Tender and juicy Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage is a delicious and comforting dish that’s made with minimal effort. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any time you’re craving a hearty and satisfying meal.
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Jump to:
- ❤️ Why You’ll Love this Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
- 🛒 What’s in Corned Beef and Cabbage
- 🔪 How to Make Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Slow Cooker
- Is Corned Beef Keto?
- Delicious Ways to Serve Corned Beef
- Why is Corned Beef Served with Cabbage?
- Can You Slow Cook Corned Beef too Long?
- How Do I Know When My Corned Beef is Done?
- What is the Best Method for Cooking Corned Beef?
- Should You Drain the Liquid from Corned Beef Before Cooking?
- What Slow Cooker is Best to Use?
- More Keto Slow Cooker Recipes
❤️ Why You’ll Love this Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
- Tender juicy corned beef made with very little prep work
- Hearty carrots and cabbage served with an easy garlic herb butter
- Perfect for St Patrick’s Day
- Family friendly
Traditional corn beef and cabbage is a classic Irish-American dish that's been a part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations for many years. But it’s so hearty and incredibly flavorful, that it makes an easy and effortless family meal any time of the year.
This easy slow cooker recipe allows the beef to braise until it's fork tender, while the cabbage and carrots cook in all those seasoned juices. The flavors of the veggies are enhanced even further when they're drizzled with a savory garlicky herb butter.
Of course, no corned beef dinner would be complete without a little tangy brown mustard served on the side! Corned beef and cabbage are delicious served with a buttered slice of this Keto Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread.
🛒 What’s in Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Corned beef brisket
- Carrots
- Green cabbage
- Yellow onion
- Chicken broth
- Butter
- Garlic
- Bay leaves
- Lemon thyme (or thyme)
- Fresh parsley
- Salt
- Black ground pepper
- Optional: dijon mustard/stone ground mustard
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
🥣 Recommended Tools
- Slow cooker
- Microwave safe bowl
- Whisk
- Chef's knife
🔪 How to Make Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Slow Cooker
Add the chunks of onion to the bottom of your slow cooker insert.
Rinse your corned beef brisket, then place on top of the onions, fat side up. Pour in the chicken broth, then sprinkle the seasoning packet (that comes with the brisket) over the top, along with the salt and pepper.
Tip: You do not have to use the season packet that comes with the brisket, but I find it easier than making your own mix. Feel free to make your own if you'd like.
Add in the carrots, thyme and bay leaves around the sides and cook on high for 4 hours.
Tip: If cooking on low heat, cook for 7 hours.
Add in the wedges of cabbage and cook on high heat for 1 hour additional.
Tip: If cooking on low heat, cook an additional 2 hours. If you want your carrots to be extra soft, add them sooner.
Add the butter and minced garlic in a small microwave safe bowl and heat on high until the butter has melted and has slightly cooked the garlic. Add in the parsley and whisk to combine, then set aside.
Tip: If for some reason, you happen to not love garlic butter, you can certainly skip this step. But it really adds some nice flavor to the carrots and cabbage.
After 5 hours, your corned beef should be ready and tender.
Add the cabbage and carrots on a platter with the garlic butter spooned over the tops. Then slice the corned beef (against the grain) and add it to the platter. I also like to serve with a mixture of half Dijon mustard and half stone ground mustard on the side.
Is Corned Beef Keto?
Though not a typical protein served on Keto, corned beef is a delicious type of meat that can be a great addition to your Keto meal plan. Most packaged corned beef briskets contain about 10-15 grams of protein and about 2-3 grams of fat per serving. It also has about 1-2 net carbs, but these can easily be worked into your daily macros.
So, where do the few carbs come from? Corned beef is cured with a mixture of ingredients that may contain sugar. So just remember to rinse your brisket before cooking it, which washes away most of the juices it's packed in.
Delicious Ways to Serve Corned Beef
- Casseroles: Add diced corned beef, instead of ham to your casseroles, like in this low carb Breakfast Casserole or this easy Roasted Cauliflower with Ham and Cheese Casserole.
- Low carb Reuben: Add a few slices with some Swiss cheese and sauerkraut with toasted slices of this homemade Keto Bread.
- Corned beef and low carb veggies: Corned beef is delicious served with Roasted Cauliflower, Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts, Green Beans and Roasted Asparagus.
- Corn beef frittata: Just like in a casserole, you can use cooked, diced corned beef in omelets, or Frittatas or a Quiche as an extra protein.
- Corned beef cauliflower mash: Instead of serving it with mashed potatoes, you can serve it with Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower.
Why is Corned Beef Served with Cabbage?
If you have ever wondered how this pairing began, you may be surprised to know it did not get its start in Ireland. Rather, it was a dish that Irish immigrants in America created because corned beef was affordable and readily available.
As far as how cabbage came into the picture, best guess is that because cabbage was one of the cheapest vegetables available to Irish immigrants, they put it to good use.
Can You Slow Cook Corned Beef too Long?
Corned beef is a very forgiving meat. It's hard to overcook corned beef in the crockpot, but you'll always want to make sure there's enough liquid added. For best results, you'll want to plan on about 3-5 hours on high or 7-8 hours on the low setting, all depending on the size of your brisket.
How Do I Know When My Corned Beef is Done?
While The USDA recommends that the beef brisket be thoroughly cooked to 145°F, that doesn't guarantee it will be tender at that point. Once your corned beef has cooked for the recommended time, you can test to see if it's done simply by sticking a fork into the thickest part of the brisket. It should insert and pull out easily, without much resistance.
What is the Best Method for Cooking Corned Beef?
There are several effective ways to cook corned beef, but some requiring more babysitting than others. Boiling and roasting it means you'll need to keep a close eye on the liquids to make sure they aren't running dry.
The slow cooker, traps most of the juices and usually even creates more juice, which makes it an awesome hands-off method when you have other things keeping you busy.
Should You Drain the Liquid from Corned Beef Before Cooking?
The short answer to this is yes. Though some people prefer to include the liquid, keep in mind, it includes salt and other preservatives that are better not to include in the recipe.
What Slow Cooker is Best to Use?
I used the Hamilton Beach 6 Quart Slow Cooker and absolutely love it. It's very lightweight and is programmable. But here's my favorite part... you can use the insert on your stovetop to sear before slow cooking.
So if you have a roast that you want to sear to give it more flavor, you don't have to use another pan! You can also deglaze the pan with your liquids and really make the most of all that flavor. Hands down, my favorite slow cooker ever!
More Keto Slow Cooker Recipes
- Tuscan Chicken
- Chicken Soup
- Turkey Breast with Gravy
- Southern Green Beans
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- BBQ Meatballs
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Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound corned beef brisket
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 small head green cabbage, cut into wedges
- 1 small yellow onion, cut into large chunks
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- Small bunch of fresh lemon thyme, or thyme
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black ground pepper
Instructions
- Add the chunks of onion to the bottom of your slow cooker insert.
- Rinse your corned beef brisket, then place on top of the onions, fat side up. Pour in the chicken broth, then sprinkle the seasoning packet (that comes with the brisket) over the top, along with the salt and pepper.
- Add in the carrots, thyme and bay leaves around the sides and cook on high for 4 hours (7 hours if using the low setting).
- Add in the wedges of cabbage and cook on high heat for 1 hour additional (2 hours if using the low setting).
- Add the butter and minced garlic in a small microwave safe bowl and heat on high until the butter had melted and has slightly cooked the garlic. Add in the parsley and whisk to combine, then set aside.
- After 5 hours, your corned beef should be ready and tender. Add the cabbage and carrots on a platter with the garlic butter spooned over the tops. Then slice the corned beef (against the grain) and add it to the platter. I also like to serve with some stone ground dijon mustard on the side.
*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.
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