I just wanted to report on my experience with corned beef in the crockpot this week. I had one of those vacuum sealed corned beef briskets with a little packet of seasonings in it. I rinsed that sucker off, put it in my slow cooker, fatty side up, and sprinkled the seasonings on top. I didn’t add any liquid. I cooked it on high for about 9 hours. It was tender and flavorful, and made plenty of liquid, which I saved to boil veggies in. I might never again cook a corned beef brisket on the stove, despite having to use another pan for the veggies. I tend to forget that I have the pot on the stove and let the water level get too low, or let the heat get too high, which will lead to a tough brisket.
I sliced up some potatoes and carrots and a bit of a turnip, and boiled them in the liquid from the crockpot for about half an hour. Very good.
The slow cooker I have is oblong, with a removable stoneware pot. I’ve never had much success with cooking veggies with meat in this pot, no matter how thick or thin I slice them, or when I add them.
I dearly love corned beef, and this was about the best I’ve ever made.
We had corned beef last week, also – St. Paddy’s Day, dontchaknow – and my method of cooking it is just the same as Lynn’s. Well, except for the turnip – I use cabbage instead – and I never use the little packet of seasoning; I just salt and pepper the meat and throw in a couple of bay leaves. We always serve it with rye bread. The kind with carraway seed. God, I love corned beef & cabbage.
In the slow cooker, I put the veges on the bottom (whole, don’t cut them up) and balance the meat on top. In fact I chuck in veges whether I really want them or not, it prevents the meat stewing in its own juices. They all get eaten though.
The corned beef I bought at the supermarket last week didn’t come with a packet of seasonings. Instead, it came with … seasoned blood, or something like that.
I would have preferred a bit more seasoning. Can corned beef seasoning be purchased separately?
I believe that corned beef seasoning is basically pickling spices, with a bit of a bay leaf as well. Some people add about half a dozen black peppercorns, as well. I don’t, because I can’t eat black pepper.
peasea, I would still cook it on HIGH in my crockpot. I was checking it frequently, as I was quite willing to have corned beef for lunch AND dinner, and it didn’t get tender until after at least 9 hours. I let it cook for another couple of hours on LOW because I felt that it could be more tender, and I was right. Your crockpot, of course, may vary.
Except the time I put one on the barbecue, that’s how I’ve always done corned beef, and I have it a good four times a year. I cut up the potatoes and put them on the bottom, and add beer for the liquid. When it’s an hour or less from ready, I throw quartered cabbage on top and let it steam.
It’s easy, only gets one dish dirty, and I’m perfectly happy to eat it for lunch and dinner for several days in a row too. I do wish I had a slightly bigger crock pot so I could fit more cabbage in it, but I’ve recently discovered the joys of roast cabbage. Gets one more dish dirty, but it’s got more flavor.
The BBQ corned beef was a little weird. Maybe if I’d smoked it instead of grilled it, it would have been better.
I did one last week, but I filled the pot with water.
In any case, the trick is to cook it slowly. If you’re using water, let it simmer, DON’T BOIL IT. High, fast heat will leave briskets very tough and stringy.
I’ll have to try Lynn’s dry method next time.
Even with a fresh brisket, slow is the answer. Put one on the grill to brown on the outside (or smoke it), but then bring it inside and roast it in the oven at, say, 250F for several hours.
Yep. When I simmer a corned beef on the stove, I’m apt to let the water level get too low, or the heat get too high. A slow cooker takes care of both problems. If I had a pressure cooker, I might use it for my corned beef, as I like it that way, too.
I love to throw an arm or chuck roast in my slow cooker, with about 1/4 cup of red wine and some diced onion on top. Those two cuts are flavorful, but can be tough if not cooked properly. The Bodoni family loves roasts, but in Fort Worth, Texas, it’s a grave mistake to turn on the oven during most of the year, so having a slow cooker allows us to have roasts all year long, AND we can use the cheaper cuts of beef. AND the house smells wonderful while the dish is cooking. My husband frequently has to go out of town on business, and drives himself to and from the out of town location. I can start a roast in the slow cooker in the morning, and it will be ready and waiting for him when he arrives. We will only need to fix some veggies, which take practically no time.
My family used to get the best corned beef from a small meat shop who used their own special brine recipe. Store bought corned beef can’t even come close so I don’t even bother anymore.
One more step. Make a glaze from brown sugar and mustard. Remove CB from crockpot and transfer to oven safe dish. Baste liberally with glaze and run under a 400 oven until the sugar starts to carmelize. Yum!
Try this: Make a rub of 3/4 cup ground coriander, 3/4 cup very coarsely ground black pepper, and 1/4 cup good paprika. Roll the corned beef around in it, and generally pack on as much of a crust of this mixture as you can. Then smoke it over hickory at a low temperature (say 250 F or so) for about 4 to 5 hours. When you’re done you’ll have the finest pastrami you’ve ever tasted. Slice it really thin against the grain, fry it up, and make hot pastrami sandwiches on rye bread with brown mustard. :drool:
I just throw in what I’ve got. Can, bottle, makes no difference. What I’ve got is usually Coor’s Light (shush!). I do keep dark beer around to put in stews or beans, but I think that might be too strong and yeasty for corned beef. I might try it though.
Uvula Donor, I’ll save your suggestion, because I love pastrami, but I lost my smoker in the divorce. It’s going to have to wait until I get a replacement, since my kettle grill just isn’t big enough to do indirect heat.
I bought a gen ue ine Crock Pot. My low bubbles, my high almost boils. It’s not a knockoff, but gosh- I kind of thought that low would have been a very gentle cook.
I’ve done chicken breast and had it turn out overdry, even immersed in fluids. Pork and beef do beautifully. I’m wondering what I need to do, to get chicken to turn out as tender and juicy. ( juicily. ? ) Anyone have a good recipe, etc? I’m talking white meat, not dark meat. Around the Cartooniverse house, I am the ony one who eats dark meat.