Instant Pot Corned Beef The Southern Soul Food Way
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Slowly cooked, enriched with flavors, deliciously soft and tender at the inner. Spicy and tasty at the outer. And it only takes 90 minutes to make this Southern comfort food speciality. An Instant Pot corned beef recipe made the Southern soul food way!
This Instant Pot corned beef recipe is a complete power pack of the most deliciously seasoned protein surrounded by a beautiful vegetable medley. A one-pot meal – straight to plate!
Slowly cooked corned beef, a featured recipe, is originally an Irish- American classic cuisine, especially enjoyed on St. Patrick’s Day.
However, corned beef is also a Southern recipe favorite, and this one is enhanced with soul food seasoning for maximum flavor. The best corned beef recipe!
Why is it called corned beef?
Corned beef came about in the 17th century, and the word “corned” was used to describe the size of the salt crystals used to cure the meat.
Why should you make Southern corned beef in the Instant Pot?
This is one of those magical meals in minutes!
Easy corned beef! Thanks to Instant Pot, only one pot is needed to take this recipe from the cooking liquid straight to the plate.
And unlike slow cooker corned beef recipe. This dish is ready in a matter of minutes instead of overnight or a few hours.
How long does it take to cook a 2-pound corned beef?
How long do you cook corned beef per pound?
Corned beef bakes at a ratio of an hour a pound.
So a 2-pound corned beef will need to bake for 2 hours. A 2.25-pound corned beef for 2 hours 15 minutes, 2.5-pound corned beef will bake for 2 hours and 30 minutes, and so on.
How long does it take to cook corned beef in the Instant Pot?
How long should you cook it for?
It only takes 90 minutes for pressure cooking corned beef. And only an additional 4 minutes when you add the carrot, potato, and cabbage wedges to the Instant Pot.
This is why Instant Pot corned beef is the first choice over stovetop or crock pot slow cooker corned beef recipes.
How do you cook corned beef and cabbage in the Instant Pot?
This recipe includes easy Instant Pot instructions for pressure cooker corned beef.
Simply season the corn beef and then place it in beef broth in the Instant Pot. Pressure cook on high for a cook time of 90 minutes, and then quick release the pressure to add the vegetable to the pot.
Kitchen equipment for Instant Pot corned beef
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Instant Pot Duo | The Pioneer Woman Instant Pot | Instant Pot trivet rack | Amazon cutting board | Pottery Barn similar napkins | Amazon serving spoons |
Ingredients for Southern soul food Instant Pot corned beef
- 2-3 pound corned beef brisket
- 3 cups of beef broth
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ a cup of onion, coarsely chopped
- ½ a cup of carrots, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup of red potatoes, coarsely chopped
- ¼ of a head of cabbage, coarsely chopped
What if your corned beef didn’t come with a spice packet?
If your corned beef brisket does not come with a seasoning packet, or maybe you want to spice up your dish your way (or the way I do). Then I gotchu!
Here’s my signature soul food seasoning recipe for corned beef brisket. The ingredients below combined as a whole make the corned beef pickling spice.
Ingredients for Southern soul food corned beef seasoning (pickling spice)
- ½ teaspoon of yellow mustard seeds
- ½ a teaspoon of brown mustard seeds
- ½ a teaspoon of coriander seeds
- ½ a teaspoon of dill weed
- ½ a teaspoon of allspice
- 1 teaspoon of whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves, crushed
- ¼ teaspoon of red chili flakes
- ½ a teaspoon of salt
- ½ a teaspoon of black pepper
Instructions for Instant Pot Southern soul food corned beef
- Remove the corned beef brisket from the packaging and rinse well.
-
If using the spice packet that comes with the brisket, rub the mixture all over the top, non-fatty side of the corned beef.
Mix the seasonings in a small mixing bowl if you make your seasoning per the pickling spices ingredients above (yellow mustard seeds, brown mustard seeds, coriander seeds, dill weed, allspice, cloves, crushed bay leaves, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper). Then rub the mixture all over the top, non-fatty side of the corned beef.
- Place the Instant Pot steamer trivet rack on the kitchen counter and put the seasoned brisket on top.
- Open the Instant Pot lid and pour the beef broth and the garlic into the stainless steel inner pot.
- Then using the trivet rack handles, place the brisket inside the Instant Pot stainless steel inner pot, seasoned side up and fatty side down.
- Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 90 minutes.
- When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 15 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release the remaining pressure.
- Add the onion, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage to the inner pot with the corned beef, sinking the vegetable into the beef broth.
- Place the lid back on the Instant Pot (make sure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
- When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 2 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure.
- Baste the corned beef by spooning the beef broth in the pot over the top of the brisket, then carefully remove the meat using the trivet rack handles.
- Place the corned beef on a cutting board, slide out the trivet rack underneath it, and then slice the meat.
- Serve this Southern soul food corned beef brisket right away with the cooked vegetables, and enjoy!
What do you serve with corned beef?
This recipe calls for carrots (or baby carrots), cabbage, and potatoes – traditionally what corned beef is cooked with.
Corned beef is also best served with mashed potatoes or Southern favorites like cabbage soup.
Southern soul food Instant Pot corned beef FAQs
Should you rinse corned beef before cooking?
Yes, you should rinse corned beef under cool water to remove any excess salt before cooking it. But, don’t worry, you won’t rinse away the flavor – the meat is fully cured and infused with flavor by this point.
How do you know when Instant Pot corned beef is done?
If you have a meat thermometer, that’s a plus point for you!
Check the meat’s readiness, and when the thermometer reads 145 degrees F, the beef cooking is done.
However, if you don’t have a meat thermometer, there is no need to worry.
Instead, check the meat readiness with a fork or knife cut.
When placing meat in the pressure cooker, do you put the fat side up or down?
Should the fat side of the brisket be facing up or down? That’s one of the most common questions when cooking corned beef.
For Instant Pot corned beef, the answer is down. You want the seasoned (non-fatty side) facing up.
Why do you place the meat on a rack instead of in the liquid?
Is it OK not to use a rack?
Yes, but the preferred method for cooking Instant Pot corned beef is the brisket on the Instant Pot trivet rack to avoid the meat directly boiling in the heated broth.
And functionally, the rack is for ease in placing and removing the brisket from the hot-pot of liquid.
If you double the amount of corned beef, do you double the amount of broth?
“How do you change this recipe?” and “Should you increase the cooking time?” are common Instant Pot questions.
Perhaps if you double the recipe, does the cooking time change at all?
For example, if you had a 4.5 or 6-pound corned beef brisket, should you change the cooking time?
If you double the recipe, you’ll need an Instant Pot size larger than the standard-6 quart because a second brisket is not likely to fit.
Also, the dynamic recipe card below allows you to adjust the ingredients for the recipe based on the number of servings you desire to make.
Can this recipe be cooked on the stovetop in a large pot for several hours?
Yes, but I wish everyone knew how easy Instant Pot cooking is for busy households. One-pot… straight to plate!
The Instant Pot method is almost foolproof. So there’s no need to cook at a high temperature for long periods.
Why is your corned beef coming out tough?
It’s probably overcooked. A problem that’s almost non-existent with this Instant Pot corned beef recipe. The meat should be tender, juicy, and easy to break apart.
What do you think of this recipe?
Instant Pot corned beef made the Southern soul food way is pressure-cooked and enriched with Southern soul food seasoning.
Easy to make and enjoy. You can even eat the leftover corned beef as corned beef hash or in a Ruben sandwich.
And with Instant Pot it only takes 90 minutes to make this Sunday dinner feast!
You may also like this recipe for air fryer lamb chops.
Equipment
- Instant Pot electric pressure cooker
- Instant Pot trivet rack
Ingredients
Ingredients for Southern soul food Instant Pot corned beef
- 2-3 pound corned beef brisket
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup onion coarsely chopped
- ½ cup carrots coarsely chopped
- 1 cup red potatoes coarsely chopped
- ¼ of a head of cabbage coarsely chopped
Ingredients for Southern soul food corned beef seasoning (pickling spice)
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves crushed
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Remove the corned beef brisket from the packaging and rinse well.
- If using the spice packet that comes with the brisket, rub the mixture all over the top, non-fatty side of the corned beef. Mix the seasonings in a small mixing bowl if you make your seasoning per the pickling spices ingredients above (yellow mustard seeds, brown mustard seeds, coriander seeds, dill weed, allspice, cloves, crushed bay leaves, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper). Then rub the mixture all over the top, non-fatty side of the corned beef.
- Place the Instant Pot steamer trivet rack on the kitchen counter and put the seasoned brisket on top.
- Open the Instant Pot lid and pour the beef broth and the garlic into the stainless steel inner pot.
- Then using the trivet rack handles, place the brisket inside the Instant Pot stainless steel inner pot, seasoned side up and fatty side down.
- Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 90 minutes.
- When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 15 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release the remaining pressure.
- Add the onion, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage to the inner pot with the corned beef, sinking the vegetable into the beef broth.
- Place the lid back on the Instant Pot (make sure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
- When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 2 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure.
- Baste the corned beef by spooning the beef broth in the pot over the top of the brisket, then carefully remove the meat using the trivet rack handles.
- Place the corned beef on a cutting board, slide out the trivet rack underneath it, and then slice the meat.
- Serve this Southern soul food corned beef brisket right away with the cooked vegetables, and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
I never thought you can cook Corned Beef this way.
Yes! Corned beef the Southern way is the best – and we can thank Instant Pot for making this iconic recipe so easy!