There’s nothing easier. And your guests will go nuts. Everyone will rave about how great the meat is. And you’ll laugh inside. Because all you did was put corned beef in the Crock-Pot. This is the perfect solution for Shabbos lunch or even on a busy day like Purim when you need an effortless main course.
I first got the idea to cook corned beef in the Crock-Pot three years ago after reading this post, where Leah wrote that a pastrami roast can be cooked in a Crock-Pot filled with water for 6 hours on low.
Well, if it works for pastrami, I realized, then it would work just as well with corned beef. They’re both pickled meats. They’re both already seasoned, and they’re both sold in vacuum-sealed bags.
Since then, I began throwing either vacuum-sealed pastrami or corned beef into a second Crock-Pot with water whenever I’d be having some extra company for Shabbat lunch and I knew I’d need more meat than would fit in the cholent. Or just more meat for more mouths in general.
At the Shabbat lunch for my son’s bar mitzvah, there would be 80 people eating over, so I had three Crock-Pots on. One huge one for the cholent (with I don’t know how many kolichals inside). Two regular-sized Crock-Pots each held two roasts, one with two pastrami roasts, and one with two corned beef roasts. There were more than 20 pounds of meat altogether. And it was so effortless on my part. Since then, whenever there’s company, there’s a second Crock-Pot with one of these meats or the other.
Simply fill the Crock-Pot about one-third of the way with water and add the meat in the bag. Cook on low from when Shabbos or Yom Tov starts until the next day. That’s it.
If you want to serve this for a Yom Tov lunch on the second day (so you can have a break from the cooking!) just plug your Crock-Pot in before Yom Tov (with the water is fine) and add the meat the night before your meal.
I think this is also an amazing main dish for the Purim seudah too! You’re so busy that day, who doesn’t need an effortless, yet important, main dish? Add the meat to the Crock-Pot early in the morning and you’re free to go deliver mishloach manot until it’s time to enjoy the Seudah!
Crock-Pot corned beef (and pastrami) has to be the dish with the biggest “least work” to “most rave reviews” ratio. It’s actually amazing how crazy people go for this meat when all I did was drop some vacuum-sealed meat into a Crock-Pot filled with some water.
The only hard part about preparing this dish is when you need to take it out of the bag after removing it from the Crock-Pot. All the liquids that the meat released are in the bag, plus it’s super hot, so it can be a little challenging. I find it’s easiest if you put an aluminum pan in the sink. Put the bag in it, cut it open, and release the liquid into the pan. Then you can open up the bag a little more and transfer the meat to your serving platter. And then it’s easy to drain the water from the pan. It’s much harder to try to hold the hot bag of meat in the air while trying to drain the water without any meat trying to get out with it.
It’s important to note that not all corned beef or pastrami roasts are the same. Butchers pickle different cuts of meat of differing qualities (there’s first cut, second cut, top of the rib, brisket…every butcher labels theirs differently). At the butcher shops where I buy meat, the best cuts are labeled “brick.” An easy way to tell which corned beef is the best in your butcher’s showcase, of course, is simply by looking at the price per pound! Choose the cut that works for your family.
I have been waiting for a crock pot post so I can ask this question!!! I use crockpots that are the type that insert into the base. I had an AMAZING one from the company Perko that cooked at just the right temperature. Now every crockpot I try, and I mean EVERY, burns food on the low setting. I like to put up cholent on Thursday night and I never had a problem…..Help! I need a good crock pot recommendation!
Don’t know if this will be helpful but I invert a disposable six cup cupcake pan on the bottom of the crockpot and place the insert on top of it. I find that lowers the heat enough so things don’t burn but keeps it hot enough not to spoil.
I have a chefman crock pot which inserts into the base as well. I put up my cholent Thursday night as well and fill up the pot 1/3 with water and put all ingredients into a crock pot bag in the water. It keeps it cooking without burning and i add water if needed before Shabbos.
Good luck!
Do you cook it until done before Shabbos or just put it in raw right before Shabbos?
Raw before
I actually do this in the warming draw or on the oven on 225 overnight on Thursday night usually. . I place it in an aluminum pan cover the bag with water and cover the pan. Viola! When I wana do something extra I mix even amounts of honey and mustard and pour it over the meat. And bake it on 350 for about 30 min covered.. and then reheat it fri night.
Does the meat have to be fully submerged in the water?
Interesting that you used better cuts of meat. What are your thoughts on using cheaper and fattier cuts of meat? I’ve found that the low and slow cooking results in very soft meat especially cheaper cuts, earning the crock it’s nickname of “poor man’s best friend”
How is the corn beef pictured so pretty and perfectly round ??? It’s doesn’t look like corn beef in the pic. Whenever I buy corn beef it is more squarish and not pretty shape
Unless you tell you cut it to be so pretty and “round” before the pic
Thanks
How do you cut slices from a hot piece of meat (straight out of the crockpot)?
It depends on the type of cut. Some slice nicely once you let it cool a little. Fattier cuts will shred. If you find it hard to slice, it’s easier to cube. We’ve had experience with both cuts that slice, and other cuts which are too tender (but that’s a good thing too!)
Do you actually put it to cook in the original vacuum packaging straight from the butcher? Pastrami is already cooked whereas corned beef(at least the one I am familiar with) is raw and has some reddish (mildly unappealing) liquid in the packaging. I cannot imagine putting this cut of meat to cook without rinsing it off first. Could you clarify please?!
I have the same question!
Me too! Please can you clarify? I’d like to do this on 2nd day Shavuos which is Shabbos.
Thanks!
Yes. In the original vacuum seal packaging! I don’t know what liquid Suri W is referring to, but if it’s liquid because it’s either from the meat or the brine it’s not a big deal. Once it cooks there will be LOADS more liquid in the bag that the meat releases.
I buy BOTH corned beef and pastrami raw at my butcher shop.
I know this was asked and answered but just reconfirming – cook it in the original packaging straight from the store?? I assume I should at least remove the price tag and any stickers??
Lol yes!! Usually, the corned beef is packaged both in the vacuum seal and then has the regular butcher packaging over it with foam board, plastic wrap, and sticker.. You can remove that part. Just the vacuum seal bag stays.
Any guidance on how to do this without a bag? I want to try to cook my corned beef in a crockpot for shabbos. Would a tight parchment roll work at all?
Thanks!
You’re probab;ly fine with just the meat sitting directly in the water.
Can this be frozen after cooked
Has anyone ever tried putting the vacuum packed corn beef/pastrami directly into the cholent?
I stick a pastrami in my chulent for Shabbos all the time. I then serve the chulent in one bowl and the pastrami in a separate dish. The pastrami gives the chulent excellent flavor and it is the only meat I put into the chulent. Also, I don’t like cooking with plastic, so I always remove the plastic bag before I add it to the chulent.
Can i put the corned beef in the crockpot frozen and cook overnight?
Yes absolutely. I put it in frozen all the time.
Does the meat have to be vacuum packed ? Is it a special kind or can I vacuum pack myself ?
I only have experience cooking it in the vacuum sealed bag. It is sold that way.
@victoria. What brand of crockpot do you recommend? Find low is not high enough to really cook things on mind. Thank you
what sauce would you recommend serving over pickled corn beef?