Forget complicated recipes and wasted hours spent in the kitchen. With just five simple ingredients and the help of your trusty crockpot or slow cooker, you can transform a tough corned beef brisket into a melt-in-your-mouth masterpiece. This slow-cooked corned beef is simmered to perfection with Guinness Draught Stout, whole black peppercorns, sliced sweet yellow onion, and just enough water to cover the brisket, along with the traditional spice packet that comes with it. The result? A tender, juicy corned beef brisket, ready to be sliced and enjoyed with your favorite sides for a truly unforgettable meal.
This is a wee story about how my darling B.O.B. Bob once again came home from Costco with the largest corned beef brisket imaginable. Well, to be fair, I guess if you consider how many times this has happened over the years, it’s not so much a wee story as it is a habit, a given, or an event that’s bound to happen annually. No matter how many times I repeatedly state “the rules” for purchasing a corned beef brisket, the same thing inevitably happens each year. B.O.B. Bob comes home with a brisket big enough to feed a small pride of ravenous corned beef-loving lions that also has zero chance of fitting into any crockpot available on the market. Forget the fact that I continually use words or phrases like small, smallish, not-too-big, or sensible to describe the size of the brisket I would like him to purchase. In B.O.B. Bob’s wee head, all he hears is, “Mmmmm, corned beef brisket, the bigger, the better, more for me. Must buy the largest.”
So, as in years past, I’m once again stuck maliciously hacking up an over-sized corned beef brisket, attempting to shove it into a way-too-small crockpot while simultaneously cursing B.O.B. Bob under my breath. P.S. Just so you know, there’s even more cursing days later when I’m stuck shoving that crockpot-simmered sliced corned beef brisket into freezer-safe bags to seal for later use because two people can only eat so much corned beef before there’s a desperate need to tap out and eat something else for a change. The point of this wee story, habit, given, or event that’s bound to happen annually? Never trust B.O.B. Bob to buy a corned beef brisket, unless, of course, you should just so happen to have a small pride of ravenous corned beef-loving lions hanging around your house waiting to be fed.
Ingredients:
- Flat Cut Corned Beef Brisket with Spice Packet
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Black Peppercorns
- 1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Peeled & Sliced
- 2 (14.9-oz.) Cans Guinness Draught Stout
- Cold Water
Directions
- Place the corned beef inside of the crockpot, fat side facing up.
- Sprinkle the spice packet and black pepper peppercorns over the corned beef.
- Arrange the sliced onions over the seasoned corned beef brisket.
- Slowly pour the stout into the crockpot.
- Add enough water to cover the corned beef.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours, or until the corned beef is tender, making sure that the corned beef is always covered with liquid.
- When the corned beef is tender, remove it from the crockpot, wrap it in foil, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
- After the corned beef has rested, remove any peppercorns or sliced onions that are still attached to it, and use a knife to scrape off the fat cap. Discard the peppercorns, sliced onions, and fat cap. Slice the corned beef against the grain into thin slices. Arrange the sliced corned beef on a large platter and spoon a little bit of the crockpot liquid over the corned beef to keep it moist.
Suggestions:
- There are two different cuts of corned beef: the point cut and the flat cut. The point cut is marbled with fat and has connective tissue running through its length. The flat cut is leaner and has a thin layer of fat called a fat cap that will help to keep it moist. In my opinion, using the flat cut is always the way to go when making corned beef.
- Try to purchase a corned beef brisket that will easily fit inside your crockpot. If the brisket is too large, slice off any excess corned beef. You can save the excess corned beef for later use, or you can simply place it on top of the larger piece of brisket, fat side up. The smaller piece of brisket will help keep the larger piece of brisket submerged in the cooking liquid.
- A 3 to 4-pound corned beef brisket will take 8 to 10 hours to cook on low heat in a crockpot. You can cook corned beef on high heat in a crockpot, however, I don’t suggest it. Low and slow ensures that the corned beef will be tender.
- Make sure to pick off and discard any sliced onions or peppercorns that are still attached to the corned beef. The sliced onions and peppercorns add flavor to the liquid the corned beef is cooked in. They are not meant to be eaten. Any seasoning left from the spice packet is fine to leave on the brisket.
- If you don’t plan on eating all of the corned beef the day you make it, leave the fat cap on the part you plan on refrigerating for later consumption. This will help the meat stay moist. Make sure to spoon a little bit of the crockpot liquid over the corned beef as well when you refrigerate it.
Improvements:
- Serve this corned beef with Colman’s Original English Mustard or Inglehoffer Cream Style Horseradish.
- Use this corned beef to make these Corned Beef “Hash”ed Potatoes.
- Serve this corned beef with these Boiled Crusted Potatoes or this Sexy Irish Butter Oven-Roasted Cabbage.
Ingredients:
- Flat Cut Corned Beef Brisket with Spice Packet
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Black Peppercorns
- 1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Peeled & Sliced
- 2 (14.9-oz.) Cans Guinness Draught Stout
- Cold Water
Directions:
- Place the corned beef inside of the crockpot, fat side facing up.
- Sprinkle the spice packet and black pepper peppercorns over the corned beef.
- Arrange the sliced onions over the seasoned corned beef brisket.
- Slowly pour the stout into the crockpot.
- Add enough water to cover the corned beef.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours, or until the corned beef is tender, making sure that the corned beef is always covered with liquid.
- When the corned beef is tender, remove it from the crockpot, wrap it in foil, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
- After the corned beef has rested, remove any peppercorns or sliced onions that are still attached to it, and use a knife to scrape off the fat cap. Discard the peppercorns, sliced onions, and fat cap. Slice the corned beef against the grain into thin slices. Arrange the sliced corned beef on a large platter and spoon a little bit of the crockpot liquid over the corned beef to keep it moist.
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