Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today is always such a fun day. Everywhere we look, people wear green; there are parades, parties, and lots of good food! And the best part is you don't have to be Irish to join in the fun!
If you're anything like me, you're getting your Irish on with a delicious dinner starring perfectly cooked Corned Beef and Cabbage! My family loves this meal, especially when there's a side of Irish Soda Bread and lots of soft butter to slather right on top!
This year I decided to make this festive meal in my slow cooker. It's easy-peasy to prepare. All you have to do is add some carrots, onions, celery, and potatoes to a slow cooker, top the veggies with corned beef, and sprinkle on top the spice packet that comes with the corned beef. I like to pour some Guinness into the mix for some extra flavor. And then I add water and start cooking. Once the corned beef is nearly done, I add the cabbage because no one wants mushy-watery cabbage. This way, the cabbage comes out perfectly tender and delicious.
This is the easiest and most foolproof way to prepare this meal. The slow cooker help to make the corned beef deliciously tender. And leftovers the next day make excellent sandwiches!
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Corned Beef:
1 corned beef, about 4 pounds, plus the flavor packet
(rinse the corned beef)
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces
3 stalks of celery, cut into thirds
1 medium onion, quartered
1 pound small potatoes
1 bottle of Guinness
water
1 small-medium sized head of cabbage, cut into 1 1/2 pieces
grainy mustard for serving
Time-Saving Tip: Have all ingredients prepped and at room temperature before adding them to the slow cooker.
Let's see what we need.
Now let's get cooking!
Add the carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes to a large slow cooker. Top with the corned beef, fat side-up, and sprinkle the spices on the meat. Add the Guinness and about 9 cups of water. The meat should be almost covered with liquid. Cook for 4 1/2 hours on high.
Carefully add the cabbage. Cover and cook for another 1 1/2 -2 hours on low until cabbage is tender.
After 1 1/2 hours, remove the corned beef and rest for 20-25 minutes before cutting. While the meat rests, continue cooking the vegetables.
When cutting the corned beef, be sure to slice it across the grain or else it will be chewy and stringy.
It's ready! Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage is delicious! I love it with lots of grainy mustard. And honestly, the veggies are so good too! Sometimes I wonder why I only make this meal once a year. It is worth making just for the leftover sandwiches the next day!
Enjoy!
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Corned Beef:
1 corned beef, about 4 pounds, plus the flavor packet
(rinse the corned beef)
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces
3 stalks of celery, cut into thirds
1 medium onion, quartered
1 pound small potatoes
1 bottle of Guinness
water
1 small-medium sized head of cabbage, cut into 1 1/2 pieces
grainy mustard for serving
Add the carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes to a large slow cooker. Top with the corned beef, fat side-up, and sprinkle the spices on the meat. Add the Guinness and about 9 cups of water. The meat should be almost covered with liquid. Cook for 4 1/2 hours on high.
Carefully add the cabbage. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 -2 hours on low until the cabbage is tender.
After 1 1/2 hours, remove the corned beef and rest for 20-25 minutes before cutting. While the meat rests, continue cooking the vegetables.
When cutting the corned beef, be sure to slice it across the grain or else it will be chewy and stringy.
Time-Saving Tip: Have all ingredients prepped and at room temperature before adding them to the slow cooker.