Saint Patrick's Day Dinner: Corned Beef in the Crock Pot

Saint Patrick’s Day - when everyone is just a little bit Irish! Green beer, shamrocks, and tales of leprechaun help make this holiday a little more interesting and festive.

Every year in the days surrounding Saint Patricks Day and there’s a surge in the sale of corned beef and cabbage. While you won’t find this meal in Ireland, it did stem from the Irish immigrants in the U.S. who were looking for a replacement to boiled bacon, comfort food from home. Bacon and other pork products were, however, expensive and not easily accessible to these poor immigrants. Corned beef and cabbage were available and inexpensive, resulting in a new traditional meal.

Did you know you can cook up this traditional meal in the crockpot? No muss, no fuss, and no standing over boiling pots! It’s an easy way to enjoy your corned beef and cabbage, especially when the March 17th holiday falls on a weeknight! Add some disposable slow cooker liners to make clean up a breeze as well! 

Here are our best tips for cooking corned beef and cabbage:

• Cook your corned beef and vegetables for 8-10 hours on low (for 3-5lbs). While overcooking is hard to do, it is possible resulting in a meat that is too soft and with less flavor.
• Put your raw, chopped, vegetables (besides the cabbage) on the bottom. By putting the meat on top, you protect it from getting too mushy and add some great flavor to the veggies.
• Add your cabbage on top of the corned beef when there are about 2 hours of cooking time left.
• Add plenty of water (or beer for a little flavor kick!). When you cook corned beef on the stove you want your meat covered. In the crockpot, you don't need quite as much, cover those veggies and at least some of the meat and you’ll be good to go.
• When your corned beef is done cooking and your anxious to get it served up, make sure you cut against the grain of the meat, this will create a tender bite every time.

Using these tips you’re sure to have a delicious meal that hits the spot on the greenest holiday of all. Add some soda bread and serve it all up with some vinegar and mustard. Don't forget the beer! You’ll be feeling Irish in no time.

At What A Crock, we know how to put our crockpots to good use! What A Crock Meals to Go offers multiple meal service options. You choose how many meals you need and how many people you want to serve, and you receive those meals, fully prepared and frozen. There are plenty of meal kits out there, but those still take time and prep work. With What a Crock, you place a meal in your slow cooker in the morning, and you'll have a delicious dinner by evening, talk about an easy dinner! 

Slainte!