Why Do I Need the Rack Inside the Instantpot While Cooking Corned Beef?

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This Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner is moist, tender, and takes less time than most, just about an hour.

A corned beef brisket that has been pre-brined (corned), packaged, and ready for you to cook at home does not need 90 minutes in the Instant Pot. Let me repeat that. A perfectly moist, tender, aromatic, flavorful, easy-to-slice corned beef brisket does not need to cook for 90 minutes in an Instant Pot, or 80 minutes for that matter. How does just one hour sound?

One-Hour Instant Pot Corned Beef

Beef briskets from the grocery store that have been pre-brined, or "corned," have an advantage over any brisket that has not been previously brined. They have an almost no-fail fast-pass to being mouthwateringly tender and moist when cooked in an Instant Pot.  In this case, "corned" is a term referring to the size of the rock salt (which are the size of corn kernels) used in the brining liquid and brisket.

Brining tenderizes the meat by breaking down the proteins and connective tissues that would otherwise make the brisket tough. Grocery store briskets have been sitting in their corning/brining liquid for a long time, which is great news for us because more brine time means less time in the Instant Pot.

When doing research for this recipe, 100 percent of the recipes I reviewed for Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage, like this, this, and this, listed an 80 minute or longer cook time. If you're looking for "shredded brisket," I might agree with these. But because the brisket has already been in its brining liquid for a long period of time, and because the pressure from the Instant Pot speeds up the cooking process to begin with, I was skeptical about the 90-plus minutes, and rightfully so.

I checked several brands, and every 3 to 4 pound corned beef brisket package I reviewed suggested an oven or boiling cook time of just one hour, so I couldn't imagine that it would take longer than an hour in the Instant Pot. Sure enough, when I tested several of the briskets, the one-hour cook time was all it needed to be perfectly cooked, perfectly moist, and not falling apart.

How To Use The Spice Packet That Comes With The Corned Beef

Most packaged corned beef briskets will come in a loose pouch filled with liquid. Inside the pouch, in addition to the brisket, will often be a small packet, usually about the size of a business card, filled with spices. Find this and save it. It's like a flavor jackpot.

The spice packet unfortunately doesn't contain enough spices to flavor the cooking liquid though, so instead of adding it to the cooking liquid like most recipes call for, I add it to the top of the brisket. Then to flavor the cooking liquid, I add a few whole-spice aromatics.

First, add whole peppercorns, whole allspice berries, whole caraway seeds, bay leaves, salt, and chicken stock into your Instant Pot. Then, place your cooking rack. Some recipes also call for star anise, but it can sometimes be hard to find and not necessary for the recipe's success.

Another corned beef cooking myth is that it needs lots and lots of liquid to be moist, which isn't the case unless boiling, and even then it doesn't need to be submerged. One and a quarter cups of chicken stock will do the trick for my Instant Pot version.

Should Corned Beef Be Rinsed Before Cooking?

You'll want to remove any brine from the corned beef before cooking because it can often be too salty. There is always a food safety risk when rinsing beef, poultry, or pork under a faucet because microscopic particles can splash onto clean surfaces without you even seeing it happen, so it's rare that I'll ever suggest rinsing. However, in this case, to remove any brine, rinse the brisket carefully under a very cool, slow-running faucet, in the deepest part of the sink to contain any splashing, and then pat the brisket dry with disposable paper towels. You could also dunk the corned beef in a large container of cool water that's placed inside your sink, instead of rinsing under water.

Transfer the corned beef to the Instant Pot rack, fat side up, and then sanitize your sink and surrounding areas.

Slather mustard on top of the corned beef, and sprinkle the contents of the spice packet onto the mustard; the spices will soften while cooking. Lock the lid onto the Instant Pot and set it to pressure cook for one hour. When the cook time is complete, turn the unit off and let it rest for 10 minutes. Release any remaining pressure and transfer the cooked corned beef to a cutting board.

What Vegetables Go With Corned Beef?

The traditional Irish-American recipe for corned beef typically includes cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, all of which will cook much faster than the brisket, so these are added to the Instant Pot and cooked separately while the corned beef rests. They won't take long at all, just 4 minutes. Onions are also sometimes included, however I've left these out of the recipe because they don't contribute much flavor and become mushy in the Instant Pot after being cooked with the other vegetables.

A medium to large head of green cabbage is perfect for this recipe. Cut this into 6 wedges, which will fit perfectly into the Instant Pot, along with waxy potatoes like Red Bliss or Yukon Gold. The potatoes should be no larger than about 2-inches in diameter; anything larger should be cut in half to ensure they cook through. Carrots can be peeled and left whole; some might need to be trimmed to fit into the Instant Pot. Baby carrots can be used, however the cabbage and potatoes will need to be cut to a similar size, and the cook time reduced so they don't become mushy.

There's no need to season the vegetables because they cook directly in the flavorful liquid that's already in the Instant Pot. The liquid is still very hot at this point, so carefully add the potatoes first, followed by the cabbage, and then the carrots. Lock the lid in place, set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 4 minutes, and get your serving platter ready.

How To Serve Corned Beef And Cabbage

When the vegetables are done, immediately release the pressure and remove the lid. Slice the corned beef against the grain, and transfer to a serving platter. Place the vegetables around the corned beef and ladle some of the cooking liquid over the corned beef to keep it moist throughout dinner.

I like to serve this with more grainy mustard, along with a side of the cooking liquid in case anyone likes to dunk.

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DESCRIPTION

This Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner is moist, tender, and takes less time than most, just about an hour.
Serve with a grainy mustard.

Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:

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• 1 Tbsp. whole peppercorn
• 1 Tbsp. whole allspice
• 1 Tbsp. whole caraway seeds
• 4 bay leaves
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 1 and ¼ cup chicken stock
• 1 (3-4 lb.) Corned Beef Brisket
• 2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
• 1 and ½ lb. small waxy potatoes
• 1 large head green cabbage, cut into 6 wedges
• 9 large carrots, peeled, trimmed to fit Instant Pot

1. Add peppercorns, allspice, caraway, bay leaves, salt, and chicken stock to the Instant Pot and place  rack.
2. Remove brisket from package, reserve spice packet*. Under a slow-running faucet (to prevent splashing), rinse corned beef to remove any brine, pat dry.
3. Transfer corned beef to Instant Pot rack, fat side up. Spread mustard on top of corned beef, sprinkle contents of spice packet on top of mustard.
4. Place lid on pot, lock in place. Set the valve to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook button and set the timer for 1 hour.** After cook time is complete, turn off unit, let stand 10 minutes. Move valve to Venting to release any remaining pressure.
5. Remove lid. Carefully lift rack with corned beef out of Instant Pot; transfer corned beef to a cutting board; let stand.
6. Add potatoes, cabbage, and carrots to the Instant Pot. Place lid on pot, lock in place. Set the valve to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook button and set timer for 4 minutes. After cook time is complete, turn off unit. Move valve to Venting to release pressure. Transfer vegetables to a serving platter.
7. Slice corned beef against the grain, transfer to platter with vegetables. Ladle some of the cooking liquid over the corned beef and vegetables before serving.

Notes

*Corned beef briskets often come with a small spice packet. If the brisket you are using for this recipe does not have a spice packet, complete step 3 without adding the spice packet.
**For corned beef that can be shredded, increase the Instant Pot cook time to 75 minutes.

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Source: https://cookthestory.com/instant-pot-corned-beef-and-cabbage/

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