Slow Cooker Guinness Corned Beef

Slow-cooked corned beef with Guinness beer is one of the most flavorful sauces cooked low and slow meat until it's fork-tender!

I just love the sauce and thickened with a little butter and flour it will make the best gravy for colcannon mashed potatoes with the drippings!

I love being Irish for a day so much and St. Patrick's Day celebration foods, I really wonder why I wait once a year to have this tender fabulous corned beef!

I really love it like this, this is a classic recipe for sure. I was never a big fan of this cut of meat because it's can be a tougher cut, but in the slow cooker with stout beer, it's fabulous.

I tried many recipes but nothing compares to the flavors and tenderness of this recipe.

It is now my go-to recipe and I always go back to cooking it on low heat and slow it's the best method of cooking this brisket.

St. Patrick lived sometime in the fifth century A.D. and was British, not Irish some very interesting facts as it has been written.

St Patrick's Day on March 17 is celebrated with all kinds of green beer and the culture is popular here in the United States.

Americans celebrate with foods for the day that are Irish-inspired, like corned beef and cabbage, shepherd's pie, and Irish soda bread.

Slow-Cooked

Whatever vessel you choose to cook this in, the secret to tender corned beef is the slow cooker method.

It must be slowly cooked to break down the brisket meat or slow and low on top of the stove if you want it to be fork-tender.

this is a slow roasted corned beef in a Guinness beer that cooked over 8 hours in a a slow cooker

My Cooking Thoughts

In my experience, the best results will come from making sure the meat is slow-cooked.

This was full of flavors from the packet and just melts in your mouth, this corned beef is just delicious.

this is par boiled vegetables in the slow cooker with corned beef

Cooking Methods

Slow Cooker: Add the corned beef and ingredients as directed and slow cook on high for 6 to 8 hours and low for 8 to 10 hours.
Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker Mode: Place the corned beef in the pot, set for 1 hour and 10 minutes on pressure cook mode for 2 to 3 lbs. Close the valve. Let rest after cooking for 10 minutes before releasing the steam.
Oven: in a covered dutch oven add all the ingredients and set the oven to 275 degrees for 5 hours.
Stovetop: In a large covered deep 8-quart saucepan add all ingredients, and simmer on low heat for 4 hours. Continue to add more beer, water, or apple juice and check to see if the liquid is evaporating.

a slow cooked corned beef in guinness beer that was done in a slow cooker

Leftover Suggestions

Vegetables and Additions

brussels sprouts
baby onions
sweet potatoes
any root vegetables you prefer

this is a raw piece of corned beef in a slow cooker with seasoning packet added

Tips

I use a slow cooker for cooking preferably 6 to 8 hours on low or pressure cooker mode for 1 hour and 10 minutes for 3 lbs.
Using the slow cooker, sometimes vegetables tend to take a longer time to cook and don't come out as tender.
I prefer to boil them separately or even bake them on a large cooking sheet with butter, salt, and pepper.
You can decide how you want to cook your vegetables. I love cabbage, carrots, and potatoes soft and usually cook them separately.
Throw in more or less salt and pepper to taste corned beef is salty and usually doesn't need more seasoning, however, the vegetables cooked in another pot need to be seasoned.
Use a good-grade stout beer for this recipe, apple juice, or water.

this is a pot of cabbage potatoes and carrots as a side dish for the corned beef dinner

Side Dish Suggestions

Best Side Dishes and Appetizers
Cranberries Brussels Sprouts
Holiday Side Dishes

This is a cooked sliced brisket called corned beef made for a St Patrick's Day Dinner celebration

Celebration Story

The Irish Americans transformed St.Patrick's Day from a religious feast day to a celebration of their heritage and homeland.

With the celebration, came a celebratory meal.

Instead of corned beef and cabbage, the traditional St. Patrick's Day meal eaten in Ireland is lamb or bacon.

Why is it Corned Beef Red and Some Gray

The reason some briskets are redder than others is because of the brine salt that is used.

Corned beef is brined or cured using saltwater or sodium nitrite mixture, which fixes the pigment in the meat and causes it to be pink in color.

That's why corned beef remains pink after cooking

The red brisket is the traditional flavor old-time New Englanders always recognize.

this is how to make corned beef for St. Patrick's Day in a slow cooker using flat cut corned beef

Another Method

There is another method used to brine the corned beef that stays gray in color.

The reason for this color, it is cured in a saltwater brine for two weeks or more.

This brine contains no preservatives, so the grey corned beef is a great option for those who are looking to avoid nitrates and nitrites.

Because the brine isn’t seasoned, the grey corned beef can also be seasoned to your tastes.

Flat Cut or Point Cuts?

Point Cut is good for shredding, but for corned beef, I always choose the flat cut for slicing.

It still has a good amount of fat on the bottom to keep the meat moist.

Either way, they are both tasty, the flat cut is usually just more expensive.