Corned beef brisket is made extra tender and flavorful with some beer and this delicious and easy pressure cooker method.
Brisket is one of the tougher cuts of beef. But, when it is prepared well it transforms into a wonderful meal.
Cooking it low and slow, allows the fat, collagen and connective tissues to breakdown rendering the brisket fork tender.
Since the pressure cooker cooks high and fast it needs a little extra help, in this case the beer.
The enzymes in the beer help break down the connective tissue that would normally take hours to accomplish.
What Kind of Beer Should You Use to Cook Corned Beef?
For St. Patrick's Day the obvious choice would be a nice Irish stout such as Guinness.
But, use whatever beer you like best since that is the taste that will infuse into the meat.
Does the alcohol completely burn off?
Short answer, not completely.
But the amount left is almost negligible.
Beer has about 5% alcohol by volume. After 90 minutes at high heat there could still be about 10% left.
Meaning the entire brisket, the vegetables and the juices now contain .5% alcohol (the equivalent of about 1 teaspoon).
If you or your guests completely abstain from alcohol, you can swap out the beer for water or beef stock. You may want to pound the meat before cooking or add some soy sauce to the cooking liquid to tenderize it.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- 1 medium yellow onions (chopped)
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 ounce beer
- 1 cup water, chicken or beef broth
- 2½ - 4 pound corned beef brisket with spice pack
- 5 large carrots (cut into large strips)
- 1 pound red potatoes (quartered)
- ½ large cabbage head (sliced thickly)
Instructions
- Add garlic, onion, and bay leaves to the pressure cooker and pour the beer and water/broth on top. Place the trivet inside the pressure cooker with the handles positioned up for easy removal.
- Place the brisket fat-side down on the trivet and sprinkle the spice packet that came with the brisket on top.
- Cook on high pressure for 85 minutes.
- When cook time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes then do a quick release of the remaining pressure. Remove brisket, transfer to cutting board and tent with foil.
- Add the carrots, potatoes, and cabbage on top of the trivet in the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes.
- When cook time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes then do a quick release of the remaining pressure.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables to a serving platter. Slice the beef against the grain and add to the serving platter. Serve immediately.
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Until next time, happy eating!
~Audrey
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