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Cranberry Beef Slow Cooker. Every March, when the snow starts melting and the fields are still quiet and brown, my sister calls me and asks the same question every single time: “Are you making that cranberry corned beef again?” Patrick’s Day beef roast that people in the Midwest love to make. Instead of using the little spice packet that comes with the meat, I mix a can of cranberry sauce with some Dijon mustard.
These two things melt together into a thick, dark red glaze that coats every bit of the brisket and makes it super tender. This is the kind of simple, no-fuss meal that farm families have always loved. You put three things in the pot in the morning, and by dinner time you have a big plate of soft, juicy beef covered in shiny red sauce. It feels special enough for a holiday but easy enough to make any Sunday of the year.
A simple 3-ingredient slow cooker recipe where cranberry sauce and Dijon mustard melt into a rich, tangy glaze over tender corned beef brisket — easy enough for any day, special enough for St. Patrick’s Day.
How to Serve It
I love to cut this cranberry corned beef across the grain and lay the slices on a big oval plate. Then I spoon the thick, dark red sauce right over the top so it looks shiny and beautiful. It goes really well with buttery mashed potatoes or simple boiled baby red potatoes, because they soak up all that sweet and tangy gravy. Steamed cabbage or green beans give you that old-school meat-and-veggies plate my mom always made. A basket of warm dinner rolls or rye bread on the side never goes to waste either. If you have leftovers, they make amazing sandwiches on soft rolls with a little extra mustard, and a spoonful of the cold cranberry glaze works great as a spread all by itself.
Servings: 6 to 8
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pound corned beef brisket (rinse off the brine, throw away the spice packet)
- 1 can (14 to 16 ounces) jellied cranberry sauce
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Cranberry Beef: Directions
- Take the corned beef out of the package and throw away the spice packet. Rinse the meat quickly under cool water to wash off the extra salty brine, then pat it dry with paper towels. Place the brisket fat-side up inside a large slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the jellied cranberry sauce and the Dijon mustard. Use a fork or a whisk to break up the cranberry sauce and stir everything together until it is mostly smooth.
- Pour the cranberry and mustard mixture all over the top of the corned beef. Use a spatula or the back of a big spoon to spread it around so the whole top of the meat is nicely coated. As the meat cooks, this mixture will melt and thin out into a sauce that collects at the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker. Cook this food on LOW heat for 8 – 10 hrs, or on HIGH heat for 4 – 5 hours. The meat is ready when it is very soft and you can pull it apart easily with a fork. Try not to lift the lid too often, because the heat and steam need to stay inside to cook the meat properly.
- When the brisket is done, carefully move it to a big oval serving plate, trying to keep it in one piece as best you can. Cover it loosely with a piece of foil and let it sit for about 10 minutes so all the juices can settle back into the meat.
- While the meat is resting, scoop off any extra fat floating on top of the liquid left in the slow cooker. If you want a thicker, stickier glaze, pour the cooking liquid into a small pot and let it bubble over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until it thickens up and looks glossy.
- Slice the corned beef across the grain into thin or thick slices, whatever you like, or gently pull it apart into big chunks if it has gotten very soft. Arrange the slices back together on the plate so it looks like a whole roast again.
- Spoon plenty of the warm cranberry sauce over the top of the meat, letting it drip down the sides and pool around the bottom of the brisket for that beautiful deep red, sticky finish. Serve it warm and put any leftover sauce in a bowl on the table so everyone can help themselves.
