Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, or really any day, this easy Instant Pot Corned Beef is moist and tender, and sure to become a family dinner favorite. Cooked in beef stock and dark beer for richer flavor and paired with potatoes, carrots, and onions, this corned beef makes a tasty one-pot meal. If the taste doesn't get you salivating, the aromas will!
Corned Beef Brisket in Instant Pot
OK, I'm not Irish. I can't even claim the least little bit, but every year on St. Patrick's Day, I pretend I have a wee bit of Irish in me. I love all the traditions and the wearing of the green, so it is fun to take part anyway and just pretend for a day. And one of my favorite Irish dishes has got to be corned beef complete with Irish soda bread on the side. Hey mum, are you sure I don't have any Irish hidden in me somewhere?
This is a simple dish to make in the Instant Pot. It is more or less a dump-and-cook complete dinner, the best kind right, with the vegetables going in separately at the end so as not to overcook. Don't have an instant pot? No problem! This can actually be made in the crockpot as well, which is a great option when you're away from the house all day. I've included the instructions in the notes section of the recipe card below. However, believe me, when I tell you, this 4-pound corned beef Instant Pot method is so easy and the result so awesome, you might want to go out and get an Instant Pot pronto!
Questions and tips
For a two-pound roast, the total time, counting the pressure release, is about 90 minutes. If adding the vegetables, another 4 minutes needs to be added. For a three-pound roast add 5 minutes to the cooking time and 10 minutes for a four-pound roast.
The first rule in cooking is always use a beer or wine that you would drink by itself. The second is to always use a quality beverage so that it instills the best flavor into the dish. In this case, I use a dark beer, like Guinness, as I feel the slight bitterness of the beer accents the natural flavors of the corned beef perfectly.
Corned beef is cured in a salt-brine so there is no need to add more. It flavors both the meat and the subsequently added vegetables very adequately. If you prefer your corned beef less salty, you should rinse it under water prior to cooking.
Easy Steps to Make Instant Pot Corned Beef
- Place corned beef in Instant Pot. (photo 1)
- Sprinkle with the spice packet, drop in the fresh thyme sprigs and add minced garlic. (photo 2)
- Add beef broth. I use the unsalted or low sodium variety as there is already enough salt in the meat. (photo 3)
- Slowly pour in the beer. Cover, seal and cook on high. The amount of time is determined by the size of your roast. (photo 4)
- Once pressure has been released, remove corned beef to a plate and cover to keep warm. (photo 5)
- Add cut vegetables to the broth and cook for 4 minutes on high. At this time, I'd advise you to cover the valve with a paper towel to avoid a mess created from spitting liquids. (photo 6)
The Instant Pot is truly a great appliance to make electric pressure cooker corned beef tender, juicy, and flavored with or without beer. So if you want to know how to cook corned beef in a pressure cooker, give this Instant Pot corned beef recipe a try. I'd make this corned beef with beer again no matter what time of year! And the pressure-cooked corned beef leftovers are great for delicious lunchtime sandwiches or stir up a hearty corned beef hash for breakfast.
Other ideas for St. Patrick's Day celebration.
Great Side Dish
Easy Irish Soda Bread - An easy no yeast, no-knead Irish Soda Bread with only 5 ingredients.
Crispy Roasted Cabbage Steaks from Dinner then Dessert - cook your cabbage separate with this easy slice and bake crispy cabbage side.
Great Desserts
Key Lime Brownies - Fudgy & moist brownies swirled with a bit of the green, aka key lime cheesecake filling.
Grasshopper Pie - Cool and minty with an Oreo cookie crust.
Great dish for next day
Air Fryer Corned Beef Hash - A quick and easy way to use up leftover corned beef for a delicious breakfast. Just 13 minutes and breakfast is served.
Find lots more easy Instant Pot recipes here on 2CM!
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Instant Pot Corned Beef with Beer
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb corned beef brisket
- Spice packet
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3-4 sprigs thyme
- 2 cups beef broth
- 12 oz dark beer
- 1 onion cut in chunks
- 4 potatoes cut in eighths
- 4-6 large carrots cut in large chunks
- Garnish: parsley optional
Instructions
- Place corned beef in bottom of Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle spice packet on top.
- Add minced garlic and sprigs of thyme.
- Pour in beef broth and dark beer.
- Cover and seal. Cook on high pressure for 75 minutes for 2 lbs., 80 minutes for 3 lbs. and 85 minutes for 4 lbs.
- When cycle has completed, let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes then do a quick release.
- Remove corned beef and set aside. Cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add onion, potatoes and carrots to broth.
- Cover and seal and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Cover valve with a paper towel and do a quick release.
- Slice corned beef and place on serving plate with potatoes and vegetables around it. Top it with a little of the broth.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post has been updated with new photos and instructions for cooking in an Instant Pot. The original post was published on May, 17, 2013.
Barb Gingenbach says
This recipe is spot on. I had a larger corned beef brisket so I added 5 minutes to the cooking time. It came out perfectly tender and delicious. Thank you!
Linda Warren says
Yay! So glad you liked it! I'm totally jealous because I just love corned beef. Take a bite for me.
Teri says
Does the spice packet come with the corn beef? I’m sorry I don’t know I’ve never cooked corn beef before!
Linda Warren says
Yes, the spice packet comes inside the corned beef packet. It's an easy recipe to cook and always comes out delicious. I know you'll love it!
Carrie says
Yummmm, just in time for St Patrick's Day.
Linda Warren says
It's a delicious dinner for the holiday for sure!
wilhelmina says
I love that you have adapted the classic corned beef dinner for the instant pot! I will be making this!
Linda Warren says
Isn't the Instant Pot great! It was so easy and came out so delicious that I just might be making this way more often.