Slow-Cooker Corned Beef: An Abundance of Flat Cut or Point Cut?

Hello and welcome back to The Stone Soup Cook! I’m so glad you’re here!

Today, on St. Patrick’s Day, I’m featuring that quintessential meal: corned beef, potatoes and cabbage.

I generally enjoy corned beef only once and year on St. Patrick’s Day, and I’ve never tried to make it myself. And after my fiasco with sauerbraten, I doubt I ever will try to make corned beef myself. The prepackaged beef I can get from the grocery store has always been pretty good, but I never remember from year-to-year which cut of beef I purchase for my feast. And I’ve never figured out the difference…until this year.

Let’s take a dive into the different cuts of the beef brisket, shall we?

A whole beef brisket is composed of basically two cuts: the flat (or “first”) cut and the point (“second” or “deckle”) cut. The flat cut is named that because when cut against the grain for serving, it will have a rectangular, or “flat” look. It is leaner and will stay together, making a better presentation. The point cut is named that because it is the end of the brisket that comes to a point. It is fattier and therefore, juicier. Many feel it has the better flavor. Which cut you choose is entirely a matter of opinion.

When I went to get my corned beef this year, I made a point of checking into the different cuts, having been stymied in years past. I read a review that said the ONLY cut worth eating is that flat cut, and another that said that the ONLY cut worth eating was the point cut. So much for getting any useful information.

What I did learn is that the flat cut, because it is leaner, can be a little tougher and drier if not cooked properly. I purchased a flat cut and decided to braise it in the slow cooker to help alleviate both issues.

Recipes I found were all over the map, so I cobbled together one of my own that I thought would take care of both the issues. Click here for my slow-cooker corned beef recipe.

Since a corned beef is highly seasoned, I figured that the braising liquid could be fairly utilitarian. I read recipes that called for only water, which sounded like it would leach all the flavor out of the meat, so I decided to use beef broth as my base. Additionally, since I’d read that the flat cut can come out a little tough, I added dry white wine as an acid to help break down some of those tougher connective tissues. This worked well, and my brisket came out very tender, and was tasty, although I think could have used a little more flavor. I decided I would add a bay leaf and maybe a few more aromatics the next time I make it, but overall, it turned out well.

I used Yukon Gold potatoes because that’s what I had. They did fine, but red potatoes would hold up better. I also added carrots, celery and onions to the mix, all of which did a nice job boosting the flavors and filling the house with wonderful aromas.

A lot of recipes will advise putting a “trivet” of vegetables at the bottom of your slow cooker, atop which your brisket will rest. This is not a bad idea, but make sure that your brisket is mostly submerged in the braising liquid–otherwise, the braising magic has no chance of happening. So–place small, flat pieces of vegetables on the bottom of the pan, and add the rest of the vegetables around and atop the brisket.

Both flat and point cuts have a fat cap on top. Leave it on, and place your meat fat cap-side up. The idea is that the fat will melt through the meat as it cooks, marinating it in the natural juices of the meat. This will help keep the meat moist and add good flavors to the meat as it cooks.

Finally, the recipes I found called for cook times of 8-9 hours on low–and woe to those who tried to shorten this cook time! I found dire warnings of tough-as-shoe-leather meat if one tried to use the “high” cook setting. Since I didn’t get around to starting my brisket until 2:00 in the afternoon, I had little choice but to set the cooker to “high” and hope for the best. I think because I added the white wine, the meat came out just fine–very tender and flavorful. My brisket cooked for a total of about 5 hours on the “high” setting.