Slow Cooker Corned Beef
With just 6 ingredients and your crock pot, you’ll get the most tender and flavor slices of beef brisket with this recipe for Slow Cooker Corned Beef!
A Tender Crock Pot Corned Beef Recipe
When you hear Slow Cooker Corned Beef, some people may think it’s just for St. Patrick’s Day meals. However, I’ve been quick to learn that there’s a whole other group of people who enjoy Corned Beef any time of year (because it’s so good!) So much flavor and so versatile! Any leftovers can be tossed on some rye bread with a schmear of mustard for delicious corned beef sandwiches!
The best corned beef I have ever made! I don’t like to cook cabbage with corned beef because I think it makes it come out greasy so this was perfect. So good!
– Chastity
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes, you bet you can. Just replace it with more beef broth or if you’re light on the broth, just use water. If it’s the alcohol that you’re concerned about, grab a non-alcoholic beer so you still get the flavor profile that you’d be aiming for.
Cabbage would be great and you know it pairs well already. If you want to try adding some of that, I’d suggest using about ½ of a head in place of the celery.
Nope. This is one of those Slow Cooker meals that needs to cook on low and slow only. Trying to cook this on high will not give you that tender beef that you know and love. You have to put in the time and let it cook.
If you check out some of the pictures I’ve included throughout this post, you’ll see I served it on my favorite rye bread to make some irresistible Corned Beef Sandwiches with a side of Irish Slaw. Trust me, these two were made for each other! But this would also be good with some Mashed Potatoes, Ranch Smashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, steamed vegetables, or other side dishes you enjoy with a hearty and comforting meal.
If you leave the lid on and resist the urge to check on the meat or move it around while it’s supposed to be cooking, you should end up with a super tender roast. If you open the lid to peek on it or move the beef around the roast will turn out less tender. This is one of those recipes that once you set it up, just forget about it. If you did that and it’s still not tender, I’d check on the Slow Cooker and make sure it isn’t broken and is heating evenly.
Additionally, I like to keep the liquid from cooking that is in the Slow Cooker and sometimes I will drizzle some of the liquid over the beef if it seems like it’s drying out some. The liquid helps keep the beef moist.
Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days or keep them longer by popping any leftovers in a safe container for the freezer and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before reheating.
I know sometimes I can worry if something will dry out when I am reheating it, but that’s why I like to keep the extra liquid from cooking the beef on hand. When reheating, sometimes I will add some of that leftover liquid to help keep it moist and flavorful as it reheats. I also prefer to use the oven over the microwave for even reheating and I can cover leftovers with foil to keep them from browning if needed and I can’t do that in the microwave.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For the Full Recipe)
- large onion – when prepping it, dice it into large pieces.
- carrots – peeled and cut in to large chunks
- celery stalks – when prepping, cut in large chunks
- corned beef brisket – keep the seasoning packet because we use it.
- unsalted beef stock – because corned beef is cured with salt, I don’t want to add even more salt to it so I think unsalted is the way to go here.
- lager beer– I used Yuengling, but any brand of traditional lager that you enjoy the taste of will work for this recipe. If you don’t want to use beer, just substitute with water.
How To Make Slow Cooker Corned Beef:
Place the onion, carrots, and celery into the bottom of an 8-quart slow cooker. Place the corned beef on top and sprinkle the seasoning mix over everything.
Pour in the beef stock, followed by the beer.
Place on low for 8-9 hours; I suggest using the low setting. Remove the corned beef from the cooker and leave the liquid in the pot (note, you can discard the vegetables or enjoy them with the corned beef).
Slice and serve with some of the liquid drizzled on top to keep it moist.
Craving More Recipes?
- Instant Pot Corned Beef
- Corned Beef Hash
- Reuben Dip
- Reuben Egg Rolls
- Reuben Casserole
- Reuben Sliders
- St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
- Irish Apple Cake
- Irish Soda Bread
- Irish Brown Bread
Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, large dice
- 6 carrots, peeled, cut in large chunks
- 4 celery stalks, cut in large chunks
- 3-4 pounds corned beef brisket with seasoning packet, drained
- 4 cups unsalted beef stock
- 12 ounces lager beer (can use water, more beef stock or even a dark soda like Coke)
Instructions
- Place 1 large onion, large dice, 6 carrots, peeled, cut in large chunks and 4 celery stalks, cut in large chunks into the bottom of an 8-quart slow cooker.
- Place 3-4 pounds corned beef brisket with seasoning packet, drained on top and sprinkle the seasoning mix over everything.
- Pour in 4 cups unsalted beef stock, followed by 12 ounces lager beer.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours (note: cooking on low instead of high for a shorter period of time will give you the most tender meat).NOTE: DO NOT REMOVE THE LID WHILE IT IS COOKING. I know it is tempting to keep checking on it but that is how you end up with tough meat. Just set it and forget it (that is what the slow cooker is for.)
- Remove the corned beef from the cooker and leave the liquid in the pot (note: you can discard the vegetables or enjoy them with the corned beef).
- Slice and serve with some of the liquid drizzled on top to keep it moist.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- You can substitute the celery with cabbage if you prefer.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
The corned beef recipe was the first one I have tried from this website and it was the best corned beef we’ve ever had! Super easy and just delicious; 4# beef and 8-9 hours in crockpot on low with the exact amount of liquid (both water and beer). Very tender and moist. Thank you! Can’t wait to try others from this site.
Best corned beef I have ever made! So good and so flavorful. My husband couldn’t stop raving. Like you said, the key is to just not mess with it. Set it and forget it. I think a lot of people tend to fuss with these things while they’re cooking and a slow cooker is meant to cook slow and for you to not keep removing the lid to look and mess with it. It’s meant to be turned on while we go to work. That is how you end up with tough meat for sure when you keep removing the lid to look. I learned that lesson a long time ago with pot roast lol.
There aren’t veggies in my recipe
Thanks
The recipe says you can serve the carrots, celery and onion with the corned beef (or discard them), and the video shows the veggies served with the corned beef. That may be where the confusion is coming from.
This was the best corned beef I’ve made. It was pull apart tender and amazingly juicy!
Yay!! I love hearing that Kristin – thank you! I really appreciate you taking the tome to come back and comment. It means a lot!
My husband says it’s the best corned beef he’s ever had. I used a store brand corned beef (flat cut) around 4.5 lbs. Cooked it overnight on low for 9 hours and it was perfect!
Yay!! Thanks so very much for taking the time to come back and comment!
The best corned beef I have ever made! I don’t like to cook cabbage with corned beef because I think it makes it come out greasy so this was perfect. So good!
Thanks so very much Chastity. I am the same way about cabbage with corned beef. I know a lot of people love it but I just prefer to cook it separately.
I want to add potatoes. How long should cook??
I would guess the same amount of time
Honestly, the best corned beef I have ever made. Don’t tell my Irish grandmother lol. I used leftovers and made corn beef hash, which was another winner. Thank you!
wanted to make corned beef hash after also, cooked potatoes and celery and onion under it. just wasn’t sure of the timing. started at 5pm on low. wanted done. by 530-6am. can I leave it in the crockpot for the extra 2.5 hours? will it dry out or be overcooked?
Can’t wait to try this! Will this recipe work for making Reuben sandwiches? Homemade is ALWAYS so much better than processed meats!
Best corned beef I have ever made! Absolutely tender and so flavorful. Thanks so much! This will now be my go-to recipe. My wife couldn’t stop raving about it.
S/B hash- sorry
With the spices used in this recipe can the leftover meat be used in corn beef has?
It sure can!
This is a great recipe. It turned out great.
I am planning on making corned beef hash tomorrow!!