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Home » Gluten-Free Comfort

Slow Cooker Corned Beef with a Crispy Top

By Gary White
This post may contain affiliate links.
Read my full disclosure here.

Published March 15, 2024. Last modified July 31, 2025 By Gary White

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Corned Beef and Cabbage with carrots and potatoes in the slow cooker with text overlay.
Slow cooker corned beef with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.
Slow cooker corned beef image for Pinterest.

This incredibly easy slow cooker corned beef is tender and flavorful. Finish it by broiling for a perfectly crisp top. Add cabbage, carrots, and potatoes for a complete meal, or enjoy simply as delicious corned beef.

Sliced corned beef brisket on top of cabbage, potatoes, and carrots in a slow cooker.

We've been developing recipes for a while now and I find myself only wanting to share things these days when I feel I'm contributing something new to the world of online recipes. Well, here's something that I'm absolutely in love with! While slow cooker corned beef may seem like nothing new, adding the crispy top is a game-changer!

Why This Recipe Works

  1. If you've never cooked corned beef with a crispy top, then this recipe is about to blow you away. It adds a complex level of flavor that is easy to execute and delicious to eat!
  2. With just a few minutes of prep time, this meal can easily be prepped before work. Then it takes just a few minutes of hands-on time before serving to add the finishing touches before eating. It sure is nice to have dinner almost ready when you get home from being out all day.
  3. By cooking the beef slow-and-low, it allows the time needed for the brisket to become fork-tender and ridiculously juicy. There's a reason why all the BBQ pitmasters do it this way. It is the way!
Sliced corned beef brisket on top of cabbage, potatoes, and carrots in a slow cooker.

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Ingredients For Slow Cooker Corned Beef

Ingredients for slow cooker corned beef.

How To Make Slow Cooker Corned Beef

Garlic paste, black pepper, and pickling spices in a small red bowl.
Add contents of seasoning packet, black pepper, and garlic paste to a small bowl...
Spices and garlic paste mixed together in a small red bowl.
...and mix to combine.
Corned beef brisket topped with a spice and garlic paste on a white plate.
Spread the spice blend paste evenly over the fat layer of the brisket.
Corned beef brisket in a slow cooker with onions, thyme, and a bay leaf.
Add the chicken broth, onion, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs to the slow cooker. Then place the brisket on top with the fat side up.
Cooked corned beef brisket in a slow cooker with aromatics and broth.
Cook on LOW for at least 6 hours.
Corned beef brisket broiling in oven.
Transfer the brisket to a baking sheet. Place brisket on the bottom rack of the oven and broil on high for 5-10 minutes, depending on how hot your broiler gets and how crispy you prefer your corned beef. Once the moisture cooks off, it will begin to toast very quickly, so keep a very close eye on it.

Expert Tips

  1. To enjoy the best eating experience, I suggest slicing the corned beef, rather than shredding it. When you shred the brisket, you end up with long and stringy pieces of meat that can be tough to chew. But slicing the beef across the grain makes it very easy to chew.
  2. No matter the size of your brisket, I recommend cooking it on low for a minimum of 6 hours and a maximum of 9 hours. 

FAQ

  • Do I have to finish it by broiling, or can I just slow cook? While finishing the corned beef under the broiler will give you a better final result, it is not an absolute must that you do it. But I highly recommend it. 
  • Where do you get the seasoning packet? The seasoning packet will be included in the packaging with your corned beef. Traditionally, it's a mixture of coriander seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes - although they can differ.
  • Where do you get garlic paste? It is found in the produce refrigerated section next to the fresh herbs. If you can't find it, feel free to make your own by taking garlic cloves to a grater.
  • How long does this keep? After cooking, corned beef may be refrigerated for about 3 to 4 days and frozen for about 2 to 3 months.
  • Can I use beer as the liquid? Absolutely. Simply sub 1 cup of beer for the 1 cup of chicken broth.
  • How do I know when the corned beef is cooked through? Corned beef is safe once the internal temperature has reached at least 145°F, but it will become more tender by cooking it longer. The beef may also still appear to be pink once it's done cooking due to the curing salt called Prague powder.
  • Can I cook this on high? You can, but the meat will be chewier, so I do not recommend it. If you must cook it on high, cook it for a minimum of 4 ½ hours.
Slow cooker corned beef with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.

★ Did you make this slow cooker corned beef? Please give it a star rating below! ★

📖 Recipe

Sliced corned beef brisket on top of cabbage, potatoes, and carrots in a slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef with a Crispy Top

This incredibly easy slow cooker corned beef is tender and flavorful. Finish it by broiling for a perfectly crisp top. Add cabbage, carrots, and potatoes for a complete meal, or enjoy simply as delicious corned beef.
5 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Irish American
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours hours
Total Time: 6 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 467kcal
Author: Gary White

Ingredients 

  • 4 lb. corned beef brisket
  • seasoning packet included with corned beef
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. garlic paste
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 yellow onion roughly chopped
  • 6 thyme sprigs
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

  • Add contents of seasoning packet, black pepper, and minced garlic to a small bowl and mix to combine.
  • Spread the spice blend paste evenly over the fat layer of the brisket.
  • Add the chicken broth, onion, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs to the slow cooker. Then place the brisket on top with the fat side up.
  • Cook on LOW for at least 6 hours.
  • Transfer the brisket to a baking sheet. Place brisket on the bottom rack of the oven and broil on high for 5-10 minutes, depending on how hot your broiler gets and how crispy you prefer your corned beef. Once the moisture cooks off, it will begin to toast very quickly, so keep a very close eye on it.

Video

Notes

Expert Tips

  1. To enjoy the best eating experience, I suggest slicing the corned beef, rather than shredding it. When you shred the brisket, you end up with long and stringy pieces of meat that can be tough to chew. But slicing the beef across the grain makes it very easy to chew.
  2. No matter the size of your brisket, I recommend cooking it on low for a minimum of 6 hours and a maximum of 9 hours. 

FAQ

  • Do I have to finish it by broiling, or can I just slow cook? While finishing the corned beef under the broiler will give you a better final result, it is not an absolute must that you do it. But I highly recommend it. 
  • Where do you get the seasoning packet? The seasoning packet will be included in the packaging with your corned beef. Traditionally, it's a mixture of coriander seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes - although they can differ.
  • Where do you get garlic paste? It is found in the produce refrigerated section next to the fresh herbs. If you can't find it, feel free to make your own by taking garlic cloves to a grater.
  • How long does this keep? After cooking, corned beef may be refrigerated for about 3 to 4 days and frozen for about 2 to 3 months.
  • Can I use beer as the liquid? Absolutely. Simply sub 1 cup of beer for the 1 cup of chicken broth.
  • How do I know when the corned beef is cooked through? Corned beef is safe once the internal temperature has reached at least 145°F, but it will become more tender by cooking it longer. The beef may also still appear to be pink once it's done cooking due to the curing salt called Prague powder.
  • Can I cook this on high? You can, but the meat will be chewier, so I do not recommend it. If you must cook it on high, cook it for a minimum of 4 ½ hours.

Nutrition

Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 2770mg | Potassium: 747mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 4mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Beth Sachs

    March 01, 2021 at 10:45 am

    5 stars
    Such a tender and flavourful recipe. The corned beef is melt in the mouth delicious!

    Reply
  2. Shashi

    March 01, 2021 at 1:32 pm

    5 stars
    This is such a perfect recipe for St Pattys! This must smell wonderful when ready!

    Reply
  3. Kalu Lor

    March 02, 2021 at 9:39 am

    5 stars
    Saving this recipe for my next family dinner. I love that the cooking is done in a slow cooker, so I have time to do other things. Love it.

    Reply
  4. Aimee Mars

    March 02, 2021 at 1:41 pm

    5 stars
    That spice blend on top is out of this world!! Look how tender and juicy the meat looks too. I can't wait to try this recipe. I've only made it in the Instant Pot, but I bet the slow-cooked version is way better.

    Reply
5 from 11 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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Corned Beef and Cabbage with carrots and potatoes in the slow cooker with text overlay.
Slow cooker corned beef with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.
Slow cooker corned beef image for Pinterest.

Meet Gary

I'm Gary... husband, dad, recipe developer, and comfort food nerd. I believe in real food for real life. This blog? It’s where I share the recipes my family actually eats. Simple, soulful, and full of flavor. My goal is simple: help you cook food worth making again. More about me...

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Corned Beef and Cabbage with carrots and potatoes in the slow cooker with text overlay.
Slow cooker corned beef with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.
Slow cooker corned beef image for Pinterest.

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