# Corned beef - Best way to prepare? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2018, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612 "2018-05-22T11:24:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/1 "2018-05-22T11:24:14Z")
Bake in oven? Boil? Slow cooker? Instant Pot? Tell me the what and the why. Also, which spices to add? (This slab didn’t come with the usual bag ‘O spices). Thanks, Mmm Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/2 "2018-05-22T11:43:07Z")
My usual pattern is to use a slow cooker. Cook the corned beef until it’s nearly tender to your liking. You should remove it from the cooker while still a little but tough. Run the resulting broth through a fat separator cup and return it to the cooker. Save a bit of the fat for the cabbage later. It’s also very nice for fried potatoes or breakfast hash. Add potatoes, carrots, onion, celery and other veggies to the broth and cook on high for 60-90 min. Do not add cabbage. While the veggies are cooking, chill the corned beef in the fridge until it’s cool enough to work. Cut into bite sized pieces and trim fat as you go. When the veggies are nearly cooked to your liking, add the cut beef back to the cooker to warm it back up. Cut cabbage into large pieces (2-3 inch) and place in a separate large pot. Add a bit of the saved brisket fat and about half an inch of the broth from the cooker. Boil/steam the cabbage, turning frequently. Don’t over cook it, I like mine almost crunchy. Serve with Guinness and start talking like a background actor from _Darby O’Gill and the Little People_. Repeat until someone takes a swing at you with a shillelagh. As for spices, I can’t comment but Alton Brown has a decent recipe for home made corned beef. That would be where I would start. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/3 "2018-05-22T12:12:32Z")
I prefer it braised. (Slow cooker is essentially the same idea.) With boiling, I feel you lose all the flavor to the surrounding broth (which can be good, if you save the broth and use it for something later, like bean soup, for instance.) But the beef is far more flavorful when braised. No spice packet is necessary. The corned beef is already spiced enough. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/4 "2018-05-22T21:45:35Z")
Horseradish and mustard. Cumin’s not bad, either, but you’ve got to have the horseradish and mustard. (thanks, I was trying to decide what to have for dinner tonight) ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/5 "2018-05-22T21:48:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I prefer it braised. (Slow cooker is essentially the same idea.) With boiling, I feel you lose all the flavor to the surrounding broth (which can be good, if you save the broth and use it for something later, like bean soup, for instance.) But the beef is far more flavorful when braised. No spice packet is necessary. The corned beef is already spiced enough. Yup. This, exactly. This is also a very non-fussy way to cook it too. Easy. Just takes a little while. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/6 "2018-05-22T21:54:01Z")
Make it into pastrami in a smoker at 225 degrees for two hours per pound. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/7 "2018-05-22T21:56:38Z")
If you’re looking for something non-traditional. [Coconut Milk Corned Beef](https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2011/01/coconut-milk-corned-beef-and-cabbage.html) [Kimchi Corned Beef](https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2018/03/kimchi-corned-beef-adding-some-seoul-to.html) ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/8 "2018-05-22T21:57:01Z")
I do a 48 hour sous vide at 135 deg F with beef stock, Guinness stout, pickling spice. and half an onion in the bag. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/9 "2018-05-22T22:55:00Z")
As was the fashion at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/10 "2018-05-24T22:07:18Z")
OP checking in. I made the corned beef (well, half of it) using my Instant Pot. I was a little hesitant, which is part of the reason I only made half, but it is wonderful. It probably helps that I started with a high quality hunk of meat purchased from the local corned beef king. Only took 90 minutes to cook it, too. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/11 "2018-05-24T22:38:39Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If you’re looking for something non-traditional. > > [Coconut Milk Corned Beef](https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2011/01/coconut-milk-corned-beef-and-cabbage.html) > [Kimchi Corned Beef](https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2018/03/kimchi-corned-beef-adding-some-seoul-to.html) Years ago, when I first came to Panama, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the US research station where I was working they decided to serve corned beef. But the Panamanian cook had no idea what to do with it, so he cooked in in barbecue sauce. I would not recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/12 "2018-05-24T23:04:28Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > OP checking in. > > I made the corned beef (well, half of it) using my Instant Pot. I was a little hesitant, which is part of the reason I only made half, but it is wonderful. It probably helps that I started with a high quality hunk of meat purchased from the local corned beef king. > > Only took 90 minutes to cook it, too. > mmm Your initials/sig at the bottom of your post are particularly apropos this time. 🙂 “Start with a good piece of meat, and keep it simple” is almost always the right answer for meat recipes. (Except that the “keep it simple” presumes that you already have in mind a method that’s appropriate to the type of meat.) ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/13 "2018-05-25T00:57:12Z")
The best way to prepare corned beef is first, do NOT buy the crappy pre-packaged corned beef in the grocery store. Get a raw brisket and corn it yourself. You have to get some curing salt (aka Prussian powder) and the corning process takes 6 days, but other than that it’s very simple. And I guarantee that after that, you’ll never go back to the prepackaged fake corned beef. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/14 "2018-05-25T01:09:49Z")
I use a pressure cooker and often just throw the spice packet away in favor of some whole black peppercorns. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/15 "2018-05-25T01:13:33Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > The best way to prepare corned beef is first, do NOT buy the crappy pre-packaged corned beef in the grocery store. Get a raw brisket and corn it yourself. You have to get some curing salt (aka Prussian powder) and the corning process takes 6 days, but other than that it’s very simple. And I guarantee that after that, you’ll never go back to the prepackaged fake corned beef. Buying it from someone who does it properly all the time is even better than doing it yourself, at least for beginners. With experience, I guess it would even out. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/16 "2018-05-25T02:02:42Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > Buying it from someone who does it properly all the time is even better than doing it yourself, at least for beginners. With experience, I guess it would even out. I agree. I’ve done it myself, and it’s fine and it is easy, but, hey, I got an Irish butcher/deli about a mile from my house that makes the best corned beef I’ve ever had, so why would I bother other than for the fun of it. And it sounds like the OP has a good purveyor as well, given he said “I started with a high quality hunk of meat purchased from the local corned beef king.” I agree that the cheap-o shit they sell at the supermarket isn’t all that great. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/17 "2018-05-25T02:18:57Z")
Colmans mustard and dont overcook the cabbage. Braised but turn pieces do they don’t get dry. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/18 "2018-05-25T03:45:25Z")
TLDR However, the sportsbar the other night was totally wrong, and how dropmom cooked it to dropdad’s taste, as a tasteless Mickish blah, may be accurate. ☹ I might be wrong. Ignoring how I don’t actually know how to cook, corned beef starts too salty, so simmering for a while helps. Toss in cabbage, tates, and carrots. Slice the tates thin enough (.5 inches) so they absorb the flavor. Drain and add butter. Never mind the meat; it’s edible only sliced thin, on sauerkraut and rye bread and Swiss cheese, and fried. Horseradish is your friend. ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/19 "2019-03-18T17:30:12Z")
I used my instant pot knockoff and made the very best corned beef we have ever had. So tender. I will be making another very soon. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612/20 "2019-03-18T17:35:57Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Make it into pastrami in a smoker at 225 degrees for two hours per pound. I tried that on my Traeger since I’m not that fond of corned beep but lo-o-o-ve deli pastrami. It came out too salty. I’ll try it again but simmer the beef a bot to get some of the salt out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corned-beef-best-way-to-prepare/814612.md?page=2)