Dijon Corned Beef in the Slow Cooker

Hey Steph, did you really cook that corned beef in the slow cooker? How come it's not wet and slimy? Isn't corned beef supposed to be wet and slimy?

Until a few years ago, I shied away from St. Patrick's Day. I hated getting a plate full of wet meat topped with  lifeless cabbage. (is that too harsh? I'm sorry if I've offended the soggy cabbage and wet meat lovers of the world...including my husband...)

Corned beef is quite a delicious piece of meat. It's brined, and packed with flavor all on it's own. In this recipe, the meat cooks in it's own juice--no additional liquid is required--creating a beautifully roasted (not slimy!) meat with a sweet, mustard glaze.

The Ingredients.

serves 6

3 pounds corned beef, trimmed of fat

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard

10 whole cloves (or you can use 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves)

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Unwrap the corned beef, and remove the seasoning packet (use it in another recipe, such as roasted cabbage and potatoes) and trim as much of the fat from the meat as you can. In a small bowl,  make a paste of the honey, brown sugar, mustard, and cloves. Rub this mixture on all sides of the meat. Place the meat into your crockpot, and cover. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until meat pulls apart easily with a fork. Let sit for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

I prefer to cook my vegetables separately, but if you'd like everything in one pot, feel free to add quartered red potatoes, carrot chunks, and cabbage wedges around the meat. Again, no need to add additional liquid.

The Verdict

This sweet and salty glazed meat will shine on your St. Patrick's Day table. It's a winner, sure to please the picky leprechauns in your household. I like this meat so much, I'm going to  pick up a few extra corned beef packages to freeze so we can have it much more often.

other recipes you might like:

the first corned beef I made all by myself

cabbage rolls

the cabbage soup from the cabbage soup diet 

 roasted garlic spoonbread

roasted winter root vegetables 
Irish Potatoes

Since St. Patrick's Day is on Saturday this year, does that mean that the leprechauns need to visit our house? The teachers at school usually destruct the classroom and overturn furniture, toilet paper the play yard, and sprinkle gold glitter all over the grass. I'm up for the TPing, but I have a severe allergy to glitter...

also, I wanted to share that my friend Jen started her own 365 Day Challenge: A Year of Cocktails! Cheer her on and submit your favorite cocktails to test out--she's got a lot of work ahead of her!