Corned Beef In A Roaster

Using a roaster to make corned beef results in juicy meat nestled in cabbage, potatoes, onions and carrots.

An electric roaster is an easy way to make this delicious meal of corned beef and vegetables for a crowd.

How To Make Corned Beef In A Roaster

With a large surface area, an electric roaster can make cooking corned beef brisket and several vegetables all at the same time an easier task.

My husband loves how the roaster can be filled with beef broth that adds so much flavor to potatoes, celery and cabbage while they cook. He says that getting the extra beef flavor in the vegetables is very enjoyable.

One of the challenges when cooking for a crowd is knowing how much to prepare. Just like our Brisket In A Roaster, save the juice as this meal reheats wonderfully with some broth too. We always make extra to enjoy throughout the week.

This corned beef and cabbage can easily be made in a roasting pan in a regular oven as well. Simply decrease the amount of ingredients proportionally to fit in a pan that fits in the oven and cover with foil to keep tender.

A couple more meals we enjoy making in a roaster are Chicken and Noodles for a Crowd and Shredded Beef for Sandwiches.

Ingredients Needed

• Corned Beef – We prefer the flatter, more rectangular pieces to the thicker triangular points, but either work fine.
• Cabbage – One extra large head or two smaller heads work fine. Cut each head in half, remove the thick white stems and then cut into thick slices.
• Potatoes – Scrub and cut into large chunks that are equivalent to about two or three bites each.
• Celery – Wash and cut into sticks.
• Carrots – Peeling and cutting whole carrots into sticks has the best presentation, but baby carrots are easier.
• Onions – Thick wedges cook in an hour or two and help flavor the other veggies around them.

When paired with the generously seasoned ground beef we do not find a need to add additional salt and pepper to this dish.

Notes From Testing This Recipe

• My husband really loved eating the vegetables that cooked until tender in beef broth and enjoys reheating leftovers in a bowl with some extra beef juices.
• Using a thinner chunk of meat (the brisket can be cut in many different shapes and thicknesses) makes cooking with vegetables easier.
• This beef is not the absolute most tender cut, thus the reason pickling spices are added to help tenderize and preserve the meat. So corned beef is better sliced thin.
• The salty meat with the pepper and pickling spices creates a unique corned beef dish. Leftovers are great in a Reuben Sandwich with sauerkraut or our Reuben Dip.
• Much higher variability with big quantities so want to allow more time and plan to hold cooked meat.
• Rinsing the roast is optional – we actually like adding the extra juice from the beef package to the roaster to cook the vegetables in. Rinsing will decrease the flavor a little bit, we prefer to pair with plain veggies to make the meal have more balance.

Allow Extra Cooking Time For Variations

Using an electric roaster to cook corned beef is great after testing and learning, but it can be tricky the first time.

So if this is a one shot recipe then allow twice the cooking time listed as applianices vary greatly as do the amount of food inside of them and the size and shape of roasts.

We have made corned beef in a roaster in 2 hours and in 5 hours when the roaster was much more full.

A larger roaster that is proven is important to use. I have a smaller Nesco that makes cooking a bigger meal like this challenging as it doesn’t seem to get as hot.

Slicing Versus Shredding The Beef

Thinner roasts cook faster and are better sliced thin. Have a sharp knife ready to make slicing easier.

The thicker, taller pieces take longer to cook and are typically better shredded.

How Much Meat and Veggies Per Person

Knowing there are many variables including the size of your roaster, amount of food your crowd will eat and how many different vegetables you want to include is important to determine before starting this recipe.

Through testing we determined the following estimations to work best when making corned beef in a roaster:

• 3/4 lb raw beef/person yields less as juices cook out decreasing the weight of the finished meat product.
• .375 lb of cabbage/person or 4 servings in 1 1/2 lb to 1/4 pound per person – biggest variable here is likely space in the roaster.
• About 3/4 to 1 medium potato or 2 small baby potatoes per person
• 1 onion per 5 to 6 people
• 1 stalks of celery per 2 to 3 people
• 1 whole carrot for 3 to 4 people

If space is limited I would eliminate the carrots and celery first.

Recipe For Corned Beef In A Roaster

Set the meat out of the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before starting to cook. This will help the meat warm up a bit and speed up cooking thime.

Begin by adding water to the roaster and heating until almost simmering. Dissolve better than bouillon beef paste. Or for a faster method heat water in a pot of in the microwave and dissolve, then add to the roaster.

Wrap the pieces of beef in foil. Add extra juice to the roaster.

Set roaster to 300℉. Cover the roaster and cook for 1 hour.

Wash and prep vegetables.

Big chunks of all veggies is more likely to cook well and less likely to turn to mush.

Keeping the skin on potato helps keep it’s shape.

Use a digital meat thermometer and check the internal temperature of the beef after an hour.

Remove beef when cooked to 145℉.

Even if beef still needs to cook I set aside on a baking sheet and add a layer of potatoes to the bottom of the roaster. Keep the rack totally flat on the bottom of the roaster or the potatoes will get stuck underneath.

Then carefully add wedges of cabbage to the roaster. Try to hold the layers of cabbage together as you lay them in the roaster.

Next add thick wedges of onions. If cooking carrots and celery finish by layering them on top.

Cover and cook for another hour. Check meat and tenderness of vegetables.

Meat can be removed for veggies to continue to cook if necessary.

Let meat rest for 20 minutes before serving. Lay sliced corned beef on top of the roaster full of cabbage and potatoes to keep warm until serving.

Plan Accordingly

We have made several recipes in an electric roaster oven like our Baked Beans for a Crowd, Green Beans for a Crowd and Cheesy Potatoes for 100.

Almost every time I see people need to plan to plug in multiple appliances like slow cookers, etc and they often blow the breaker. Have an extension cord or two ready and plan to plug into different circuits if keeping warm in the roaster is necessary.

More Easy Recipes to Feed A Crowd

A Deli Meat and Cheese Tray creates easy finger food for appetizers or to make sandwiches.

Customizing a Loaded Baked Potato Bar makes a fun party buffet.

Shredded Chicken Sandwiches are so simple to keep warm in a crock pot and always popular.