Everyone I have made this Slow Cooker Apple and Brown Sugar Corned Beef and Cabbage goes absolutely crazy for it! People have told me again and again they’ve never even liked corned beef and cabbage before trying this recipe. Not only is it the best corned beef and cabbage you’ll ever eat, but it takes no time or effort to throw together.
Slow Cooker Apple and Brown Sugar Corned Beef and Cabbage
Whenever I make this recipe I think about coming home from the hospital with Clara, my first born. She was born on March 15th, and St. Patrick’s Day was the day I was released. Being a first time mother, I was definitely feeling awestruck, overwhelmed, hormonal, and frazzled after just giving birth for the first time. Those feelings were quickly pushed aside, though, to make room for more pressing issues such as, it’s-St.-Patrick’s-Day-and-I-need-to-eat-the-best-corned-beef-and-cabbage-in-the-world.
Momentous life changing event, or not, I wasn’t going to let the only day of the year to ceremoniously eat corned beef and cabbage and the best ever Irish soda bread pass me by. Luckily I had culinary back-ups with me in the form of my mom and sister who flew out to help with the new baby and cook delicious food for us. They got the corned beef in the slow cooker and I beckoned an arsenal of friends to come over and eat it with us. Note to all you prospective new mothers out there, it’s probably not in your best interest to host a St. Patrick’s Day party two days after giving birth, but what did I know at the time? I was cloud nine due to a healthy baby girl, and people aren’t always known to make the most rational decisions on St. Patrick’s Day.
There’s probably quite a lot of us, especially as kids, who have sucked it up and ate corned beef and cabbage because it’s St. Patrick’s Day. Besides wearing green and randomly pinching people, it’s just what you do. If your kids refuse to eat it, keep forcing it on them. I guarantee they will eat it with gusto when they get older. If you’ve never particularly enjoyed corned beef and cabbage, or eat it out of pure obligation, this recipe is for you. I swear to you it has converted so many people into corned beef enthusiasts. They like it so much I have to stash the rest away so they don’t devour it all. Besides, if the leftovers are gone, how am I supposed to make my second favorite meal? The day-after rueben.
Even if you selfishly squirrel away the leftover corned beef and cabbage, you will feel like there is never enough. It goes fast, and everyone will be fighting for their share. Save yourself a lot of unnecessary food angst and just make two pots, especially if you are having company. Corned beef shrinks during cooking and you will want to feel satiated after waiting all day (frankly, all year) to eat it.
- 2-2 1/2 lbs. small red potatoes
- 1 lb. baby carrots
- 1 small cabbage cut in wedges
- 3 lb. flat cut corned beef
- 1 quart apple juice
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. stone ground mustard
- Put potatoes on bottom of large 8 quart slow cooker. Layer carrots, meat, and then cabbage wedges on top (you may have to slice the cabbage wedges thinner to fit everything in slow cooker).
Whisk together the apple juice, brown sugar, and mustard. If you have a seasoning packet that came with your corned beef you can throw that in there too. Pour over everything in the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours until meat is very tender. Slice beef agains the grain and serve with vegetables.
Sometimes I have been very aggressive with the amount of veggies and meat I put in the slow cooker. The lid may not fit securely at first, but as it cooks everything will shrink, and the lid will fall on snuggly. If it really doesn't close at all, I have covered the slow cooker with foil under the lid.
Hello fellow food lovers! I am a wife and mother of four who obsesses and contemplates food probably way too much. I refuse to eat mac and cheese and chicken nuggets every night until all my kids have flown the nest, so this is how a foodie feeds a family...
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