Corned Beef And Cabbage

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CarolPa

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I cooked a corned beef brisket for the first time today, in the slow cooker. It was in there for 1 hour on high, and 7 hours on low. The veggies got done nicely, in fact I took them out early. But I don't know if the meat cooked long enough. It cut nicely, but it's red inside. Is it supposed to be red? DH wouldn't eat it. I ate 1 slice, and it wasn't what I expected. OK, but not great. In the picture from the recipe I used the meat was not red.
 
I cooked a corned beef brisket for the first time today, in the slow cooker. It was in there for 1 hour on high, and 7 hours on low. The veggies got done nicely, in fact I took them out early. But I don't know if the meat cooked long enough. It cut nicely, but it's red inside. Is it supposed to be red? DH wouldn't eat it. I ate 1 slice, and it wasn't what I expected. OK, but not great. In the picture from the recipe I used the meat was not red.

If corned beef isn't red then something is wrong with it. It's always pink after cooking in the crockpot - just how it is. Doesn't mean that it isn't done... believe me, after 8 hours total it's DONE. Underdone corned beef is pretty chewy.

When we were working, we always put the meat in with 2 or 3 cups of water and left it on low all day. When I got home, I drained off the broth and cooked the veggies in that on the stovetop. It's one of my favorite meals, and I'm not even .001% Irish.
 
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Hey! Hi, Carol! So good to see you!

Because of the brining process used, corned beef will usually remain red. However, there is also a type of corned beef called "gray corned beef" that is common in regions of New England. The Irish pub we frequent offers it certain times of the year, such as St. Patrick's Day. Perhaps the photo was of the gray corned beef version. Be glad that your corned beef WAS red - I personally do not like the gray variety.

Hope all is well with you and your DH. It would be nice to see you coming around again regular-like.
 
Ok, thanks Rick. I put 2 cups of water in with it. My step-daughter is coming over to take the leftovers. I just wanted to make sure it's cooked properly. Maybe they will like it better than we did.

Everyone is a tiny bit Irish on St Patty's day! LOL
 
Red corned beef is cured with sodium nitrite which preserves the color. Corned beef cured without sodium nitrite turns grey. They are both fine but different.
 
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