Pressure Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Is my family's comfort food tradition on St. Patrick's Day.
Corned beef and cabbage in the pressure cooker seemed like a simple idea, a slow-cooker alternative that sped up my cooking time dramatically. And it did...eventually, when I got my technique figured out. Now I have a rock-solid pressure cooker corned beef recipe. (Before that it was a comedy of errors - see my troubleshooting section below if you want the gory details.)
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Ingredients
- Corned beef
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Cabbage
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Pressure Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
Pressure Cook the Corned Beef for 60 Minutes With a Quick Release: Rinse the corned beef, then cut it crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Put the corned beef pieces, onion, and celery in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, sprinkle with the spice packet, then pour in enough water to cover the corned beef. Bring the pressure cooker up to high pressure and cook at high pressure for 60 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 50 minutes in a stovetop PC. Quick release the pressure, then carefully remove the lid. Test the corned beef for doneness with a fork – it should be easy to poke a fork through the thickest section. If it's not done, lock the lid and cook for another ten minutes at high pressure.
Pressure Cook the Vegetables for 5 Minutes With a Quick Release: Add carrots to the pot, then lay the cabbage on top. It's OK if the cabbage comes a bit above your cooker's "no fill" line; there will still be a lot of airspace. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release the pressure again. Using a slotted spoon and/or tongs, transfer the vegetables to a platter and the corned beef to a carving board.
Serve: Pour the broth left in the pot into a fat separator. While the broth settles, slice the corned beef. Pour a little of the de-fatted broth over the corned beef and vegetables platter. Serve, passing the rest of the broth at the table.
Corned Beef & Cabbage Troubleshooting
Problem 1: Too salty
Last year, I tried my usual "cut back the water in the pressure cooker" approach. I used 1 cup of water instead of covering the corned beef. The result was unbelievably salty. I could barely eat it. The rest of the family took one bite, then ignored the corned beef and filled up with soda bread, cabbage, and carrots. Discouraged, I put one serving of the salty corned beef and cabbage in a container and tossed the rest. The next day, the leftovers tasted fine - sitting in the cabbage and juices for a day pulled enough salt out to make it edible.
Problem 2: Undercooked
Problem 2: Undercooked
This year, instead of winging it, I researched recipes. They all said to cover the corned beef with water. (Whoops.) Then I ran into my next hurdle. Most sources cook the whole corned beef at high pressure for 45 minutes to an hour. Then they quick release the pressure, remove the corned beef, add the vegetables, and cook the vegetables at high pressure for five minutes.
"Great!" I thought to myself, "Corned beef in an hour!"
I should have known what was coming. Last year I followed Lorna Sass's instructions and cooked a two-and-a-half pound corned beef for 70 minutes at high pressure. This year I had a monster - four and a half pounds. I checked the recipe book that came with my electric Cuisinart pressure cooker; it said I should cook for 24 minutes per pound. 108 minutes? Seriously? The Cuisinart's timer only goes up to 99 minutes. No, it couldn't possibly take that long.
I put the corned beef in the electric pressure cooker, and set it to cook at high pressure for fifty minutes. Then I quick released the pressure and filled the pot with potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. The result looked great, and the vegetables were perfectly cooked. But the corned beef was undercooked. My jaw got tired trying to chew through it. Once again, everyone else took one bite of the corned beef, then filled up on the sides.
I had to crack this. I couldn't let corned beef beat me. I went back to the store and bought two smaller corned beef roasts, each three and a half pounds.
In case it was the lower pressure of the electric pressure cooker, I cooked one corned beef in my electric PC and the other in my stove top PC. (Most electric pressure cookers have a high pressure of 12 PSI, while stovetop pressure cookers have a high pressure of 15 PSI.)
I cooked both roasts for fifty minutes, quick released the pressure, and checked the corned beef. It wasn't done. I kept trying, pressure cooking for ten minutes with a quick release, and checking again. The stovetop pressure cooker took a total of 80 minutes to tenderize the corned beef, and the electric PC took 90 minutes. Finally, success!
But, wow, eighty minutes? So much for corned beef in an hour. Still, an hour and a half (including the extra vegetable cooking time) was much better than the ten hours my usual slow cooker recipe takes. Need a corned beef in a hurry? Get a small one, add plenty of water, and do NOT undercook it.
Problem 3: Too Long
So, 90 minutes worked for a smaller corned beef, and I used that recipe for years. But with another St. Patrick's Day coming up, I started thinking.
What if I tried the trick I learned with [Pressure Cooker Pot Roast] and cut the corned beef into pieces? I always slice the corned beef for serving, so no one will know I cut it into 4 pieces before I started cooking.
Sure enough, cutting the corned beef into 4 pieces worked wonders. 60 minutes under pressure worked perfectly in my Instant Pot, and it finished in 50 minutes in my stovetop PC. Now, I can get a bigger corned beef - I'm able to fit a 4 pounder in, once I cut it up and fit it in like a jigsaw puzzle. In fact, I can get any size I want, as long as I cut it into 2-inch to 3-inch wide pieces before cooking. Problem solved!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Leftover corned beef and cabbage freezes well, as long as it is covered in broth.
- If you have the time, use a natural pressure release for the corned beef instead of the quick release. It's almost impossible to overcook a corned beef, and the slower release of pressure results in a little bit more tenderness in the corned beef.
- Watch out for extra-thick corned beef - you want a flat, even piece, three inches thick or so. If you get a thicker one, or a cut from the point end, give it an extra ten to fifteen minutes under pressure.
- Want to add a little more Irish cuisine to the recipe? (Or at least some Irish beer?) Replace some of the water with a bottle of Guinness beer
- Don't have a pressure cooker? Use a slow cooker. Recipe here: Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
Adapted From: Lorna Sass Pressure Perfect
Pressure Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Pressure Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage. My tradition on St. Patrick's Day.
Ingredients
- 4 pound corned beef with its spice packet
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 1 stalk celery, quartered crosswise
- Water to cover (about 4 cups)
Vegetables
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths (or a 1 pound bag of baby carrots)
- 1 small (3 pound) cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
Instructions
- Pressure Cook the Corned Beef for 60 Minutes With a Quick Release: Rinse the corned beef, then cut it crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Put the corned beef pieces, onion, and celery in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, sprinkle with the spice packet, then pour in enough water to cover the corned beef. Bring the pressure cooker up to high pressure and cook at high pressure for 60 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 50 minutes in a stovetop PC. Quick release the pressure, then carefully remove the lid. Test the corned beef for doneness with a fork – it should be easy to poke a fork through the thickest section. If it's not done, lock the lid and cook for another ten minutes at high pressure.
- Pressure Cook the Vegetables for 5 Minutes With a Quick Release: Add carrots to the pot, then lay the cabbage on top. It's OK if the cabbage comes a bit above your cooker's "no fill" line; there will still be a lot of airspace. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release the pressure again. Using a slotted spoon and/or tongs, transfer the vegetables to a platter and the corned beef to a carving board.
- Serve: Pour the broth left in the pot into a fat separator. While the broth settles, slice the corned beef. Pour a little of the de-fatted broth over the corned beef and vegetables platter. Serve, passing the rest of the broth at the table.
Notes
This recipe will fit in a 6 quart or larger pressure cooker. I love my 6 quart Instant Pot pressure cooker.
For my original recipe: Use a smaller corned beef - only 3 pounds, max, and leave it in one piece. Everything in the recipe works the same, except in the "cook the corned beef" step, cook for 90 minutes in an electric PC, or 80 minutes in a stovetop PC.
I also removed the potatoes from the recipe - I think they come out better if you cook mashed potatoes on the side. If you want to use them in the recipe: Scoop the corned beef out of the broth after the 60 minute pressure "cook the corned beef" step and set it aside. Add 1 ½ pounds of redskin new potatoes to the pot, then add the carrots and cabbage on top and continue with the "cook the vegetables" step.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Irish
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Sarah Goodwich says
I LOVE YOU DAD!
Kirstie says
Made this in the IP for dinner tonight. Came out PERFECTLY! Thank you for the write up, going into my food coma now.
Deb says
So glad I found this recipe. I started craving corned beef at 4pm which was far too late to do one in the oven. Found this recipe and realized I could have it after all! Ordered a corned beef from the grocery store along with carrots and cabbage. The beef just started in the IP and I can't wait to see how it comes out. Thank you very much for sharing this.
Deb says
With a 4.42# corned beef, I set the timer for 100 minutes. I may add another ten in the future for this because while the edges were perfectly tender, the center wasn't as much and I really like corned beef falling apart. One side of the meat was about 3.4" thick, and the other 2.5" thick. There's definitely something to be said for adjusting to the time for thickness vs. weight. I might try NR on it instead of QR and see if that makes a difference. I went 4 minutes on the cabbage and carrots and they were a bit too soft for my taste so I'll go 3 on the next attempt. (I didn't do potatoes--trying to keep this relatively low-carb.) The flavor was absolutely delicious and I heard happy grunting noises coming from the Hubbs as he ate. 🙂 What a treat it was to have this meal done in ~2 hours instead of 4-5 hours in the oven or 10 hours in the slow cooker. Thank you SO much for this!
Gary says
I have a brisket that's only just over 2 lbs. Would you reduce the cooking time?
Mike V says
Only if it is really thin. Thickness matters more than weight.
Amanda Arsenault says
My first time ever cooking corned Beef, I got a electric PC for my birthday so I searched for a recipe and found yours. Thank you for sharing, it definitely helped me through and it turned out great. Only issue I had was there was too much fluid in the PC when i put the vegetables in and like you mentioned it didn't matter about the fill line and then when the pressure cap came open water was flying everywhere So obviously i have to make sure that there isn't so much in it next time. Thanks Again! Please share any other PC recipes you may have up your sleeve.
Scargosun says
Perfection! This was the first time cooking the traditional corned beef and cabbage and your instructions were spot on. This was the best I have ever had (sorry Mom!). I made hash and eggs the following morning and was in heaven again! The only slight difference was that I had med size red potatoes so I chunked them up. The cabbage was melt in your mouth good. I do want to try a larger piece as I want to be able to serve a few people AND have leftovers for hash. I will follow your guidance when I do so.
Michelle says
Best corned beef brisket I've ever had. Bought an expensive, angus grass-fed cut, and cooked exactly as you described. It was amazing. First time I've ever eaten the cabbage without having to put vinegar on it. Thank you so much for all of the research you did to cook this amazing meal!!
In gratitude,
Michelle
John says
Tried this last night (March 17th). Had a 3lb flat cut CB brisket...and all the other ingredients as listed.
CB cooked for 90 minutes on high (plus I'm at elevation (~6000ft) so it doesn't quite come up to the same pressure).
Left the Instant Pot on for 10 minutes more, did a quick release and added the three remaining vegetables. Bought it back up to pressure for 5 minutes.
Everything came out great. Meat was as tender as any CB I could imagine.
The only thing I would suggest is that maybe 5 minutes at pressure for the veggies was a bit long. Or maybe my pieces were a bit too small...but they were a tad-bit overcooked. 3-4 minutes probably would have been perfect.
But - great recipe. Very simple. And super flavorful!
Thanks so much!
Mike V says
Thank you for the feedback!
Sandie B says
I'm so glad to find this post! The recipes in my two pressure cooker books say cook less than an hour, and they don't have proper instructions for the vegetables either. I don't have a lot of PC experience, so your instructions are greatly appreciated. Making corned beef and cabbage tonight or tomorrow so we can have leftovers on St. Patty's Day (after we party)! Thanks so much!
Marko says
We're having CB tonight. Glad I checked this out, though. I would have under-cooked it for sure
Mike V says
Good luck!
LisaD says
Thank you so much for doing the research and posting this recipe. This was my fist use of a pressure cooker. I had 2, 6 pound corned beefs I cooked one in the pressure cooker for 1 hour 40 minutes and one for 5 hours in a regular stock pot. Both came out great. I really could not tell the difference between the two so from now on I'll be using the pressure cooker. Thanks again 🙂
Joe Edwards says
It seemed to be working OK. The CB was 2.75 lbs--maybe it was too small for 90 minutes. I'll try it again and let you know. Thanks for following up and thank for the website! Joe
Joe Edwards says
Mike. this is the first recipe I have tried with my new Cuisinart PC.. I followed your directions exactly, covered the CB and onions with water and set it for 90 minutes, used the natural release method. The CB was very dry, we had to throw it out. Any idea what I might have done wrong.
Mike V says
I'm sorry to hear that! I don't know what went wrong - I've used this recipe many times since I published it. Since this is the first recipe - any chance your pressure cooker isn't working?
Joe Edwards says
Hi Mike, just wanted to follow up. I did another one tonight---perfect. Not sure what happened on the first one.
Erik Kern says
Thanks for this corned beef and cabbage recipe. This is a longtime favorite of my Dads, he could not wait to have it. Dad has passed, but this was amazing to eat and the memories were even Better.
Thanks!
Chris Instant Pot says
Hi!,
Have you tried corned beef in your instant pot?
Thanks,
Dr. Dad
Mike V says
Yes, I have. Works exactly as described above:
https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressure-cooker-corned-beef-and-cabbage/