This recipe for Glazed Corned Beef Sliders will change your whole outlook on Corned Beef. Most recipes boil it into submission, leaving you with a one-note, cabbage-heavy plate that doesn't do justice to this rich, flavorful beef roast cut. Treat it well and finish it with a sticky, sweet-savory molasses glaze and you’ve got something entirely different. These corned beef sliders are tender, caramelized, and built for real flavor.
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
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
Make Corned Beef Sliders In Your Crock Pot
Cover the brisket half way with water and cook low and slow all day. Then into the oven with the glaze so it tightens up and gets sticky.
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.
Tips For Success
- Swiss cheese is not the most cooperative melting cheese … unless you let it come to room temperature. Set the cheese out for about 30 minutes to soften.
- Rinse: Rinse the corned beef with cold water before cooking. The reason is to remove the salt and brine. Rinsing helps insure the meat is not too salty, but doesn’t hurt the flavor, which is already infused into the meat.
- Don’t Rush It: Brisket doesn't care about your timeline, please make sure the meat is nice and tender.
- Broiler: Watch those sliders like a hawk once they’re in the broil stage. The molasses glaze is sugary and will burn quickly.
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.
FAQ’s About Corned Beef
I always do. It keeps the salt in check without removing flavor from the beef.
It hasn’t been cooked long enough, it’s as simple as that.
It’s salt cured, but you still need to cook it.
What To Serve With Glazed Corned Beef Sliders.
Side dish ideas for these sliders would be Classic Potato Salad, or Jalapeno Pineapple Coleslaw. And if you’re missing the cabbage, try something new and exciting. Take a look at my recipe for Rode Kool. A Dutch red cabbage recipe that will WOW you.
Before You Go
Corned Beef isn’t just a seasonal, cook only on St. Patrick’s Day event. It’s available year round at your grocery store, it’s a brisket, and it’s versatile. And once you taste it glazed like this, you’ll want to make it often.
Explore More Beef Roast Recipes
And don’t miss my category for Beef Recipes, you’ll find lots of great dinner ideas, including one of the most popular on my site for Coca Cola Brisket. A slow cooker brisket recipe that will wow your crowd.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
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Instant Pot Glazed Corned Beef Sliders
Ingredients
- 2 ½ – 3 pound pound Corned Beef Brisket Flat Cut
- 2 Tablespoons Yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon Prepared horseradish or more if you're a fan.
- 2 Tablespoons Red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup Molasses I like regular molasses. Back Strap is stronger in flavor.
- 3 slices Swiss Cheese cut into 4ths
- 12 Kings Hawaiian Slider buns Or regular slider buns
Instructions
- Rinse corned beef under cold water. Place the corned beef, fat side up, in the bottom of an Instant Pot. Sprinkle on the seasoning packet and pour in 1 cup cold water. Place lid on Instant Pot and set to cook on high pressure for 80 minutes.
- For the glaze. Mix together the mustard, horseradish, vinegar and molasses. Set aside.
- When corned beef is done, unplug the Instant Pot and let the steam naturally release for 10 minutes. Then press the steam valve to release the remaining steam. Remove corned beef to a sheet pan. Using a silicone brush, liberally baste the corned beef with the glaze.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the brisket in the oven, cook for 15 minutes basting with glaze every 5 minutes. Lower oven heat if you feel it's too hot for the glaze. If it smells like it's burning, turn it down.
- Remove brisket from oven and place the brisket on a cutting board. Let rest for 10 minutes. Switch oven temperature to broil.
- With a sharp knife, slice the meat against the grain. Place chunks of corned beef onto the bottom of slider buns. Top with slices of Swiss cheese. Add a small drizzle of additional glaze if you'd like.
- Broil briefly until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, top with the other half of the slider bun and serve.
Notes
- Swiss cheese is not the most cooperative melting cheese … unless you let it come to room temperature. Set the cheese out for about 30 minutes to soften.
- Rinse: Rinse the corned beef with cold water before cooking. The reason is to remove the salt and brine. Rinsing helps insure the meat is not too salty, but doesn’t hurt the flavor, which is already infused into the meat.
- Don’t Rush It: Brisket doesn't care about your timeline, please make sure the meat is nice and tender.
- Broiler: Watch those sliders like a hawk once they’re in the broil stage. The molasses glaze is sugary and will burn quickly.
Nutrition
Glazed Corned Beef Sliders … It’s What’s For St. Patrick’s Day
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Wonderful, just wonderful. It looks so delicious, it makes me hungry! Thank you for this idea!
LOVE the idea of corned beef sliders! And what a great idea to make them in the Instant Pot. I do have some Irish blood, but I’m definitely All Irish on St. Pat’s Day. 🙂 These will help me celebrate in style — thanks!
Looks like you found an instant pot winner. I’ve never been a big fan of corned beef and cabbage, but these sliders are a totally different thing. The corned beef looks awesome and the sliders themselves are incredible. I think I need to start thinking about St. Patrick’s Day. Never have thought about it in January. 🙂 Great sliders Lea Ann!
I just made a corned beef yesterday for the game! I keep telling myself I don’t need another kitchen appliance but all of the great recipes I see are really tempting me.
I admit I’ve never been a fan of corned beef (I blame my mother), but this looks delish! Gonna have to try it 🙂
I’m not a huge corned beef fan either. Never order Reubens. But I do buy it and cook it up once a year. As always thanks for stopping by.
The Bowling Stones?? Too funny!
And as far as that breakfast is concerned, lead me to it!
I’m not much of a corned beef lover, but your recipe is intriguing…I may just have to try it!
Is your kitty hiding behind the clover? So cute.
I know the post is about the corned beef, but I LOVE the first picture of your kitty hiding behind the clover!
I love corned beef. I love that corned beef is dirt cheap this time of year. I love that I have a really big freezer. 🙂
That being said, I’m probably making Irish Stew and Soda bread for St. Paddy’s.
I’m making my whiskey-glzed this Wednesday…yum.
I make a corned beef every St.Paddy’s Day, but usually make genuine Reubens out of it…they aren’t even Irish!
They must be German? I like Reubens ok if the sauerkraut is “just” right. As always, thanks for stopping by BD
You’re a woman who knows how to celebrate the day :-). Everything looks wonderful. Erin Go Bragh!!!
Oh yum, I love corned beef. Looks totally delicious.
THE BOWLING STONES?!? 🙂 😀 😛 Sounds like a pretty festive party!
I love the idea of doing my corned beef in the crock pot – I’ve already got my cabbage, rutabagas and various other root crops ready to boil! Irish Today is the sentiment around here.
Very entertaining post, LA! Great shot of Queso the crazy coon cat, too.
I thought you’d get a kick out of our team name! That’s the first time I cooked a cb brisket in the crock pot. Seemed to work like a charm.
Looks delicious–I love a good corned beef. Your event this week sounds like fun! 😉
I bet it was sooo good with that fried egg! I used to be on a bowling team called the Gutter Girls. Not as good as your name!
Two years ago, our team was all female, so I named it The Gutter Girls. This is a one day tournament so we dressed up in a trashy manner and had a ball! Thanks for stopping by Pam.
I love the fact that everyone is Irish on St. Paddy’s Day! Corned beef is just so delicious. I can’t wait until Thursday actually when all of the corned beef will go on sale!
I’m so excited to see that you made this in a crockpot! I’ve been looking for a good recipe for this. You should submit this to Regional Recipes: Ireland, which I am hosting this month! It would be perfect.
Joanne, I’m not sure making this in the crockpot is the very best way to treat a corned beef brisket, it was just my option for a busy Friday and Sat. It was fall apart tender and delicious, but experts might be frowning?? I dunno. I’m not a brisket expert. I’ll watch for Regional Recipes. Thanks Joanne
Sounds delicious!
I’ve never heard of glazing corned beef, but it sounds delicious and I’ll have to try it with a piece of ours. That’s my kinda of breakfast you served up. Three delicious sounding meals. Bev’s a big reuben fan and most of our leftover goes there unless we have a lot (then there might be some breakfast hash involved).
Larry, I should add that to my post. I had planned on some hash, but ran out of corned beef. darnit. RE: the glaze, I always like a sweet/salty combo going on. And to tell you the truth, this was really good, but the glaze flavor wasn’t all that strong.
I love that breakfast. Everyone talking about corned beef has really put me in the mood for smoking some corned beef into pastrami, that is awesome stuff.
Yum, until I started blogging, I didn’t realize what pastrami was. Thanks for stopping by Chris.
top of the morning and yeeeha! A great timely post