Instant Pot Corned Beef Sliders

Corned beef is a brisket. And deserves to be treated like a roast beef. Most people have only had the boiled version, which I’ve always found a peculiar way to cook a big cut of expensive beef. A legit beef roast cut turns into something rich and deeply flavorful when roasted, and without relying on cabbage to make it a meal.

What Makes These Corned Beef Sliders Different?

If you've ever felt hesitant about cooking corned beef (or just bored with the usual), this is the method that changes everything.

• Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day just got easier thanks to a pressure cooker. I can’t think of an easier way to braise a Corned Beef Brisket.
• Glazed and quick finished in the oven to get those wonderful sticky edges.
• The Molasses glaze brings a deep, almost smoky sweetness you don't expect. A great compliment to the salty corned beef. While the Instant Pot is working its magic, simply whip together the thick rich glaze consisting of mustard, horseradish, red wine vinegar and molasses. That combination of ingredients alone should pique your curiosity.
• No cabbage needed to complete the meal.
• A beef roast, in this case, flavorful corned beef seems to be

Quick Answer If You’re Skimming: Corned beef sliders are made by pressure cooking brisket, finishing it with a sweet-savory glaze, then slicing or shredding it onto slider buns instead of serving it with cabbage.

What Cut Of Corned Beef (And Why It Matters)

This question and topic gets skipped way too often. Corned beef is brisket. You can purchase it either flat cut or the point cut. It’s a whole brisket cut into two sections.

And brisket is tough. It’s full of connective tissue, which is not a bad thing. That's where the magic flavor is. Cook it correctly, low and slow in the oven, or in a crock pot, or this method for pressure cooking softens, melts, turns the meat silky.

I’ve used both cuts for this recipe and they both work, however, I’ve learned to reach for the flat cut for better slicing.

• Flat cut: slices clean, great for neat sliders.
• Point cut: is fattier, messier, arguably better flavor.

If you've cooked chuck eye roast or a rib roast before, you already get the idea. Different cuts with different behavior.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Slider Buns: I highly recommend using Kings Hawaiian Rolls, or Kings Hawaiian Slider Buns. The sweet flavor compliments the salty flavor of the corned beef.
• Cheese: The nutty flavor of Swiss cheese is another complimentary flavor for this recipe.
• The Glaze: The combination of horseradish, mustard, molasses and red wine vinegar creates a memorable flavor for the corned beef glaze. Sweet, salty, tangy and with a bite of horseradish, it’s amazing.

Sometimes I throw in a little red chile powder. Chipotle if I want smoke. Red chile if I'm leaning Southwestern New Mexico. Not required. But wow, it's good.

How To Cook Corned Beef For Sliders

1. Step 1: Cooking corned beef in the Instant Pot is crazy easy. Place the corned been in the Instant pot along with it’s seasoning packet and 1 cup water. Follow time instructions in the recipe card below.
2. Step 2: Place the cooked corned been on a sheet pan and liberally slather on the glaze using a silicone brush. Pop it in a pre-heated oven for fifteen minutes, glazing the brisket with more of the glaze every five minutes.

At this point, if you don’t want to make slider sandwiches, slice against the grain and simply serve this as Glazed Corned Beef.

How To Assemble The Sliders

3. Step 3: Cut the meat against the grain as to avoid getting chunks of stringy meat. Build your corned beef sliders by placing chunks of the meat on the bottom half of the slider bun.
4. Step 4 Add a little bit more glaze if you’d like and top with slices of Swiss cheese. Place under the broiler for just a minute, or until cheese melts. Top with the other half of the bun and enjoy.

Soft bun, sticky beef, a balance that matters.

How Long To Cook Corned Beef

If you remember one thing, let it be this. Low and slow wins.

• Oven: about 45 to 60 minutes per pound at 300°F
• Instant Pot: roughly 90 minutes total
• Slow cooker: 8 hours low, 4-5 hours high

Quick answer:
Cook corned beef until it's fork-tender. In the oven, that's usually close to an hour per pound at a low temp.

How To Know When It’s Done

This is the one time I’m not going to insist you use an instant read digital meat thermometer. Forget chasing a perfect temperature, instead, grab a fork, if it slides in easy, it’s done. If it feels a little rubbery, give it more time.

Can You Make It Ahead Of Time?

Yes, please do. Cook it, chill it, and gently reheat in the oven until warm. The meat will be easier to slice and the flavor more defined. Then glaze, finish and build those sliders.

Storing, Freezing and Reheating

• Refrigerator: Store any leftover corned beef in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to four days.
• Freezer: Store left over corned beef in the freezer for up to three months. I like to use zip-lock style freezer bags. Squeeze the air out and lay flat to maximize freezer space. Be sure to use a Sharpie to indicate contents and freeze date.
• Reheating: Thaw corned beef in the refrigerator overnight. Wrap in foil and gently reheat in a 300 degree oven until warm enough to eat. I don’t like beef warmed in the microwave, it can cause the texture to become rubbery.