Easy Instant Pot Corned Beef Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

Why is my corned beef not tender enough in the Instant Pot? ›

If your Instant Pot corned beef is tough, it's probably because it was not pressure-cooked long enough. Usually, 90 minutes of pressure cooking time does the trick.

Slow cooker: Corned beef cooks well in a slow cooker or Instant Pot. In a slow cooker, add the brisket, enough water to cover it, and the spices from the spice packet or your own spices. Cook on low for 9 to 11 hours or high for about 4½ hours. For cooking in an Instant Pot, follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Slow-cooking corned beef is an effective way to achieve tender results with minimal hands-on time. Simply turn on the slow cooker in the morning, then go about your day without worry, leaving the house if need be, while your meat magically tenderizes.

If you want your corned beef in a fraction of the time it normally takes, I highly recommend cooking it in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker. A 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 corned beef will be perfectly tender in just 60 – 90 minutes as opposed to several hours in the slow cooker or on the stove top.

Information. Corned beef is made from one of several less tender cuts of beef like the brisket, rump, or round. Therefore, it requires long, moist cooking. Corned beef is safe once the internal temperature has reached at least 145 °F, with a three minute rest time, but cooking it longer will make it fork-tender.

Because corned beef comes from brisket, a tough cut of meat. You need its connective tissue to break down so you can have tender results. Some like to braise their corned beef in an all-water liquid, with various spices and salt; others add beer to the mix to further tenderize the meat.

The corned beef seasoning adds so much flavor to this traditional recipe, and a low, slow cook in beef broth makes this corned beef brisket juicy, tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

Add enough liquid to cover the corned beef. Can use water, beer, cider, beef stock or combo of all. Optional – you can also add onions, carrots, bay leaves, garlic or other seasonings. These will cook down and are seasonings, not to eat.

Depending on the pickling solution used for the meat, you may be in for a saltier meal than you bargained for if you cook the meat without rinsing it. And don't worry: Rinsing won't make the beef taste bland! The flavor is infused deep into the beef during the curing process.

Should corned beef be fully submerged in water? ›

Yes, it does. Yes, corned beef should be covered with water in a slow cooker. This is important to ensure that the meat stays moist and tender during the cooking process. It is also important to ensure that the water level is high enough to fully submerge the meat, as this will ensure that it cooks evenly.

To make the corned beef, open the sealed package right over the slow cooker, because you want to include the brine in the cooking liquid. Don't discard the brine. Place the meat into the cooker and add enough cold water to cover. Add the pickling spices, cover, and cook on high for 6–8 hours.

Touted as the do-it-all appliance for good reason, an Instant Pot is a multi-function pressure cooker that easily doubles as a slow cooker. The difference between pressure cooking and slow cooking is substantial, so we love that one appliance can do both, along with a slew of other cooking methods.

In contrast, a pressure cooker cooks food extremely quickly, taking only a matter of a few minutes, but it still gives you the same flavourful cooking taste as a slow cooker.

Both slow cookers and pressure cookers do a good job of tenderizing tough meat, but each makes meat more edible in a different way. A pressure cooker is an enclosed pot with a lid that locks to form an airtight seal.

A low, gentle simmer on the stovetop or in the slow cooker are two methods for cooking up soft, tender slices of corned beef every time.

The pressure will in fact make your meat super tender, almost as if you slow cooked it for the better part of a day. You still have to figure out how long to cook it though so for that I invite you to read a little further.

You can overcook corned beef in a Crock-Pot if it's cooked for too long at too high of a temperature. Overcooked corned beef can taste tough and stringy. It's best to follow the recommended cook time and temperature within the recipe.

Now if your meat is tough after the stewing process, then there's a few things that might have gone wrong. Two options really, either it is really a poor cut of beef, or more likely it hasn't been cooked for long enough. Usually 3 hours in the oven in a casserole dish at 180C/350F should make any cut of beef tender.