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Hi, I'm Donna Karlsons
with the USDA's Food Safety & Inspection Service.
Corned beef is a popular spring celebration dish.
The term corning is from an old meat preservation
process used before refrigeration.
Today we'll focus on how to safely prepare a corned
beef brisket in a slow cooker.
As with any food preparation, always begin
with the basics: clean, separate, cook and chill.
Clean your hands often with soap and warm water,
and clean all surfaces and utensils that will come in
contact with food with soap and hot water.
Keep raw foods separate from uncooked meats by
using separate cutting boards and servers.
Cook foods to safe internal temperatures and
chill leftovers promptly.
Keep your brisket chilled at 40 degrees F in the
refrigerator until cooking time.
If you are going to use root vegetables, such as
potatoes and carrots, put them in the bottom of slow
cooker.
Place the brisket on top of vegetables or in the
bottom of cooker if you don't use vegetables.
Add about 1 and 1/2 cup of water.
Cover and cook on the high setting for the first hour
of cooking.
Then cook for 10 to 12 hours on the low setting
or 5 to 6 hours on the high setting.
Cabbage wedges can be added on top of the
brisket during the last 3 hours of cooking.
The corned beef brisket should be cooked to a
minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees
Fahrenheit as measured with a food thermometer
before removing meat from the heat source.
For safety and quality, allow the meat to rest for
at least 3 minutes before carving or consuming.
Any corned beef left over from a meal should be
refrigerated promptly-within 2 hours of
cooking.
Place the beef in shallow containers before
refrigerating.
Use cooked-ahead or leftover corned beef
within 3 to 4 days or freeze it 2 to 3 months.
Reheat leftovers to 165 °F as measured with a food
thermometer.
For information on corned beef, or on any other
topics, you can ask a food safety question at
AskKaren.gov, or call the USDA's Meat & Poultry
Hotline: 1-888-MPHotline.
Both are available in English and Spanish.
Or visit USDA's Food Safety and Inspection
Service website.