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Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage (Easy Set u0026amp; Forget)

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 300
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 3–4 lb corned beef brisket with spice packet
  • 1½ lbs baby potatoes, halved
  • 3 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion, sliced into rings
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • ½ head cabbage, cut into wedges
  • 1½ cups beef broth
  • 1 cup Guinness or dark stout beer
  • 2 tbsp whole grain or Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds (optional)
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Method
 

  1. Arrange the baby potatoes, carrots, and sliced onion rings in a single layer at the bottom of the crockpot. Scatter smashed garlic cloves over the top. This base layer keeps the beef elevated slightly above the liquid, ensuring it braises beautifully rather than sitting in a boil.
  2. Rinse the brisket, pat dry, and rub Dijon or whole grain mustard all over the surface. This creates a subtle tangy crust and helps the spice packet adhere. Sprinkle the included spice packet generously over the entire mustard-coated surface.
  3. Lower the seasoned brisket fat-side up into the crockpot, resting it over the vegetables. Fat-side up is the move here — every time. That fat cap slowly renders and continuously bastes the meat throughout the entire cook time. It's basically a self-basting roast.
  4. Whisk together beef broth, beer, and apple cider vinegar and pour it around the sides of the brisket. Sprinkle caraway seeds and black pepper over the top. The liquid should reach about halfway up the brisket — not covering it completely. You're braising, not boiling.
  5. Put the lid on, set to LOW for 8–9 hours (or HIGH for 4–5 hours), and walk away. Go to work. Run errands. Watch a movie. Do absolutely anything except lift that lid. Every single time you open the lid, you lose heat and add time. The crockpot knows what it's doing — trust it. IMO this is the single most satisfying cooking experience a person can have. :)
  6. One hour before the cook time ends, open the lid and tuck cabbage wedges around and on top of the brisket. Push them down into the broth. Replace the lid and continue cooking. The cabbage only needs that final hour — adding it too early turns it into a textureless, soggy mess. Timing matters here.
  7. Rest the beef on a cutting board for 5 minutes, then slice against the grain. Identify the direction the long muscle fibers run and cut straight across them — not parallel. This single technique is the key to slices that pull apart tenderly rather than chew like rubber. Plate with the vegetables and ladle cooking broth over everything.