Corned Beef in the Slow Cooker
Image via WikipediaA couple of you asked me on Monday about how I cook Corned Beef in the Slow Cooker. I don’t really use a recipe per se so I’ll blog what I do throughout the day.
My corned beef usually comes in plastic that you can heat it in. I pierce the bag a half a dozen times and squeeze some of the excess blood out of the packaging (through the holes made by my knife). I’ve also cooked unwrapped corned beef this way so that’s fine too if yours doesn’t come in it’s own heatable bag.
Some people cook their corned beef in the slow cooker without using water to cover it. I’ve tried it this way and didn’t really prefer it. So I cover mine with cold water and turn the slow cooker on.
I tend to use any combination of the following to help flavour the corned beef:
- couple of sprigs of parsley
- bay leaves (1-2 dried leaves, I’ve not tried fresh but there is no reason why fresh wouldn’t work just as well)
- splosh of vinegar (I usually use apple cider vinegar)
- pinch brown sugar
- carrot
- celery (stalk or leaves)
- something from the onion family (today I used a shallot stalk broken up and shoved in because that’s what is growing in the garden right now)
I tend to go with what I have on hand. Particularly anything that I can use from the garden (because that’s essentially free). Today I didn’t use a carrot for flavouring because in my mind they’re too expensive to be used simply for flavouring. Some people actually cook their carrots in with the corned beef and eat them with the meal. I don’t like carrots cooked this way so I don’t do it.
Cooking time varies depending on your slow cooker. I put mine on at around midday. It takes around an hour to get the water up to temperature so it had around 5 hours of cooking time which was about right. However, that’s in my old crockpot which is slower.
One of the things I LOVE about cooking in the slow cooker is that it’s very forgiving when it comes to over-cooking things. I tend to err on the side of cooking LONGER rather than cooking for less time.
If you’re heading out for the day and want to put your meat on in the morning, I suggest you put it into the slow cooker frozen (especially if you have a newer slow cooker which cooks at a higher temperature). I know it’s not “recommended” to cook meat from frozen but I think plenty of slow cooker users use this method to get around the faster cooking times. I’ll leave that up to you whether it’s a risk you feel comfortable taking or not.
Cooking corned beef was something I used to do once in a blue moon in my “pre slow cooker” days. Keeping the water at the right temperature was always a headache on the stove. I’d either have cooked it too fast (and it would be tough) or too slow (and it wouldn’t be cooked on time).
Now we have it more frequently. It’s one of Farmboy’s favourite meals and the kids tend to gobble it up very quickly. With the slow cooker you chuck it all in and forget about it until tea time (just don’t forget to actually turn the slow cooker ON 
).
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Hi there corned beef girl - you’ve just reminded me how much we all enjoy corned beef….but for some reason I haven’t bought it in ages. I make a white sauce with onion for the accompaniment and it rocks big time. Fantastic for foccacia/toasties the next day too. p.s. all your exercising is inspiring me to climb back into it. Lisa x
thanks heaps! I will test it out sometime in the near future!
Lynette
Corned beef is Fishermans favourite meal of all time. I’ve never tried to cook it in a slow cooker though so I might give it a go. I have a brand new one that my mum bought me last week (just because she remembered me saying I wanted one). I will buy one tomorrow and it will be on the menu next week.
Never thought of cooking it in the bag. We have it at least once a month cause it is soooooo yummy in the slow cooker. My kids love it. We have it with cabbage, potatoes and mustard sauce.
Mmmmmmmmmmm
I love my slowcooker. It’s very old and a bit smaller than I’d like with 5 of us to feed now. I’m waiting for it to die so I can get a bigger one. Love corned beef too. Mmmm
Lisa - my family like it with white sauce too. Some days it gets made and some days I’m just slack.
Yeah, we like the leftovers in sandwiches (fresh or toasted) too. Glad to hear you’re feeling motivated re exercise. That’s at least half the battle in my opinion. 
Lynette - I hope it goes well for you.
Kelley - it does make it more salty if it’s left in the bag. I haven’t decided which way I prefer it yet.
Journeyer - I have 2. An old one that was Farmboy’s Great Aunt’s and a newer oval one which fits more in it (but is also hotter). I cooked this corned beef in the smaller one because I have soup in the larger one. Through winter I often have both on the go.
I use my dream pot (http://www.dreampot.com.au/) to make corned beef and it works… like a dream. Plus uses no electricity apart from that first 15minutes which for us is on the gas stove (thus even cheaper!)
Dream Pot is also great if you go travelling in your caravan because the meal can cook in the pot during the day. I first discovered them when I was working at the Caravan Show in Melbourne and was instantly converted.
Also great for use while pregnant because no yukky cooking smells making my morning (all day) sickness worse.
Marita - I bought one of those in February to use in our caravan (when it arrives). I’m supposed to be learning how to use it but haven’t got that far yet. Soon, I hope.
mmmm I am going to launch out and try your recipe tomorrow Jodi!
Mmm as for the dream pot, my mum used hers a lot when travelling by caravan and still does at home adn we have had some yummy meals out of it. YOu can find more recipes on the web too…. desserts are yummo…….
I also saw a man with a tiny webber style - sort of ? cooker that he cooked roasts in with just a few heat beads and I could smelll it across the other side the caravan park! He had a roast for 6 in there and I couldnt believe it. Thats his job when they travelled! My kind of idea!
MAybe you can train the kids Lightening to practice a fav meal in hte dream pot so you can all share the cooking while away! Go for it!
Well the corned beef was a HIT despite the boys wondering what on earth was in the slow cooker. It didnt look like food in its own way!
I was suprised tho that it didnt smell much during cooking! Not like a roast!
I had it in for a good 5.5 hours( 1.5 kg piece) - on high for 2 hours then on low for the last few. (I recall mum cooling hers in the water when she wanted it for cold meat! )
I decided to bake small portions of potato, carrot and pumpkin unpeeled in the oven as I was baking for a shared lunch on SUnday at the same time.
Also had cauli, and broccoli and home grown silverbeet . Served with Cheese sauce on the meat and all thought it was delicious and the lads wanted 3rd serves. It certainly wasnt as salty as I remember but it maybe more so when cold tomorrow.
So a big THANKS Lightening for your wonderful recipe and hints.
Lightening I was thinking about the carrots for flavouring and wondered if you ever do my frugal trick with carrots - I peel them in advance to serve with the corned beef for dinner and then put the carrot peel and tops/tails into the pot with the corned beef.
You know, I have never made corned beef. I keep looking at it at the market wanting to take it home but realising I have no idea what to do with it. I don’t have a slow cooker though, so your recipe is out.
But my Mum just arrived for a visit and teaching daughters how to cook stuff is what Mum’s do, right? So I asked her. Her recipe? Boil it in water and golden syrup. I let you know how that pans out.