Secrets to the Perfect St. Paddy's Day Corned Beef and Cabbage (2024)

Before you get started, it's helpful to know a little bit about the cut of beef you're about to cook. Corned beef is made from brisket, a cut of beef from the heavily exercised front limbs of the animal that is consequently tough and chewy. However, when corned beef has been soaked in a seasoned brine of water, curing salt, and spices, and also cooked low and slow with moist heat, the connective tissue in this muscle-bound cut melts down, making a tough cut of meat juicy and succulent.

Now, here are four foolproof ways to cook corned beef: In your Instant Pot or pressure cooker, boiled, oven-braised, and in your slow cooker.

How to Cook Corned Beef in an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker

Fork-tender brisket in a fraction of the time. That's the beauty of using your electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot multi-cooker to make corned beef.

1. Place corned beef on the trivet of your pressure cooker. Add any additional seasonings. Pour just enough water to cover.

2. Cook the corned beef on high pressure for about 90 minutes. Release the pressure.

3. If you want to make it corned beef and cabbage, add carrots and cabbage to the liquid surrounding the meat, and cook again on high pressure for about 10 to 15 more minutes.

   Popular Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker Corned Beef Recipes:

   • Instant Pot Corned Beef
   • Instant Pot Guinness Corned Beef
   • Pressure Cooker Corned Beef Brisket

   How to Make Boiled Corned Beef

   

4. Place the brined corned beef in a large pot or Dutch oven along with the liquid and spices that accompanied it in the package.

5. Pour in enough water to cover the beef, then bring the water to a boil on the stovetop.

6. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover the pot.

7. A 3-pound corned beef could take three hours or more to become perfectly tender. Check the meat occasionally, adding more water if necessary. The beef is ready when it pulls apart easily.

Tip: For a one-pot feast, you can add shredded cabbage and chunks of potatoes and carrots to the pot during the last half hour of cooking.

Popular Boiled Corned Beef Recipes:

• Corned Beef and Cabbage
• Chef John's Corned Beef and Cabbage
• Irish Boiled Dinner (Corned Beef)

How to Make Oven-Braised Corned Beef

1. Use a large roasting pan or Dutch oven, with or without a rack, depending on the recipe you use. It could take about one hour or more per pound to cook, depending on the thickness of the roast.

2. Since corned beef needs to cook with moist heat, you'll cover the pan or wrap the roast with aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out.

3. Check the liquid as it cooks, replenishing it if needed. You can add vegetables during the last hour of cooking.

   Popular Oven-Braised Corned Beef Recipes:

   • Braised Corned Beef Brisket
   • Guinness Corned Beef
   • Spicy and Tender Corned Beef

   How to Make Corned Beef in a Slow Cooker

   

4. Popping everything into the slow cooker is the easiest, most convenient way to cook corned beef.

5. If you're cooking carrots and potatoes with the meat, consider adding them about halfway through. A 4-pound roast will take four to five hours on high, or eight to nine hours on low.

6. Cabbage doesn't take much time to cook, and can be added in the last hour.

   Popular Slow-Cooked Corned Beef Recipes:

   • Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
   • Stout Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Veggies
   • Apple and Brown Sugar Corned Beef

   At What Temperature Is Corned Beef Done?

   When using raw brisket, cook it to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees F measured with a food thermometer.

   How to Make Your Own Corned Beef Brine

   If you'd like to prepare your own corned beef from a fresh brisket, allow about a week for the brisket to soak in the brine.

   Recipes to Brine and Cook Corned Beef:

   • From-Scratch Corned Beef and Cabbage
   • Kosher-Style Corned Beef