4 cooking corned beef and cabbage methods for your perfect St. Patricks Day dinner are here! Tender Crockpot, Instant Pot, or dutch oven corned beef every time. Then add a few leaves to the pot or make simple cabbage recipes of your choice on the side.

An image showcasing raw corned beef seasoned with spices in a slow cooker. The text above reads, 4 Ways to Enjoy Cooking Corned Beef and Cabbage.
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Looking for the best method of cooking corned beef and cabbage?? We have 4 different ways of making your corned beef dinner this year. Maybe you should try something new! If you have done something different that you love share it with us below so we can try that too. (affiliate links present)

Best Way to Cook Corned Beef

All of these use fresh and/or defrosted meat but recently I added instructions for how to cook frozen corned beef here too! Let me tell you all about an “extra” you MUST make no matter how you cook your meat.

Our corned beef mustard is out of this world I tell you!! With a bit of a sweet yet tangy taste it will take your piece of meat from good to out of this world. Serve at the end so people can slather it on each bite.

mustard sauce for corned beef

Cooking Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Ninja Foodi

Find directions for Ninja Foodi corned beef and cabbage recipe here. Beef and vegetables come out incredibly flavorful using this method. This is probably my favorite method. Using a pressure cooker makes everything easier and the tenderness cannot be replicated any other way really.

This one is great because you can pressure cook as is, air fry when it’s done, or make air fryer corned beef only. Your choice.

If you are unfamiliar with the Ninja Foodi pressure cooker and air fryer it’s amazing. This method is using a pressure cooker Your corned beef will come out fabulously tender

corned beef

I highly recommend this method, no matter what brand of pot you have. Also the flat cut is better than the point (if I can find it). You just get a thicker section that becomes more tender overall.

This option only takes about 15 minutes and creates a crispy crunch on the outer leaves.

pressure cooker corned beef and cabbage

Ingredients

  1. A piece of corned beef
    1. Pickling spices will come in the bag with your meat
    2. Of course you can make your own spice packet with mustard seeds and other ingredients but I have never bothered to do this
  2. Liquid
    1. I love beer because of the flavor it lends this dish
    2. Yes you can cover with water instead but I recommend the other
  3. Head of cabbage with just using the outer larger leaves

You typically add the cabbage at the end since it only needs a short amount of time to get tender.

dutch oven corned beef and cabbage 3

Cooking Corned Beef and Cabbage in a Dutch Oven

If you don’t have a large dutch oven it’s a great way to cook using cast iron. This is how to cook Dutch Oven corned beef and cabbage recipe here.

Your meat will not be quite as tender as the other 3 methods shared. Corned beef must be almost submerged to get tender. Basting will need to be done during the cooking process.

  • The potatoes come out better than any other method in our opinion.
  • Cabbage is my favorite in the dutch oven as well.
  • You can add potatoes and carrots too, they come out perfectly tender when cooked together.

How to Cook Corned Beef Brisket in Oven

This is how to cook corned beef in the oven directions are here. If you have not tried this method it was surprisingly wonderful with our sweet mustard on the top.

easy instant pot corned beef and cabbage

Corned Beef and Cabbage in an Instant Pot

The only way we won’t do this is to bring it to a boil on your stove. That would defeat the purpose of it being marinated because the taste would totally change. I would highly suggest out of them all to make Instant Pot corned beef and cabbage here. This comes out similarly to the top Ninja Foodi recipe. You can use any brand of pressure cooker for this method.

My Instant Pot is the 6 qt. and plenty big for the 5 of us. This comes out amazingly tender on high heat, and perfectly cooker. Potatoes taste great, softer than making them in the dutch oven but firmer than the Ninja.

  • I didn’t add carrots but you could 
  • Cabbage can be cooked as little or as much as you wanted

Everything soaks up a bit of the beer flavor, or whatever liquid you choose.

cooking corned beef and cabbage

Cooking Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Crock Pot

This method will take all day. My crockpot is here for reference.

  • Your corned beef will come out extremely tender and juicy
  • Flavor of the beer or liquid will be absorbed by potatoes and meat
  • The flavors and texture will be similar to pressure cooking but take the longest

You can reduce heat to warm if you are serving this for a longer period of time. I wouldn’t leave it on with additional heat for more than 30 minutes or it may dry out.

  • I used the recipe below for years until I got my Instant Pot and Ninja Foodi, now I use those

Find the recipe for slow cooker corned beef brisket here if it is fresh or defrosted but there is more y’all. This year I experimented for those who may be forgetful and came up with how to cook frozen corned beef in Crock Pot too!!

Cooking Corned Beef and Cabbage

Tips for Cooking Corned Beef and Cabbage

We made this one recently and it seriously was devoured! Last but not least you could try our Traeger corned beef recipe if you have a smoker at home.

  1. Use beer
    1. I don’t drink it at all regularly but it gives everything a great flavor
    2. If you aren’t comfortable then I’d use beef broth over water any day

It’s really a simple way to bring a whopping punch of flavor to this dish really.

  1. Choose a large piece
    1. Your corned beef will shrink A LOT when it’s cooked
    2. Flat is always better than a point piece
  2. Buy a piece with a decent amount of fat
    1. Fat means flavor and will be more tender than a lean corned beef brisket
  3. Don’t overcook your cabbage
    1. Cutting it into 4 large chunks is best we think
    2. Cook just enough to soften it but not so long it is limp

** But wait, we just added a 5th way….this is a canned corned beef recipe made 4 different ways if that is all you have. What should you serve with corned beef and cabbage?

How to Use Leftover Corned Beef

As with any other recipe please tweak it to add ingredients you love like bay leaves inside the pot if you prefer, or other seasonings. We love a bowl of Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup every year.

If you have extra veggies don’t throw them out. Try our other simple cabbage recipes like old fashioned cabbage soup and others. Let us know which are your favorite!

Sliced corned beef roast, reminiscent of air fryer corned beef, boasts a charred exterior on a wooden cutting board. The inside is pink with a glazed, crispy surface, and juices glisten on the board.
5 from 1 vote

Cooking Corned Beef and Cabbage

By The Typical Mom
Cooking corned beef and cabbage 5 different ways is here. Corned beef brisket frozen or defrosted and fresh gets tender this way.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 8 hours
Servings: 6
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Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Ingredients 

  • 1 corned beef brisket, fresh or frozen, I recommend the flat cut
  • 4-6 potatoes
  • 12 oz beer, or broth
  • 1 onion
  • 1 seasoning packet, included in meat package

Instructions 

  • Rinse potatoes and set inside slow cooker together, touching. Slice onion and put around them.
  • Lay corned beef piece on top of potatoes with fat on top. Pour beer over the top. Sprinkle seasoning packet on top of meat.
  • Cover with the lid and cook on low heat for 8 hours if defrosted or 9 hours if frozen….or until tender to slice (timing will vary slightly depending on how thick your piece is).

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1oz, Calories: 321kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 1829mg, Potassium: 486mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 3IU, Vitamin C: 42mg, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree
Cuisine: American, irish
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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2 Comments

  1. Just purchased a Ninja Foodi because of the Corned Beef Recipe, can’t wait to try it.