If you are looking to change the game this St. Patrick’s Day, look no further. Cooking sous vide creates a juicy, tender corned beef like you have never had before. So go ahead and kiss goodbye to dry, chewy corned beef forever.
In this recipe we keep it simple by picking up a pre-brined corned beef with a pickling spice packet included. This is the definition of an easy cook with incredible results. Now you can celebrate St. Patty’s Day the right way with easy, delicious corned beef and a couple pints of Guinness. Enjoy.
Time and Temperature
Through loads of experimentation, we’ve found that cooking the corned beef at 180F for 10 hours is the perfect combo. Leaving the beef in for 10 hours breaks down the connective tissue (collagen), which results in an extremely tender meat. Also, cooking the corned beef at a temperature of 180F is the sweet spot for that perfect, sliceable texture.
Just make sure you have a reliable sous vide that accurately regulates the temperature of the bath or your results may vary (check out the Anova or Joule). For other time and temperature options, check out our cooking guide here.
Special Equipment
Sous Vide Machine – This one is obvious. To cook sous vide, you’re going to need a device to precisely regulate the temperature of the bath water. The two best sous vide machines in the game right now are the Anova Precision Cooker and the Breville Joule.
12-quart Container – Although you can use a basic stockpot for your sous vide cooking needs, I highly recommend buying a large plastic container. They are inexpensive and spacious, so you won’t have to worry about cooking a big roast in a small pot. I recommend a 12 quart Rubbermaid container, as it is BPA free, sturdy, and large enough for just about anything you will be cooking.
Container Lid – If you are going to buy a plastic container, I highly suggest buying a compatible lid for it. When you sous vide for a long duration, the heat of the water causes evaporation. With a lid, it eliminates a majority of the evaporation so you can cook for 72 hours care-free.
Cast Iron Skillet – If you are looking to take your searing game to the next level, we recommend investing in a cast iron skillet. By using a cast iron in this recipe, you’ll achieve a deep sear on the protein. Cast irons are also extremely handy for searing just about any and all sous vide meat. Lodge offers the best quality and price, which is why it is our favorite cast iron brand.
Check out our full list of recommended gear here.
Sous Vide Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 3 lbs corned beef brisket, pre-brined, with pickling spice packet
- 1 cup beef stock
Instructions
Preparation
Set sous vide machine to 82C/180F.
Rub pickling spice packet on the fat side of the corned beef. Put the corned beef and beef broth in a freezer bag, and remove the air using a vacuum sealer or the displacement method. Drop bag in the bath for 10 hours.
Finishing
To finish the corned beef, heat up skillet on medium high and sear all sides. Alternatively, place the corned beef under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. Make sure to watch closely to ensure the meat does not get burned.
Serve with cabbage and potatoes, and enjoy the juiciest corned beef ever!
I am curious about why you add broth in the sous vide bag? Is it necessary?
Hi Evelyn! I don’t believe it is necessary to add the beef broth, however, the broth makes the corned beef a little bit more juicy and adds some extra flavor so I would recommend it. Hope this helps!
Great recipe. Excited to make this for my family for St. Paddy’s day!
Made without broth and didn’t bother searing. Turned out PERFECT. Easy peasy, will make again.
What might be the shrinkage?
Thank you
Hi Bruce, a corned beef can shrink by as much as 1/3 when cooked sous vide.
I was in the pool!!! I was in the pool!!!
Looks great…I am going to add Irish beer (Harp) rather than broth…..
Sounds dang good! Let me know how it turns out
I have tried the Anova corned beef recipe with dark porter beer, I was not impressed and will not try again with beer…. On the other hand, my dog loved it!
Can you leave in longer than 10 hours in the sous vide? What would you say the longest it can be in there? Thinking of cooking overnight but won’t eat until lunch time or later.
Hi Jeremy, since this cook is at a high temp (180F) I wouldn’t leave it in longer than 12 hours. What you could do is take it out in the morning around 10-12 hours, refrigerate it until it is ready to be served, then reheat in a pan or oven.
I am in love with my sous vide!! I can’t wait to try your corned beef recipe this week. Right now, I have a sirloin tip roast marinating in the frig to sous vide tomorrow. I use appx 1 cup of worcestshire sauce, appx 1/2 cup soy sauce, dry mustard (2 tsp), and whole seed mustard (appx 1 tbls) for my marinade. It’s quite yummy. And also a good marinade for pork tenderloin!
Hi Karen, so glad to hear you are lovin’ your sous vide! That marinade sounds incredible and right up my alley, I will have to give it a try. Let me know when you try the corned beef recipe, excited to hear how you like it.
Does the weight of meat affect the length of time necessary to cook completely. My brisket is just over 7lbs.
Hi Eric, with a brisket that large I’d recommend adding an additional 2 hours to the cook (12 hours total).
I’ve seen cooking time from 10 hours to 48 hours. Yours says 10 hours. Is this long enough to make the meat tender? Is the cooking time due to the higher heat?
It certainly is! I’ve tested several times and temps and found that 48 hours at a lower temp almost had no difference then 10 hours at 180F.
Folks. PLEASE do not add the beef broth to your vaccum bag as it will most likely short out your vaccum sealer! I should have known better and it fried mine.
When a recipe calls for liquid I freeze it. It doesn’t take much time to thaw, so I don’t add to the cook time.
This! Mine didn’t get fried, but it pumped out all that broth all over the cabinet. The freezing idea below sounds good but it should be mentioned in the recipe!
I definitely will be trying the freezing idea and seeing how it works! For now, I’d recommend performing the displacement method rather than vacuum sealing when using a marinade/liquids in the bag.
Our vacuum sealer has a moist setting that allows a manual seal activation. Requires attention but it works very well for achieving a good enough vacuum for quick marinading or sous-vide cooking. Love the recipe,. Dvided a full 14 lb brisket for a smoked brisket and 2 weeks later for a home corned beef brisket cooked with this sous-vide recioe.
Thanks for the recipe Jason! Fired up my Sous Vide a few minutes ago for a nice St. Patty’s day dinner. We have a 4lb slab. Should any time be added or is 10 hrs still the magic number?
Awesome, Nick! Excited for you. 10 hours for a 4 lber will be perfect. Cheers
Thanks pal! cheers
If I put the beef in the fridge after the 10 hours, how can I properly reheat without overcooking? I want to broil with some mustard to finish, but not sure how to best reheat through the center. Thanks!
I would brush the corned beef with mustard, stick it in the oven at 325F for 30 mins, then for the final few minutes turn on the broiler to let it get a nice finish. Cheers and happy St. Paddy’s Day.
Thanks so much!!
I underestimated the time it would take the water to heat up to 180 and now my corned beef won’t be done in time for dinner. Can the cooking time be shortened?
Hi Kristen, the great thing about the sous vide is it is very forgiving. As long as you can still cook it for 7-8 hours the corned beef will come out just fine. The beef will be fully cooked after a couple hours, all additional time after that is just aimed at breaking down the meat to make it more tender.