Description
Slow cooker corned beef and cabbage showcases hearty Irish-American comfort cuisine with tender meat and rich flavors. Succulent beef and garden-fresh vegetables simmer together, promising a satisfying meal you’ll savor with each delicious bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 corned beef brisket (3 to 4 lbs/1.4 to 1.8 kg) with seasoning packet
- 1 lb (454 g) small red-skinned potatoes
- 2 large carrots
- 1 yellow onion
- ½ head savoy cabbage
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ cup grainy mustard
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) honey
Instructions
- Foundation Preparation: Layer sliced carrots, quartered yellow onions, and fresh thyme sprigs across the bottom of a 6 to 8-quart slow cooker, creating a flavorful aromatic base.
- Meat Placement and Initial Seasoning: Position corned beef brisket fat-side up on the vegetable layer, pour water to cover the bottom, and generously sprinkle the seasoning packet across the meat’s surface to enhance its inherent flavors.
- Primary Cooking Phase: Cover and set slow cooker to high, allowing the brisket to simmer and tenderize for 5 hours, developing deep, rich flavors throughout the meat.
- Accompanying Sauce Preparation: Whisk grainy mustard and honey in a small bowl until achieving a smooth, glossy consistency that will complement the robust meat.
- Vegetable Integration: After initial cooking time, gently nestle whole potatoes around the brisket and arrange cabbage wedges on top, partially submerging them in the cooking liquid to ensure even flavor absorption.
- Final Cooking and Doneness Assessment: Continue cooking on high for 2 additional hours, monitoring until beef becomes fork-tender and vegetables reach optimal softness.
- Serving Presentation: Transfer brisket to a cutting board, slice against the grain into substantial portions, arrange on a platter with potatoes and cabbage, then elegantly drizzle the prepared honey mustard sauce over the entire dish for a final, sophisticated touch.
Notes
- Optimize Meat Placement: Position the corned beef fat-side up to ensure self-basting and maximum flavor infusion during slow cooking.
- Liquid Level Matters: Use exactly 1 quart of water to create the perfect braising environment without drowning the ingredients.
- Cutting Technique Counts: Always slice the cooked brisket against the grain to guarantee tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat texture.
- Sauce Enhancement: Prepare the honey mustard sauce ahead of time to allow flavors to meld and develop a rich, complex taste profile.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Irish-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 1800 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg