Finds.

🐄 If you really want to treat yourself to some quality brisket, I recommend checking out Porter Road. First-class, dry-aged grass-fed meat. They also have the unusual 🐖 Pork Brisket. It’s the pork equivalent and can be low and slow cooked like brisket.

🧂 Salt your own corned beef

If you’re looking to cure your own corned beef, here are a few things to consider

Pickling Spices – If you have a well-stocked pantry, you can probably easily make your own spice mix. But if you don’t and are looking for a good blend, try this picking spice mix from Boston Spice. You must have your corned beef condiments from the east coast, right?

Pink Curing Salt – If you want to give your corned beef that classic pink color, you can use pink curing salt.

Blade Tenderizer – To tenderize and break up your meat faster, especially if you need a quick brining, I recommend using a blade tenderizer. That’s not the hammer your grandma uses. This device has small blades that you push into the meat.

❔FAQs

I have more corned beef questions, I got answers and I won’t say they aren’t corned 🙂

One of my favorite corned beef dishes are these Boxty Cakes with Corned Beef and Mustard Sauce.

☘️ St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

Here are our favorite St. Patrick’s Day recipes on the blog.

Easy access to the hob:

Take the corned beef out of the packaging

and place in a large saucepan with enough water to cover the meat.

Boil water.

For a stronger flavor, cut open the spice packet and add desired amount of the included spice packet to the water.

Reduce and cover to a simmer.

Simmer for about 2 1/2 – 3 hours or until fork tender. The internal temperature should be at least 160°F for food safety reasons; cook at an internal temperature of 190°F for optimal tenderness.

Take the meat out of the pot

and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain and serve.

St. Patrick’s Day allows everyone to celebrate all things Irish. Corned beef has traditionally been associated with the Irish because many Irish immigrants to the United States ate corned beef.

However, if not cooked properly, corned beef can be very tough. Here are several ways to cook corned beef so you don’t wonder, “Why is my corned beef chewy?”

Four ways to tenderize your corned beef

Boil in water over low heat

Corned beef starts out as a brisket, which is a very tough cut of meat. This meat needs to be cooked properly or it will turn out tough every time.

If you’ve tried dry roasting a roast or roast breast, it’s no wonder the meat is tough as shoe leather. You need to change things up and try something different. But dare you — you probably haven’t completely ruined your corned beef.

Take the cut of meat and place it in a large stock pot with chopped onion and a head of cabbage cut into 4 equal pieces.

Cover the meat and cabbage with water and place on the stove over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Let the meat simmer for 2 to 3 hours, and it should be much more tender (also works for cube steak and bottom round).

Use a pressure cooker

Pressure cookers are amazing devices for cooking meat quickly and tenderizing tough cuts of meat. In the past, pressure cookers were a little scary as they could explode if not used properly.

However, modern pressure cookers like the Instant Pot can safely and quickly cook and tenderize your corned beef.

Place an onion in the bottom of the Instant Pot and place your 3-4 pound, rinsed and soaked corned beef brisket on top.

Sprinkle the spice packet over the meat and pour 4 cups of water around the meat. Secure the lid and set the pressure to high to cook the corned beef for 80 minutes.

Release the pressure when the time is up by opening the valve. Remove the beef and onion from the pot and set the meat aside to rest.

Remove 2 cups of the cooking liquid and add 4 large peeled and chopped carrots, quartered cabbage, and 1 pound baby potatoes to your Instant Pot.

Replace the lid and cook the vegetables under high pressure for 5 minutes. Release the pressure by opening the valve. Slice your corned beef against the grain and serve.

let it rest

The instruction to let meat rest before cutting is actually very important and not just a suggestion. When you cook a piece of meat, the moisture it contains moves to the outer part of the meat, which is closer to the surface.

Slicing the meat immediately after cooking allows all of the moisture to escape, leaving the center of the meat dry, hard, and tough.

Resting a piece of meat allows the moisture in the muscle fibers to be redistributed. Because corned beef is such a large cut of meat, it requires a long resting period.

Corned beef should rest for about an hour after cooking. Place the meat in a quality cooler with a lid, wrapped in a double layer of aluminum foil.

Lay some bath towels over the meat while it rests. This will keep the meat hot while you wait for it to rest.

Add more water

If you allow too much water to evaporate while cooking, the corned beef can become tough (or even overly salty).

Add additional water to the pot and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Put on the stove and let it boil. Then turn down the heat.

You don’t want to cook the meat; you just want it to simmer. Cook the meat for about half an hour, testing the meat with a fork. If it’s still chewy, cook it 30 to 40 minutes longer.

Why does corned beef sometimes get tough?

Corned beef is made from the brisket of a cattle steer. The chest is located in the lower chest where the front legs connect to the torso of the body.

This muscle group gets a lot of exercise, so the muscle is tough and strong with connective tissue running through it. Properly cooked, however, the connective tissue breaks down into gelatin, making the meat tender and flavorful.

How do you know when corned beef is ready without a thermometer?

Everyone knows the gold standard for meat is to use a meat thermometer and cook it to at least 160 degrees to be safe, but cooking it to 190 degrees Fahrenheit is even better to soften it.

Corned beef often has a reddish color even after cooking. So if you check your meat and it’s still kind of pink, don’t worry it’s undercooked.

First, remember that you should cook a corned beef for about an hour per pound. The meat should also be soft and tender and shred easily with a fork when fully cooked.

Can I Fix Tough Corned Beef After Cooking?

The answer to this common question is, “It depends on why it’s difficult.” Uncooked corned beef is often tough, and if you’ve undercooked the beef, you can tenderize it by putting it back in the Put in a saucepan, cover with water and simmer longer.

Most of the time, try cooking the meat in water longer to tenderize it (no tenderizer needed).

However, if you have cooked the meat at too high a heat, e.g. B. when cooking or trying to dry fry it at too high a temperature, the pectoral muscle may have seized and it’s too late to save it.

You can try putting it in water and boiling it longer to soften it, but it may not work. To keep your corned beef tender, never cook it above 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Should you cover corned beef while cooking?

Corned beef should always be covered when cooking. A tight-fitting lid not only helps keep the temperature stable, but also locks in moisture in the pot and keeps the meat from drying out.

Since corned beef should be completely submerged in water when cooking, a tight-fitting lid will prevent the cooking liquid from boiling away.

This crockpot corned beef and cabbage recipe is great because it’s easy and requires little effort. Just throw the ingredients in your slow cooker, set it and forget it. St. Patrick’s Day dinner is ready and waiting for you.

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Best Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

The crockpot is the best way to cook corned beef and cabbage. Corned beef brisket can become rubbery if overcooked. The low constant heat of a slow cooker brings you this falling apart, amazingly tender corned beef. It takes some planning and time. If you’re short on time, I’ve got you covered with this pressure cooker corned beef recipe. But if you have time, make your corned beef in the slow cooker.

How to make slow cooker corned beef and cabbage with red potatoes, onions and carrots

Season onions, corned beef, packet ingredients, add carrots, potatoes, beer and water to slow cooker. Cook on low for 9 hours. Add the cabbage and cook on high for 1-1.5 hours.

Can you overcook corned beef in the crockpot?

Yes, you really can overcook anything. But it would take a long time to overcook corned beef in the crockpot. Corned beef can easily be cooked on low for 10-12 hours. Eventually, if you cook it longer, it will start to break down.

Ingredients needed for Slow Cooker Corned Beef Brisket (shopping list screenshot)

Corned beef

sweet onion

carrots

Small red potatoes

Beer

Kale

This is a full meal, all together. But how do you use up the leftover corned beef? You can make these Reuban-Stuffed Baked Taquitos, Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup, Hot Reuban Dip, or good old-fashioned Corned Beef Hash (recipe coming soon).

Tools you will need for this recipe: slow cooker + sharp knife + good cutting board

Continue to Content Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe Yield: 6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 hours Total Time: 10 hours 10 minutes This Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe is great because it’s easy and no-fuss. Just throw the ingredients in your slow cooker, set it and forget it. St. Patrick’s Day dinner is ready and waiting for you. Print Ingredients 3.5 Lb Corned Beef + Seasoning Pack

1 sweet onion (quartered)

1 pound carrots, (cut in half)

2 pounds small red potatoes, (whole)

1 (12oz) beer

2-3 cups of water

Place 1 kale, onions (quartered) instructions, corned beef, packet ingredients, carrots, potatoes, beer in large slow cooker. Add enough water to just cover the corned beef. Cook on low for 9 hours. Add the cabbage and cook on high for 1-1.5 hours. Instructions For the sauce: Mix together equal parts ground mustard and oil. Add a dash of honey and a dash of apple cider vinegar to taste. Nutritional Information Yield 6 Serving Size 1

Amount Per Serving Calories 874 Total Fat 51g Saturated Fat 17g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 26g Cholesterol 259mg Sodium 2655mg Carbohydrate 45g Fiber 6g Sugars 8g Protein 53g Nutritional information on WonkyWonderful is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information for the recipes on this site.

Nothing says St. Patrick’s Day like a delicious feast of corned beef and cabbage. But believe it or not, this classic holiday meal isn’t nearly as popular in Ireland as it is in the United States. St. Patrick’s Day has become more of a tradition here, thanks to waves of Irish immigrants, many of whom left the Emerald Isle during the Great Famine of 1845-1852 and moved to New York. They brought dishes from their homeland that have been adapted and changed over the years.

A popular Irish dish called “bacon and cabbage” consisted of cabbage, potatoes and Irish bacon, a salt pork tenderloin. Pork was the preferred meat because it was cheap in Ireland. But in the United States, pork was very expensive, so it was swapped out for the much cheaper corned beef, which was similarly cured but more aggressively seasoned. The rest is history.

The process of “corning” is a long (at least ten days) process using a salt solution with various spices. But these days, it’s much more convenient for the home cook to buy corned beef that’s already vacuum sealed in its brine.

Break out the slow cooker

Slow cookers are the best way to prepare corned beef.

By far the best way to cook packaged corned beef is in your slow cooker. A decent chest of around five pounds will generally fit in a 6 liter unit. If you prefer the rounds, you can usually get two of these to fit in a large slow cooker. 2-5lb each. A pack of corned beef is enough for 4-6 people after cooking and cutting. But for hash and sandwiches, prepare a little more.

If your corned beef doesn’t come with a seasoning packet, you should purchase or prepare a batch of what’s known as “pickling seasoning.” It contains crushed cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, allspice berries, dill seeds, cloves, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, dried ginger, crushed bay leaves, as well as red pepper flakes to add during slow cooking.

Easy access to the hob:

Take the corned beef out of the packaging

and place in a large saucepan with enough water to cover the meat.

Boil water.

For a stronger flavor, cut open the spice packet and add desired amount of the included spice packet to the water.

Reduce and cover to a simmer.

Simmer for about 2 1/2 – 3 hours or until fork tender. The internal temperature should be at least 160°F for food safety reasons; cook at an internal temperature of 190°F for optimal tenderness.

Take the meat out of the pot

and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain and serve.