Should corned beef be covered with water in slow cooker

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner! To celebrate the holiday, we suggest the iconic Irish-American classic of corned beef and cabbage. Not only is this meal a delicious way to celebrate the Irish-American holiday, but making corned beef at home is also a satisfying cooking project! Whether you’re making corned beef for the first time or a cooking pro curious about how others make it, take a look at the list below of the five mistakes to avoid and what to do instead to ensure corned beef perfection.

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Cook this corned beef in a crock pot all day, and you're guaranteed success — no more dry corned beef! Serve with soda bread for a warm and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Directions
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Do you completely cover corned beef with water?
Does the corned beef need to be covered with liquid in a slow cooker?
Does meat in a slow cooker have to be covered with liquid?
Do you need to put water in slow cooker with beef?

1. Not Rinsing the Meat Before Cooking

If you cook the meat straight from the plastic packaging or pulled the meat right away from the brine solution in the fridge without rinsing, you just might be in for a saltier meal than you bargained for.

Instead: Whether you bought a ready-to-cook corned beef or you cured your own, rinse the meat several times under cool water to remove any excess salt. Don’t worry about rinsing away the flavor, the meat is fully infused with flavor by this point.

2. Cooking Over a High Temperature

Brisket is not a fan of high temperature. When cooked on high for too long, corned beef is likely to turn out tough and chewy rather than soft and tender.

Instead: Regardless of the cooking method, corned beef is best cooked over low heat. A low, gentle simmer on the stovetop or in the slow cooker are two excellent methods for cooking up soft, tender slices of corned beef every time.

3. Not Filling the Pot with Enough Water

Simmering corned beef on the stovetop is a tried-and-true method that results in very tender beef. One of the keys to simmering corned beef correctly is the amount of water in the pot. When there’s not ample liquid to cover the meat, your dreams of tender corned beef may be replaced by a tough, chewy result.

Instead: Start by filling a large pot with enough water so the corned beef is completely submerged. Remove the lid to check the level of liquid throughout the cooking process and add more water, if necessary. This small step will ensure a super-tender corned beef is the end result.

4. Not Cooking the Meat Long Enough

Brisket, the cut typically used for corned beef, is a naturally tough cut of meat. Cooking corned beef is a process that cannot be rushed. Even when the meat is cooked through, it still needs more time to transform the chewy bite into one that’s beautifully tender.

Instead: Cooking corned beef takes patience as it’s a tough cut of meat that benefits from a lengthy cook time. For stovetop cooking, plan on at least three hours for a three-pound corned beef or eight to 10 hours for a three- to four-pound cut that’s cooked on low in the crock pot.

5. Cutting the Meat Incorrectly

The way you slice your cooked corned beef actually makes a big difference. Always avoid slicing meat with the grain (or in the same direction as the muscle fibers) because it leaves you with a chewier piece of meat.

Instead: Treat corned beef just like steak. Look for the lines of visible muscles fibers on the meat as this is the “grain” of the meat. Always sliced corned beef against the grain instead of slicing with it. Cutting through the muscle fibers shortens them and makes each piece easier to chew.

Source

Cook this corned beef in a crock pot all day, and you're guaranteed success — no more dry corned beef! Serve with soda bread for a warm and satisfying meal.

Total Time:

8 hrs 15 mins

Jump to Nutrition Facts

Ingredients

10 baby red potatoes, quartered
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces
1 onion, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cups water
1 (4 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet
6 ounces beer
½ head cabbage, coarsely chopped

Directions

Place potatoes, carrots, and onion into the bottom of a slow cooker; add water and place brisket on top of vegetables. Pour beer over brisket; sprinkle over spices from the packet and cover.
Cook on High for 7 hours; stir in the cabbage and cook for 1 more hour.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

473	Calories
20g	Fat
50g	Carbs
24g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 473
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 20g	25%
Saturated Fat 7g	33%
Cholesterol 100mg	33%
Sodium 1281mg	56%
Total Carbohydrate 50g	18%
Dietary Fiber 7g	24%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 55mg	276%
Calcium 68mg	5%
Iron 3mg	17%
Potassium 1126mg	24%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

Do you completely cover corned beef with water?

One of the keys to simmering corned beef correctly is the amount of water in the pot. When there's not ample liquid to cover the meat, your dreams of tender corned beef may be replaced by a tough, chewy result. Instead: Start by filling a large pot with enough water so the corned beef is completely submerged.

Does the corned beef need to be covered with liquid in a slow cooker?

A Slow Cooker Corned Beef Recipe To properly braise the corned beef you only want the liquid to come up about halfway over the corned beef, not covering it. Completely covering the corned beef would produce a boiled corned beef, which isn't what we are going for here.

Does meat in a slow cooker have to be covered with liquid?

Water or liquid is necessary to create steam. When cooking meat or poultry, the water or liquid level should cover the ingredients to ensure effective heat transfer throughout the crock. Some manufacturers of slow cookers recommend adding liquid to fill the stoneware 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Do you need to put water in slow cooker with beef?

There is no need to cover the meat in liquid when cooking with a slow cooker, you only need enough liquid to cover the base of the slow cooker as the meat and vegetables will release liquid as they cook.