Corned Beef in the Instant Pot

(Updated 2025)

Through the years, I have prepared corned beef in the crock pot, in the oven, and stove top. While I love the flavor of a corned beef in the crock pot, it often produces a roast that is fall-apart overdone and next to impossible to thinly slice. I have done the 3-3-3 oven method, my mother's favorite: three cups of water, three hours, at three-hundred degrees. But it really depends on the size of the corned beef.

I mostly prepared corned beef in a large pot on top of the stove, slow simmered, periodically testing it for doneness by poking it with a long-tined fork. That's fine, if I'm home and have the time. All three methods suffuse the house with an aromatic, St. Paddy's Day flavor.

This year, however, I did mine in the Instant Pot. And, by far, it produced the nicest corned beef. It was flavorful (crock pot virtue) without falling apart. It sliced absolutely beautifully! It was tender and juicy. I prepared three since my store had a terrific sale. The one below is the one I liked the best. And it's the most simple.

For the first one, I added celery, potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, and dark beer. I used the obligatory spice packet. The result was a corned beef that, because of the beer, was a bit bitter as were the veggies. And I should have used more dried spices.

For the second, I only used one onion a large garlic clove, and the enclosed spice packet. It was okay, but it still lacked that St. Patrick's Day PUNCH of flavor.

For the third, (pictured) I used no veggies at all. NONE! I DOUBLED the dried spices. I added one large clove of garlic. And I reduced the amount of liquid. It was IRISH BLISS! 

1. 

All three of my corned beefs were 2-3 lbs. While the texture of all three ended up the same, tender and juicy, easy to slice, the third, by far, had the best flavor. (See your manual for the best cooking times according to the size of your roast.)

Unlike traditional recipes, I prefer my cabbage and potatoes "clean," so I boil them separately and season with some of the beef juice along with LOTS of butter, salt and some pepper.

• 1 corned beef, flat cut, 2-3 lbs.
• 1 packet spice mixture that comes with the beef mixed with:
• 1 heaping tablespoon dried pickling spices*
• 2 cups water
• 1 large clove garlic, smashed, peeled, cut in half

Remove corned beef from plastic wrap and rinse thoroughly under cool water. Place the steel trivet into the IP. Place washed beef on top, fat side up.  Top with garlic. Add the two cups of water. Sprinkle with the dried spices. Cover. Lock. Place vent to seal. 

Pressured cook for 60-75 minutes on "meat and stew" setting (it will depend on your model and settings). Allow to self-vent for 15-20 minutes. Vent until lid opens. Remove corned beef. Cover with foil and allow to sit and additional 10-30 minutes. Slice and serve.

Technically,  corned beef is done at 145 degrees F. But it will be tough because you need a higher temp to begin melting the collagen or fat that will flavor and tenderize the meat. According to some, the sweet spot is around 180. If you go higher, you risk the meat falling apart and difficult to carve into presentable slices. And much depends on your particular beef and the brand. Even falling apart, it still tastes good! You should begin temping after an hour. That is the only drawback, to me, of using a pressure cooker.

For warmed-up leftovers the following day, I like to whip up a small batch of latkes, or potato pancakes. They pair remarkably well with the beef and are a real treat! Terrific for breakfast with a fried egg. In the UK, a large pan-fried "latke" is called a "rosti" but it has no flour or egg.

This is a great combo!

*I use McCormick Pickling Spice (you may need to visit a few stores before find pickling spices. It has a very long shelf life! Sometimes it is stored with the canning supplies. It is a million times more aromatic, flavorful than the meager packet that is included with the corned beef.)

Corned Beef and Potatoes

Corned beef is a great summer dish!

I once found a wad of two-dollar bills in an abandoned field. I was elated. The kind of excitement where you don't breathe for several seconds, your eyes widen, your heart skips a beat or two, and then you take off running to tell everyone. Or anyone. That wad of two-buck wonders came to almost fifty bucks!

Well, that's how I felt the other day in the grocery store. Some of the corned beef was marked way down because they were "close-dated." I was ecstatic! I bought one two-and-a-half pound beauty for $5.20!!! And then another for a little over seven bucks! Wow! Just like "the old days" when food was affordable.

When I taught school, I used the crock pot to cook my corned beef while I was away. It had great flavor but it had a tendency to be overdone and literally fall apart.

I now prefer to simmer a corned beef on top of the stove where I can monitor it just until it is fork tender for nice, non-shredded slices.

Corned beef, like any boiled dinner, is a great summer dish (it will be 86 degrees here today in the South). You don't have to use your oven or heat up a grill outside. And cold, sliced leftovers make great sandwiches. Recently, I purchased an electric hot-plate which I can plug in on the back porch. I love it. I can even use it in the winter. It's a great investment.

I do not particularly like cabbage simmered in the meat water. To me, it comes out greasy. Instead, I prefer to make it separate. I think it tastes much cleaner.

• 1, 2.5-3 lb. corned beef
• 1-2 carrots, broken into thirds
• 1 rib celery, roughly chopped
• 1/2 half large onion, roughly chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves smashed, peels and all
• 1-2 teaspoons pickling spice
• 1-2, 14.5 oz. cans whole new potatoes
• cabbage (optional)

Remove beef from the package. Rinse. Place in Dutch oven large enough to accommodate. If it's a bit of a squeeze, that's okay since the beef will shrink considerably during cooking. If a packet of pickling spice is included, just throw it away. You can buy a container of pickling spice from the grocery store that is ten times better. Sprinkle beef with 1-2 teaspoons of spice. Scatter carrot, onion, celery and garlic around beef. Add water just until it reaches the top of the beef.

Bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to LOW and simmer, covered, about 45-60 minutes per pound or until the prongs of a carving fork pierce the roast with little resistance.

Turn off heat but keep the corned beef in the pot. Open and rinse the new potatoes. Tuck them around the beef. Cover for about 30 minutes. Remove potatoes to a bowl. Cut into fourths. Dot with butter and a few spoonfuls of the corned beef broth. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and dried parsley (or fresh). Mix together.

Cabbage:  Melt 1-2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add some thin-sliced onion rings that you have cut into half moons. Half a cabbage into thin slices. Add to onion/butter/olive oil mixture. Spoon in a few tablespoons of the corned beef liquid. Cover and steam to your liking. Salt to taste.

Slice the corned beef and serve with potatoes and, if using, the cabbage. Always slice against or in the opposite direction from the grain of the meat. If the beef is a tad overdone and falling apart, slice a bit thicker than you ordinarily would. Serve with spiced mustard and/or horseradish.

I especially enjoy corned beef with buttered Boston brown bread. It is pretty readily available in most grocery stores. It is sold in a can. Some stores shelf it with the baked beans. Some shelf it with bread and muffin mixes. Here's what it looks like:

Notes: I think it wise to always plan an extra hour for the corned beef. You can always just let it sit in the braising liquid until ready to serve. Grilled corned-beef sandwiches are great, but don't use the customary Swiss cheese. I use slices of cheddar-horseradish which is wonderful.


I prefer the 'flat-end' cut of corned beef. It is uniform in thickness compared to a 'point-end.' I also like an even layer of fat on it.